Record Features and Capabilities

CSM Records have numerous features and capabilities:

Incident and Service Request Management

Searching: Quickly locate all Incidents by running a Quick Search, or search for a particular Incident or set of Incidents by refining the search criteria to a word/phrase, timeframe, Customer, etc. Use Saved Search to save/run commonly-run Searches.
Saved Searches: Use Saved Searches to quickly locate/filter Incidents, or to automate searching in Reports or on Dashboards.
Security: Secure Incidents by controlling who can view, create, edit, and delete records.
Business Object: Use the dedicated Incident Business Object to track Incidents and Requests; configure the Business Object to capture/track only what you want.
Form: Use the powerful Incident and Request forms to create, edit, and track Incidents. The forms provide important at-a-glance information: Incident ID, Status (current and next status), Priority indicator, requestor, record owner, SLA respond/resolve target times, common operations, and an Arrangement area to dynamically display linked records (child records) that are in a relationship with the Incident/Request (parent record).
Specifics forms: Use the context-sensitive Specifics forms to capture relevant data for the different Categorizations of Incidents and Requests.
Workflow: Use the streamlined Incident workflow to move Incidents/Requests from New to Closed.
Creation Flexibility: Create Incidents manually or through an automated process, or allow Customers to create their own records in the Portal.
Ownership: Assign each Incident to a record owner to ensure accountability.
Linked Records: Link child records to a parent Incident Record to keep supporting information at your fingertips and to ensure data relationships. Linked child records are visible in the Incident Arrangement.
Tasks: Use linked Tasks (Work Items, Approvals) to distribute and track individual pieces of work assigned to Teams or Users.
Incident matching: Take advantage of Incident Matching to determine if an Incident/Request has a known solution/workaround, is part of a larger Problem, is a duplicate, etc.
History and Revision tracking: Use linked Journals to track important status and field changes.
E-mail correspondence tracking: Use linked Journals to track e-mail correspondence (ex: Receipt, Follow-up, Resolved, and Closed).
Chat and Remote Session tracking: Use linked Journals to track Chat and remote support conversations.
Queue tracking: Use linked Journals to track when Queues are added to/removed from a Queue.
SLA Management tracking: Use linked Journals and linked SLM records to track SLA breaches, warnings, and changes in the Pending status for Stop The Clock.
First Call Resolution (FCR) tracking: If an Incident is closed (manually or through an automated process) in three saves or fewer, an FCR icon appears on the form to congratulate you and track FCR. You can also manually mark the Incident as FCR on the linked Resolution Details form.
Stop The Clock: If allowed, you can Stop The Clock (pause the SLA Clock and put the record into a Pending status) during the Investigate/Fulfill phase.
Rich Text: Use Rich Text to complement your Descriptions by adding formatting and images/screenshots.
Actions/One-Step Actions: Use powerful Actions and One-Step Actions to move Incidents through their workflow, initiate common operations (ex: Assign ownership), initiate scenario-specific Actions, run Reports, etc. Actions/One-Step Actions are available on the Incident and Request forms (including from the CSM Desktop Client Task Pane and CSM Desktop Client menu bar), and on the Incident and Request Dashboards.
Dashboards: Use the Incident Dashboard, Incident Details Dashboard, and the Request Dashboard to view your critical Incident/Request metrics in a single, real-time, at-a-glance control panel. The Dashboards display the number of Open/Reopened/Pending/Overdue Incidents and Requests, the number of open Incidents/Requests affecting VIP Customers, the average number of Incidents/Requests resolved in a month, the percentage of Incidents/Requests in each Status of the workflow (New, Assigned, In Progress, Pending, Resolved, Closed, and Reopened), and the number of Incidents/requests by Category.
Reports: Run Reports to show up-to-date statistics on most common Incidents, User and Team workloads, closure rates, Service trends, potential SLA breaches, and much more.
Automation Processes: Use Automation Processes to automatically close Incident and to send e-mails.

