Different case ref format for external customer

[Ricky Watts]

I'm looking for a way to have a different case reference format if an external customer logs a case to when our internal ones do. 

 

Basically our setup is this - we mostly use service manager for internal users, and are just using the standard IN and SR format for case references.  We do have an external customer we also support, and have set up a customer portal so they can log issues themselves.  We'd like the cases they log to have a different format for the reference so we can easily tell them apart, something like e.g. EC000001 instead of IN00001.

 

I was thinking we could log the external cases as a Problem rather then Incident or Service Request, then set the required format for all Problems logged.  I can't see any way to log Problems through the customer portal though, it only allows us to add Catalog Items for Incidents and Service Requests.  Is there a way to achieve what we want this way?  Or is there a better way to get these cases logged with a different reference format?

[Steven Boardman]

Hi @Ricky Watts

You can provide the ability to allow customers (internal or external) to raise

* Incidents

* Service Requests

* Changes

from the portals, problems, releases etc are more internal request types which you may use to resolve an Incident or release a change. 

I would not recommend you use the Change request type purely for a different request pre-fix (auto-value) as this may limit you in the future is you wanted to use Change, Problem etc internally.  

In terms of identifiers on the request there are other options which maybe worth considering:

1. If you offer services to your external customers, you could create services which only external customers are subscribed too - this way on the request the service name / catalog item could indicate it is an external request? The Service / Catalog item are also visible as columns on the request list.

2. You could create a specific SLA for your external customers with an external name - EXTERNAL CUSTOMER SLA or something like this, again this is visible on the request details section and visible on the request lists, can be used in views and charts on the request list. 

3. You could use the Business process engine to update the external reference number with say External when an external customer raises a request, this again is visible on the request list. 

I appreciate these are not a change to the reference number but hopefully are all highly visible indicators on the requests / request list to easily identify internal from external requests?

Hope some of this helps

Steve

 

[Ricky Watts]

Thanks for the reply Steven.  I think setting the external reference should suit our needs, so I've got that set up now.  Thanks again.