Problem Categories

Introduction

Problem Categories help organise service tickets based on the type of issue being reported. This section allows you to create and manage categories and subcategories for different departments, making it easier to classify tickets, assign responsibility, and analyse recurring issues.

For example, the IT department may have categories such as Hardware, Software, and Network, while the HR department may have categories such as Employee Onboarding and Payroll.

Using this section, you can:

• Manage Categories and Subcategories: Create parent categories and subcategories to organise tickets according to your organisation's requirements.

• Configure Department and Priority: Assign a department and priority to a category to help determine how the ticket should be handled.

• Set SLA and Turnaround Time: Define the expected resolution time and SLA values for tickets under a specific category.

• Configure Custom Fields: Display additional fields when a user selects a category while creating a ticket. These fields can be configured under Header > Config > Custom Fields.

• Enable Approval Requirements: Specify whether tickets created under a particular category require approval.

• Configure Request Forms: Display a specific form when a user creates a ticket under a particular category to collect the required information.

• Set Escalation Rules: Define department-level escalation rules for tickets that breach their configured SLA.

• Automate Tasks: Configure tasks that are automatically generated when a ticket is created under a specific category.

• Configure Ticket Status: Define the applicable ticket status settings for a category.

These settings help standardise ticket classification, automate ticket-handling activities, improve SLA management, and generate more meaningful reports for analysis.

Navigation: Sidebar › Ticket › Problem Category

Viewing Problem Categories

The Problem Categories list displays each category, its department and parent category, priority, turnaround time, task count, and available actions. Search, Filter, Refresh, and import/export controls are also available.

_{Problem Categories List}

Problem category list columns

Column	Description
Problem Category	Name of the category; a subcategory is labelled accordingly in the list.
Company / Department	Company and responsible department.
Parent Category	Parent category, when the record is a subcategory.
Initial / Attender	Short initial and assigned ticket attender, where configured.
Priority / TAT (Hrs)	Configured priority and turnaround time in hours.
Tasks Count	Count of tasks associated with the category.
Actions	Edit, delete, and the additional menu containing Escalation, History, and Define Tasks.

Creating a Problem Category

Step 1 → Click Add Category on the Problem Categories screen.

Step 2 → Enter the required company, problem category, department, and priority.

Step 3 → Configure any applicable parent category, assignment, field set, turnaround-time, SLA, and status settings.

Step 4 → Review the lifecycle and approval fields, then click Create to save the category.

_{New Problem Category – Main Fields}

Problem category configuration fields

Field	Description
Company	Select the company. Required.
Problem Category	Enter the category name. Required.
Department	Select the responsible department of the category. Required.
Parent Category	Select a parent category when creating a subcategory.
Ticket Attender	Select the user who should attend tickets for the category, where applicable.
Initial	Enter a short initial/code for the category.
Auto Allocation Group	Choose an auto-allocation group if tickets in this category should be assigned through a group. Configure groups under Sidebar > Ticket > Auto Allocation.
Custom Fieldset	Select a custom field set to capture additional ticket details. Its fields appear when a ticket is created in this category.
Priority	Select the category priority. This priority is applied when a ticket is created in the category. Required.
TAT (Hrs)	Enter the turnaround time (TAT) in hours for tickets created in this category.
Response SLA / Workaround SLA	• Response SLA: Enter the number of hours used to calculate the response SLA. • Workaround SLA: Enter the number of hours used to calculate the workaround SLA.
Status	Enable or disable the category. Only enabled categories are available when creating tickets.
Authority Approval	Choose whether tickets created in this category require authority approval before proceeding.
Close Ticket After Days / Reopen Ticket Until Days	• Close Ticket After Days: Set the number of days after which a ticket is automatically closed. • Reopen Ticket Until Days: Set the period during which a user can reopen the ticket.
Roles	Select the roles for which this category should be available when creating a ticket.
Auto resolve ticket on task completion	Enable this option to automatically resolve the ticket when its tasks are completed.
Notes	Enter supporting notes in the rich-text area.

Configuring Category Approval and Ticket Lifecycle Settings

The expanded category form includes additional authority-approval and ticket-lifecycle settings. It also shows Authority Board (SRAT) and Form Required fields. Configure these values according to your organisation’s approval process.

_{Problem Category – Approval and Lifecycle Settings}

Additional category settings

Field	Description
Authority Approval	Indicates whether authority approval is required.
Authority Board (SRAT)	Enter or select the authority board, as configured under Sidebar > Ticket > Service Request > PAB. Required in the displayed form.
Form Required	Choose whether a form is required for this category. If it is, the selected form loads whenever a ticket is created in this category. Forms are defined under Sidebar > Ticket > Service Request > Dynamic Form.

Managing Category Actions

Open the three-dot menu in the Actions column to access the additional configuration options for a problem category.

