Entering a Case

Tip:

You can get writing help for text fields, Message and Reply, from our generative AI service, NetSuite Text Enhance. Click the Enhance Text button to use the available options. For more information about using this capability, see Text Enhance.

A support rep should use the following steps to create a case record when contacted by a customer.

To enter a case:

1. Go to Cases > Customer Service > Cases > New.

2. Under Primary Information:

   1. Select the form you want to use for this case in the Custom Form field.

      You create custom case forms at Customization > Forms > Entry Forms.

   2. Enter the subject of this case.

   3. Select the company this case pertains to.

      This list shows companies and individuals you have customer or partner records for.

   4. Select the profile you want to assign to this case. This profile determines the from name and from email address shown on email notifications sent for this case, and the notification templates used.

      For more information, see Creating Case Profiles.

   5. Select the person or group this case is assigned to.

      To automatically notify the assignee by email when a case is assigned to them, go to Setup > Support > Preferences > Support Preferences. On the Notification subtab, check the Notify Assignees box.

   6. Select the contact who's reporting this issue.

   7. Enter the email address(es) of the customer or contact.

      You can enter multiple email addresses separated by commas or semicolons.

      When you check the Email Reply box under your message, the message is sent to all addresses in this field.

   8. In the Phone field, enter the customer's or contact's phone number.

   9. Select the status of the case.

      The status helps you track the case workflow process and report progress. You can also place a case on hold. For more information, see Creating Case Statuses.

   10. Select the priority of the case.

       Priorities help determine how important it is to answer a case quickly. For more information, see Creating Case Priorities.

   11. In the Quick Note field, add a short note about the case.

       Only your internal support staff with access to the case can see this note. You can also add this field to the cases list to allow you to make notes when viewing the list.

   Note:

   If the Phone number or the Email address field on the contact record is blank, NetSuite fills it in with the one from the case record.

3. Under Incident Information:

   1. In the Incident Date field, enter or pick the date the issue occurred or was reported.

   2. In the Incident Time field, enter or pick the time the issue occurred or was reported.

   3. If you offer support for items, select which item this case is about.

      To offer support for an item, go to the item's record, and check the Offer Support box.

   4. If you use serial numbers, you can select the serial number for the item in the Serial/Lot Number field.

   5. If you use the Issue Management feature, select a product this case pertains to.

   6. If this case pertains to a product, select the appropriate module for that product.

   7. Select what type of issue this is.

      Administrators and Support Administrators can create new case types at Setup > Support > Setup Tasks > Case Types > New.

   8. If you offer support for issues, select which issue this case is for.

      Administrators and Support Administrators can create support issues at Setup > Support > Setup Tasks > Case Issues > New.

   9. In the Origin field, select how this case was reported.

   10. If you use the Help Desk feature, check the Help Desk box if this is an internal case entered by an employee.

       Note:

       You can create case rules and assignments to automatically assign help desk cases to your IT staff. For more information, see Assignment Rules & Territories.

4. Click the Communication subtab.

   1. In the Message field, enter the message the customer sent you. This message is saved on the case record.

      If a customer logs in to submit a case using an online case form, the case Author is the customer. If a customer submits a case using an online case form without logging in, the Author is listed as -Online Form User-.

      If you create the case record and enter a Message, you're shown as the Author.

      Note:

      For saved cases, you can copy (CC) and blind copy (BCC) others on messages and send attachments using the Email button on the Messages subtab.

      To attach files to the case message, do one of the following:

      • Click Email to write a new message to the customer to which you want to attach the file. An Email Message popup window opens. On the Attachments subtab, choose and Add the desired file. Click Merge & Send.

      • Click Attach to add files you already received from the customer. An Attach Message popup window opens. Enter information for the message. On the Attachments subtab, choose and Add the desired file. Click Save.

   2. To add a solution to the reply, do one of the following:

      • Enter part of the solution title in the Insert Solution field, and press Tab.

      • Click List to choose a solution from the list.

      • Click Search to search for a solution to attach.

      Solutions are attached at the end of the reply. If you email a reply to the customer, the solution text is included at the end of your reply.

   3. To create a new solution from your reply, click New Solution.

      A solution popup opens. Enter information for the solution, and click Save.

   4. In the Reply field, enter your response to the customer. You can use the Rich Text Editor to format your reply, or click the HTML Source Code link to enter HTML in this field.

      This reply is recorded on both the customer and case records.

   5. To email the response to the customer when you save the case, make sure the Send to Customer box is checked. The reply is also sent to employees selected in the Copy Employees field.

      You can set a default for this box at Setup > Support > Preferences > Support Preferences.

   6. Check the Internal Only box if the reply should be sent only to the employees selected in the Copy Employees field.

   7. To attach a file from the File Cabinet to the case, click the Files subtab, choose the file, and click Add. To attach an external file, click the Plus sign, locate the file, and click Save.

      Important:

      Files attached directly to cases can be accessed by external roles, even if they're not visible on the case record.

      To share files with external roles, add the File field to your customized External Online Case Form. For more information, see Uploading Files Through an Online Case Form.

      To share files only with case assignees, attach the files to a case message.

   8. Click the following links to view information for other subtabs:

      • Attaching Events, Tasks, and Calls to Records and Transactions

      • Attaching Knowledge Base Solutions to Cases

      • Tracking Time on Cases

      • Escalating Cases

   9. Click Save or one of these options:

      Save & New	Saves the case and opens a new blank case form.
      Save & Same	Saves the case and opens a new form with the company field prefilled from the previous case.
      Save & Edit	Saves the case and reopens it for editing.

This case is now saved as an open case in the cases list with a response status of Awaiting Support Reply. When you answer the case, the status changes to Awaiting Customer Reply, whether you close the case or not.

You can view cases awaiting support reply, cases awaiting customer reply, or all cases. Set the Response Status filter at the bottom of the cases list.

Customer issues, questions, or other feedback submitted through an online case form or email automatically create a case record. NetSuite uses the information the customer submits to create the case, and sets the status to Awaiting Support Reply.

Related Topics

• Editing a Case
• Linking a Support Case to a Transaction
• Create Cases

General Notices