Configuring settings for service requests in Self Service

Select this check box if you have well-defined incident templates and service request definitions in your organization. Even after you enable this setting, the Request a Service tab continues to show only the service request definitions.

Enable service requests to be saved as drafts

(This setting is visible only for Self Service 3.0 users)

Select this check box to allow clients to save their service requests as drafts. Once enabled, clients can access drafts to edit or submit a service request.

Note:

If you enable this setting, it is recommended not to keep the required fields at the object level. If you keep required fields at the object level, users are forced to provide values for such fields even while saving drafts. Keep fields required at the fieldset level in the Request Detail template.

Enable My Cart

(This setting is visible only for Self Service 2.0 users)

If you enable My Cart, clients can keep adding service requests to their cart and submit multiple service requests together. The Save to Cart and Add to Cart buttons are displayed when clients are submitting or previewing a service request. Enabling my cart also enables clients to update multiple service requests at the same time. This setting is not applicable to Self Service 3.0.

Notes:

• If you clear the Enable My Cart check box when Self Service users have service requests in their cart, the Self Service users cannot check out these service requests because the My Cart icon is not available to them.
• If no active, online, available (the End Date has not occurred), and entitled service request definitions exist, the My Cart icon does not appear in Self Service even if you select this check box.

If a service request is pending for approval, then clients cannot edit the request. Clients can edit the request under any of the following conditions:

• An approval for the service is rejected or recalled.
• There are no approvals, tasks, or change requests associated with the service request.

By default, when a client edits a submitted service request, the incident template used in the service request definition is not applied to the service request. However, if you want to apply the incident template again to the edited service request, create the AllowReapplyingTemplateValuesonEdit custom setting and set its value as True. For more information, see Managing custom settings.

On the Service Requests tab, when users select a category in the category tree:

• Show request definitions of the selected category
• Show request definitions of the selected category and its child categories 

If you have large number of request definitions for each category, to make it easier for clients, select Show request definitions of the selected category. However, if you want clients to navigate less through each category, you can show request definitions of child categories with the parent category by selecting Show request definitions of the selected category and its child categories.

Only those categories for which request definitions are created and are enabled for Self Service are shown on the Self Service > Request a Service tab.

After submitting a service request, clients do not get more information about the progress or resolution. To show more information about the service request, perform the following actions:

1. Identify information that you want to show to clients, such as the Resolution and Status fields. 
2. Add those fields to a new fieldset or edit an existing fieldset of the Incident object.
   Ensure that client profile (such as ServiceDesk Client) has Read access to the fields that you are adding to the fieldset. Clients cannot see the fields on which client profile does not have access. These fields are shown as read only in Self Service. Clients cannot modify these fields. 
3. Select the fieldset from the Incident Field Set to show additional fields on the Service Request details page list.
4. (Optional) From the Select Column Layout list, select the number of columns in which you want to show fields of the selected fieldset.

The information entered in this field is shown in Self Service as read only in the <Field set name> section on the Service Request details page. When a client edits a record, these fields are not displayed.

Select the check box to show more information about a request definition to clients, such as description, images, price, and quantity. Such information helps clients decide which request definition best suites their purpose. 

This setting is not applicable to Self Service 3.0. However, the Rich Text Format (RTF) description field is displayed to show description of service requests. To display the RTF description in the search results, see Displaying RTF field description in service requests search.

• Select this check box to render request inputs according to the order configured in a service request definition. Request inputs on the right side of a two column layout service request form in Self Service 3.0 are aligned with their previous fields.

• This check box is displayed if you select 2 Column from the Select Column Layout list on the Service Requests tab. 

  • If you are upgrading to BMC Helix Remedyforce, you can select 2 Column and the new check box. 

  • If you perform fresh installation of BMC Helix Remedyforce, the 2 Column option is selected by default and the Enable relative ordering of fields setting is enabled automatically. You cannot see the Enable relative ordering of fields check box.

• The relative ordering of request inputs setting is applied while submitting, editing, and copying service requests in Self Service 3.0. Additionally, this setting is applied while submitting a service request from a draft.

For more information, see Fields displayed on a service request form in a two column layout.