_{Problem Category – Additional Actions}

Edit a problem category

Step 1 → On the Problem Categories screen, locate the category to update.

Step 2 → Click the Pencil (Edit) icon in the Actions column.

Step 3 → Update the category fields and settings as required.

Step 4 → Click Save or Update to apply the changes.

Delete a problem category

Step 1 → On the Problem Categories screen, locate the category to remove.

Step 2 → Click the Trash Can (Delete) icon in the Actions column.

Step 3 → Review the confirmation prompt and confirm deletion if the action is available.

Open additional category actions

Step 1 → Click the three-dot Actions menu for the required category.

Step 2 → Select Escalation to configure the category’s escalation rules.

Step 3 → Select History to review saved category history entries.

Step 4 → Select Define Tasks to view or manage tasks associated with the category.

Viewing Problem Category History

Step 1 → Open the Actions menu for the required problem category and select History.

Step 2 → Review the history entries to see recorded category values and the user who updated them.

_{Problem Category History}

Problem category history columns

Column	Description
Company / Problem Category	Company and category name for the historical record.
Attender / Department / Parent Category	Assignment and category hierarchy values recorded at that time.
Priority / TAT (Hrs)	Priority and turnaround-time values recorded in history.
Response SLA / Workaround SLA	SLA values captured in the history record.
Updated By	User shown as having made the change.

Importing Problem Categories

Step 1 → Open Problem Category Import from the category import control.

Step 2 → Download the format workbook and populate it without changing the header row.

Step 3 → Drag and drop the completed XLSX file, or click Upload XLSX File to select it.

_{Problem Category Import and Format Guidance}

Import file preparation rules

Field / Rule	Requirement shown on screen
Header row	Do not change the first row of the format Excel sheet.
Company Name	Required; use the company name as it exists in the system.
Problem Category	Required; enter the category name.
Department	Required; use a value from the Department configuration page.
TAT (Hrs)	Enter the turnaround time in hours as a numeric value.
Priority	Use one of the listed values: Critical, Low, High, or Medium.
Parent Category	Use a value from the Problem Category list when required.
Close Ticket After Days / Reopen Ticket Until Days	Enter day values as numbers.
Attender	Use a valid username from the Users list.
Escalation fields	For each escalation level included in the workbook, enter the target user email, trigger time in hours, whether SLA calculation is enabled (Yes/No), and whether the technician is copied (CC: Yes/No).

Configuring Category Tasks

Select Define Tasks from the category Actions menu to open the task list for that category. Tasks specify the required work, turnaround time, and assignment settings. Configured tasks are generated when a ticket is created in the category.

_{Problem Category Tasks List}

Problem category task list columns

Column	Description
ID / Task Name	Task identifier and name.
Department / Parent Category / Sub Category	Department and category relationship values.
Description	Task description.
Assign To / Assign To User/Group	Assignment type and selected user or group.
TAT (Hrs) / Task Flow	Task turnaround time and task-flow selection.
Actions	Actions available for the task.

Step 1 → On the Problem Category Tasks screen, click Add Task.

Step 2 → Complete the task name, TAT, department, problem category, assignment, task flow, status, visibility, and description fields.

Step 3 → Click Submit to save the task.

_{Add Task Form}

Add task fields

Field	Description
Task Name	Enter the task name. Required.
TAT (Hrs)	Enter the task turnaround time in hours. Required to calculate the task expiry time.
Department / Problem Category	Select the department and associated problem category for the task.
Assign To	Choose User, Group, or None. User assigns the task to a selected user; Group routes the task through the selected group; None leaves the task unassigned so a technician can self-assign it or assign it to someone else.
Task Flow	Select Sequential or Bulk. Sequential creates tasks one at a time after the preceding task is completed; Bulk creates all tasks at once. Required.
Status	Set the task to Enabled or Disabled. Disabled tasks are not generated. Required.
Visible to User	Choose whether the task is visible to the user.
Description	Enter task instructions or details in the rich-text area. Required.

Configuring Category Escalation

Select Escalation from the category Actions menu to configure the escalation recipient and trigger time. The trigger time is calculated from the ticket creation date and time. The SLA Count setting determines whether SLA calculation is included during escalation.

_{Escalation Configuration for a Problem Category}

Category escalation fields

Field	Description
Escalate For	Choose whether escalation goes to a User or Group.
Escalate To User/Group	When User is selected, choose the user who receives the escalation. When Group is selected, choose the escalation group. Required in the displayed form.
Escalate Trigger Time (Hrs)	Enter the escalation trigger time in hours, calculated from the ticket creation date and time. Required.
SLA Count	Select the SLA count setting. When SLA calculation is enabled for the escalation, it is included in the SLA count. Required.
Technician mark as CC	Choose whether the technician should be copied (CC) on the escalation email.
Escalation summary	The top of the form lists User Info, Escalation Time, SLA Count, and Technician mark as CC.