Overview of Incidents
When customers request help through email or the Ask a Question page, Service automatically creates incidents.
Most of the time, these are the incidents you will respond to. At other times, however, you will add incidents. For example, when a customer contacts you by phone, fax, or mail, you will add an incident to create a record of the customer’s question. When you work with customers to solve their support issues, you are instrumental in creating a positive impression of your organization. As an agent, you are often the customer’s first point of contact, and it is important to resolve their concerns quickly and efficiently the first time. Service helps you do this by providing comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date information about all aspects of the customer’s communication with your organization.
Besides providing you with all-encompassing information just when you need it, Service gives you the tools to craft consistent, accurate answers to customer questions. It also lets you propose incidents as answers, and create opportunities from incidents.
When you edit or add an incident, you start by answering the customer’s question. Service provides help through standard text, suggested answers, and the ability to search the knowledge base. You define specific information about the incident, such as the staff member it is assigned to, the associated products and categories, and the status and disposition of the incident.
Working with incidents also gives you the ability to:
- Add or update contact information
- Track the amount of billable time you spend on the incident
- Add or edit tasks related to the incident
- Attach files to the incident
- View all actions taken on the incident
- Present promotional offers to the customer
You might also want to propose the incident as a permanent answer in the knowledge base. This lets customers to view the answer without being required to submit a service request.