Using the Call Center to Add and Track Incidents

This process flow describes the general steps used in adding an incident and then tracking it through the system.

Recording the Initial Support Request

Your support representative (sometimes referred to as an SSR) receives initial requests for service via phone call, fax, email, etc. These requests are recorded in the Incidents form. The SSR first determines whether the customer is calling about an existing incident, or whether a new incident must be created. If a new incident must be created, the SSR records the information that is needed to resolve the issue on the Incidents form:

Customer information: Name, address, phone, fax, email and any other contact information.
Unit information: The serial number and item of the part that needs to be serviced. When a unit is identified, its warranty and contract information is added to the incident.
Reason codes: General and specific codes that identify the problem and assist in routing the incident to the appropriate resources.
Owner: the technician who is assigned to perform the service. Technicians are usually assigned based on the type of unit, type of service, or region.
Incident priority/status: Record the severity of the incident, along with the status. Priority codes can be used to establish expected response times for "Follow up," "Warning," or "Late" incidents. When priority codes are used with the escalation feature, the system can alert you to potential issues.
SRO cross-reference: If an incident requires service that must be billed, you can cross-reference the incident to an SRO, using the Destination Type.

If the call is about an existing incident, the SSR adds a new event on the Incidents form to record the customer's inquiry about the incident. Any activity related to the incident can be captured as an event. Events are user-definable, typically with names such as CallIn, CallOut, EmailIn, EmailOut, Dispatch, Notes, etc.

When an incident is resolved, specify the resolution, both general and specific, for future reference.

Reports and Historical Information

These reports are available related to incidents:

Incident Report
Incident Time Analysis Report