You are here:
Unified Catalog Process Types: Case, Incident, and Service Request
Case, Incident, and Service Request provide distinct process type objects for tracking and managing interactions in Unified Catalog. The appropriate process type depends on the requestor’s intent and the work required to resolve or fulfill the interaction.
Required Editions
| Unified Catalog Editions and Permissions. |
Case
The Case process type supports a general issue, question, or problem that requires assistance. Cases are appropriate for external customer inquiries, complex product questions, complaints, and issues that aren’t predefined requests or formal incidents.
Typical requestor intent: I need help with a problem.
Case handling is flexible and can involve multiple teams and ongoing communication.
Incident
The Incident process type supports an unplanned interruption or degradation of service. Incidents are appropriate for break-fix scenarios that require urgent triage, root cause analysis, and rapid service restoration.
Typical requestor intent: Something broke.
An Incident can also require a critical restoration service-level agreement (SLA). Examples include a critical factory equipment breakdown or a major power failure in a hospital intensive care unit.
Service Request
The Service Request process type supports a formal request for something new or for a standard change. Service Requests are appropriate for high-volume, low-risk, and repeatable work.
Typical requestor intent: I need something.
Service Requests fulfill preapproved actions that are often associated with service catalog items. Fulfillment follows predefined steps and can be automated through a catalog. Examples include resetting a password, installing software, and sending an invoice.
Assign Service Requests
Assignment rules automatically distribute Service Request records to an appropriate user or queue for fulfillment. An assignment rule compares Service Request attributes, such as category or location, with predefined criteria when the record is created. If the attributes match the criteria, the rule assigns the record to the specified user or queue.
A record assigned to a queue remains there until a service rep takes ownership. This approach distributes repeatable fulfillment work among the appropriate team members.
See Set Up Assignment Rules for IT Services and Create Assignment Rules for IT Services.
Route Customer Requests
A service process designer identifies the requestor’s intent and selects the process type that supports the interaction. These Universal Containers scenarios show how interactions from different channels map to the appropriate process type.
| Requestor Interaction | Intent | Process Type |
|---|---|---|
| An employee calls the service desk because the primary production server is inaccessible, causing a critical system outage. | Something broke. | Incident: The Incident process type manages the unplanned outage and supports rapid service restoration. |
| A customer sends an email about a complex billing discrepancy on an invoice that requires investigation and resolution. | I need help with a problem. | Case: The Case process type supports investigation and resolution of the complex problem. |
| An employee submits a self-service form to request a permission set for a project. | I need something. | Service Request: The Service Request process type supports the repeatable fulfillment of a standard access request. |
Send Automated Service Request Feedback Surveys
Salesforce Surveys automatically sends a survey after a Service Request is closed. The automation uses a record-triggered flow that monitors the Service Request object for a status change, such as a change to Completed. The flow runs when the record meets the configured condition.
The flow includes variables for the Experience Site Name and Survey ID. These variables direct the recipient to the appropriate survey. The flow then uses the Send Survey Invitation action to email the survey to the associated lead, contact, or user.
See Set Up Surveys and Build a Flow.
- Create a Service Process in Unified Catalog
Create a service process to collect request information and initiate work for a Case, Incident, or Service Request. The process type determines how Unified Catalog tracks the interaction, and the configured routing, fulfillment, and service-level agreement settings determine how teams process the request. - Service Process Templates
Start with predefined service processes and their associated data, metadata, and dependencies instead of building them from scratch. - Action Plans and Service Processes
Action Plans provide predefined tasks, deadlines, and owners for Unified Catalog service processes. When an action plan template is linked to a service process, the configured action plan generates the work required to resolve or fulfill a request.
