Settings and data
Set up service request categories and statuses
Create the categories that sort your service requests and the statuses they move through, and mark the waiting statuses that pause the SLA clock.
2 min readLast updated
In this article
Categories and statuses are the building blocks of your service desk. A category says what kind of request it is: a breakdown, an installation, a billing question. A status says where it stands: new, assigned, waiting for the customer, resolved. Once both lists exist, you connect them into a workflow in ticket routing.
Create the categories
Open CRM › Settings & Data › Ticket Categories.
Select Add category.
Type the Name, keep it Active, and select Save.
Repeat for each kind of request. Keep the list short and clear for the person who logs the request: they choose the category first, and it decides which statuses and which SLA policies apply.
Create the statuses
Open CRM › Settings & Data › Ticket Statuses.
Select Add status.
Type the Name and keep it Active.
Tick Pauses the SLA clock for a status in which the request waits on someone outside your team, such as the customer or a supplier. While a request sits in that status, its SLA clocks stop.
Select Save.
The list shows Pauses SLA beside every status that stops the clock.
A typical set
Status | Pauses SLA |
|---|---|
New | No |
Assigned | No |
In progress | No |
Waiting for customer | Yes |
Waiting for parts | Yes |
Resolved | No |
Closed | No |
Which status opens a request, which moves are allowed and which one closes it are decided per category in ticket routing, not here.
Edit or delete
Open the row's Actions menu and select Edit to rename a category or status, deactivate it, or change whether it pauses the SLA.
Select Delete and confirm to remove it. A category or status that service requests still use cannot be deleted, and a status that is still part of a category's workflow must be removed from that workflow first. Deactivate it instead when you only want to stop using it.
Common questions
Why can't I open a request in a new category? The category has no opening status yet. Add an opening rule for it in ticket routing.
Does renaming a status affect existing requests? No. Requests keep their status and show the new name.