Published at: 2026-09-17
Service request overview
Overview
Service requests record customer needs before they enter work order dispatch and on-site execution. Agents can create requests for customers, end users can submit them through an available customer service portal, and email conversion rules can create requests from eligible messages.
After an intake agent claims a request and adds the required information, the agent closes it or converts it to a work order. Dispatch, execution, reporting, and ratings continue in the work order process.
Applicable scenarios
| Scenario | Reasons why it is recommended to use service request | Follow-up processing |
|---|---|---|
| Customers consult by phone or web | Customer service needs to record the problem first, confirm customer information and determine whether on-site service is required | Close the request or convert it to a work order |
| End users submit a repair request or inquiry through a customer service portal | The organization wants to collect consistent form data for centralized intake | Route the request to an intake group according to assignment rules |
| Unregistered users need to submit requests | The organization allows guests to use a designated entry | The Connected Guest identity must be enabled |
| Customers send emails to service mailboxes | Enterprises want to automatically structure qualified emails into business records | Generate service requests or work orders based on email rules |
If the request has clarified that it is necessary to send an engineer, arrange a visit, or perform standard service procedures, you can create a work order directly without creating a service request first.
Submission and acceptance methods
| Method | Initiator | Entry or trigger conditions | Main restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submitted by an agent for a customer | Customer service agent | Related information area in the customer service workbench | An administrator must add the Service Request object to the workbench extension for the applicable web channel |
| End-user self-service submission | Registered connected users | Service request entry in the customer service portal | End-user submission must be enabled and the individual-user role must have Service Request permission |
| Guest self-service submission | Unregistered users | Fixed entry point provided by the organization | The Connected Guest identity and its parameters must be enabled |
| Automatically generate emails | System | Bind the mailbox to receive emails that meet the applicable scope | The mailbox must keep the incoming mails accumulated; when multiple rules are hit, they will be processed according to priority |
Core concepts
- Customer service, end users or email rules create service requests.
- Requests submitted by end users themselves will enter the service request allocation process according to enterprise configuration and be assigned to the customer service group.
- Personnel with the customer service role can view unassigned service requests in the To-Do Center and receive the records that need to be processed.
- Acceptance customer service checks customer, contact and problem information to complete the current acceptance task.
- Complaints that can be directly resolved will be closed as service requests; requests that require order dispatch and on-site service will be converted into work orders.
- After enabling the conversion of service requests to work orders, the system establishes an association between the service request and the new work order, and brings in data according to the preset field mapping.
[!NOTE] Whether the service request allocation is automatically executed, which customer service group it is assigned to, and which service process the request uses, all depend on the administrator’s configuration. The processing path of a certain enterprise cannot be regarded as a fixed behavior for all enterprises.
Service requests and work orders
| Comparison | Service request | Work order |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Collect, accept and judge customer demands | Dispatch and execute specific service tasks |
| Primary handler | Customer service agent or intake agent | Dispatcher, engineer, and other work order process participants |
| Common results | Close the request or convert it to a work order | Complete service links such as order dispatch, execution, and reporting |
| Relationship between the two | Conversion can be initiated through operations such as “Generate Work Order” | After conversion, it remains associated with the source service request |
Roles and Responsibilities
- Administrator: Enables Service Request and configures entry points, permissions, intake groups, assignment rules, process assignment, work order mappings, and email rules.
- Customer service staff: Create service requests on behalf of customers during customer communication and record confirmed information.
- End users: Submit service requests self-service from the entrance opened by the enterprise; unregistered users can only submit service requests after the enterprise activates guest status.
- Intake agent: Claims self-service requests in the To-Do Center, completes the information, and closes or converts each request.
Limitations and Notes
- Service Request is shared by Online Customer Service and ShareService. You must enable it manually.
- Enabling end-user submission does not automatically publish a self-service entry. Configure the portal, connected-role permissions, and form layout separately.
- Guest submissions are on and off independently. When guest status is not enabled, unregistered users cannot submit as guest.
- Converting service requests to work orders is optional. When disabled, the detail page does not provide conversion or field mapping.
- A lower email rule priority number indicates a higher priority. When an email matches multiple rules, the system uses the highest-priority rule.
- Email conversion can fail when required target fields are missing. When exception notifications are enabled, the system sends a CRM notification to ShareService administrators.