Problem Management

Searching: Quickly locate all Problems by running a Quick Search, or search for a particular Problem or set of Problems by refining the search criteria to a word/phrase, timeframe, Customer, etc. Use Saved Searches to save/run commonly run Searches.
Security: Secure Problems by controlling who can view, create, and edit records.
Business Object: Use the dedicated Problem Business Object to track Problems and configure the Business Object to capture/track only what you want.
Form: Use the powerful Problem Form to create, edit, and track Problems. The forms provide important at-a-glance information: Problem ID, Status (current and next status), record owner, SLA respond/resolve target times, common operations, and an Arrangement area to dynamically display linked records (child records) that are in a relationship with the Problem (parent record).
Workflow: Use the streamlined Problem workflow to move Problems from New to Closed.
Ownership: Assign each Problem to a record owner to ensure accountability.
Tasks: Use linked Tasks to distribute and track individual pieces of work assigned to Teams or Users (for example, Escalations, Time Entries, and Work Items).
Linked Records: Link child records to a parent Problem record to keep supporting information at your fingertips and to ensure data relationships. Linked child records are visible in the Problem's Arrangement area.
History and Revision Tracking: Use linked Journals to track important status and Field changes.
Queue Tracking: Use linked Journals to track when Queues are added to or removed from a Queue.
Actions/One-Step Actions: Use powerful Actions and One-Step Actions to move Problems through their workflow, initiate common operations (for example, Assign ownership), initiate scenario-specific Actions, run Reports, etc. Actions/One-Step Actions are available on the Problem Form (including from the CSM Desktop Client Task Pane and CSM Desktop Client menu bar) and on the Problem Dashboard.
Problem Dashboard: Use the Problem Dashboard to view your critical Problem metrics in a single, real-time, at-a-glance control panel. The Dashboard displays the number of open Problems, open Top Issues (in the Portal), total linked Incidents, Problems with no workaround, Problems with workarounds, and open known errors. It also shows a list of Top Issues, the number of Problems owned by each Team, the percentage of Problems in each status of the workflow, and the percentage of Problems by category.
Reports: Run Reports to show up-to-date statistics on the most common Problems, User and Team workloads, closure rates, Service trends, potential SLA breaches, and much more.

Change Management

Searching: Quickly locate all Changes by running a Quick Search, or search for a particular Change or set of Changes by refining the search criteria to a word/phrase, timeframe, Customer, etc. Use Saved Searches to save and run commonly-run searches.
Saved Searches: Use Change Saved Searches to quickly locate/filter Changes, or to automate searching in Reports or on Dashboards.
Security: Secure Changes by controlling who can view, create, and edit records.
Business Object: Use the dedicated Business Object to track Changes, and configure the Business Object to capture/track only what you want.
Form: Use the powerful Change Request forms to create, edit, and track Changes. The forms provide important at-a-glance information (Change ID, requestor information, current and next status, record ownership, and common operations). The Form Arrangement dynamically displays linked records (child records) that are in a relationship with the Change (parent record).
Creation Flexibility: Create Changes manually or through an automated process.
Ownership: Assign each Change to a record owner to ensure accountability.
Linked Records: Link child records to a parent Change Record to keep supporting information at your fingertips and to ensure data relationships. Linked child records are visible in the Change's Form Arrangement area.
Approval Process: Use three OOTB Change Approval processes to automate and regulate approving/denying/abstaining Changes. The Change Approval processes contains automatic notifications and status tracking.
Approval Tracking: Use linked Approvals to track who/when approved/denied/abstained a Change.
Tasks: Use linked Tasks to distribute and track individual pieces of work assigned to Teams or Users (example: Escalations, Time Entries, and Work Items).
Customer Communication Tracking: Use linked Journals to track e-mail correspondence.
History and Revision Tracking: Use linked Journals to track (and audit) important Status and field changes.
Rich Text: Use Rich Text to complement your description fields by adding fonts and images/screenshots.
Actions/One-Step Actions: Use powerful Actions/One-Step Actions to move Changes through their workflow, initiate common operations (example: Assign ownership), initiate scenario-specific Actions, run Reports, etc. Actions/One-Step Actions are available on the Change forms (including from the CSM Desktop Client Task Pane and CSM Desktop Client menu bar), and on the Change Dashboards.
Change Dashboards: Use the Change Dashboard to view your critical Change metrics in a single, real-time, configurable, at-a-glance control panel. The Dashboard displays Change data, such as the number of open Changes, the number linked to Incidents and Problems, the number of Changes in each status of the workflow (example: Classify, Assess, Implement, Review), and the number of Changes by category.
Reports: Run Reports to show up-to-date statistics on Change breakdowns, trends, CI Change Request metrics, and more.
Automation Processes: Use Automation Processes to automatically escalate Changes, send e-mails, etc.