Adding issue types and sub-issue types

SECURITY  Security level with Admin permission to configure Service Desk (Tickets). Refer to Admin security settings.

NAVIGATION  Left Navigation Menu > Admin > Admin Categories > Features & Settings > Service Desk (Tickets) > Issue & Sub-Issue Types

Issue and sub-issue types are customizable fields you can use to categorize your tickets for routing, workflow, searching, and reporting purposes.

  • Similar to ticket priorities and ticket statuses, they play a role in assigning the right resource to the ticket, the automation of ticket workflows, contract exclusions, and service level agreements.
  • Using issue and sub-issue types allows you to generate reports detailing the type of problems your customers are experiencing. Both issue and sub-issue type fields can be searched in the ticket search page to locate similar problems and their resolution.
  • Issue and sub-issue types can be associated with queues, which allows you to create workflow rules that dynamically move tickets to a specific queue, based on their issue or sub-issue. For more information, refer to Adding, editing, and copying workflow rules.

Your Autotask instance is populated with a number of commonly used issue and sub-issue types. You can add new ones or edit existing ones as required.

  1. To open the page, use the path(s) in the Security and navigation section above.
  2. Click New. The New Issue Type window will open.
  3. Populate the following fields:
Field Description

Name

Enter the name of the issue type.

Associated Queue (issues and sub-issues)

Issue and sub-issue types can be associated with queues, which allows you to create workflow rules that dynamically move tickets to a specific queue, based on their issue or sub-issue. For more information, refer to Adding, editing, and copying workflow rules.

Active (issues and sub-issues)

Defaults to Active. Clear the check box t make the issue type unavailable.

New Sub-Issue Type

Click to add a row to the sub-issue type table.

Sub-Issue Type Name

Enter the name of the sub-issue type.

NOTE  Best Practice: Issues that have sub-issues assigned cannot be deleted. Before you start tracking tickets, review issue and sub-issue types and delete all you are not going to use.

Excluded from New Contracts

Use this check box to retire a sub-issue type and prevent it from being used in contracts going forward.

  1. Click Save & Close.

Option Description

Edit, Edit [Entity Name]

Puts the selected row into Edit mode or opens the Edit <Option> dialog. The fields that can be edited are usually the ones you populate when you create a new list item. Make your changes and click Save, or Cancel.

NOTE  On some pages, you may not be able to edit System options.

Activate/Inactivate, Activate/Inactivate [Entity Name]

New options are active by default.

  • When an option is inactivated, it is no longer available for use, but existing associations with other entities remain in place and in effect.
  • You will be unable to inactivate an option that is referenced elsewhere.

NOTE  Sometimes, the association that prevents inactivation is not obvious. For example, to inactivate a ticket status associated with Incoming Email Processing, you must select a different one first.

Delete, Delete [Entity Name]

The ability to delete an option is severely restricted. List options cannot be deleted if:

  • The option is a system option
  • The option is the default option where a default is required
  • The option is associated with (has been used for) an entity

IMPORTANT  To preserve data integrity, Autotask prevents deletion of entities that have dependent entities or are referenced elsewhere! If you are unable to delete an entity, you should inactivate it to make it unavailable for use.

NOTE   An issue or sub-issue type associated with Incoming Email Processing must be disassociated before you can delete it.