Reopening a case

Cases can be resolved or closed due to multiple reasons and there may be need to reopen the case. In such situations, BMC Helix Business Workflows enables case agents with write access to the case to reopen it after it is resolved. A case agent can directly open the case if it was accidentally resolved, or if a requester sends a request to reopen the case, either by adding a note to a Service Request in BMC Helix Digital Workplace or by sending an email from the case.

For example, a case agent closes a case created for an address change request because the requester did not provide the required documents to update the address. The requester, who was on vacation, notices that the case was closed due to lack of proper documentation. The requester communicates to reopen the case. As a case agent with write access to the case, you reopen the case. After the case is reopened, the requester sends the required documents, the case agent verifies the documents and attaches them to the case, updates the user's address and closes the case. 

A case can be reopened only for a specific number of days after it was resolved. Out of the box, the number of days to reopen the case is set to 5 days and customers can configure it as required between a range of a day to 90 days. A case business analyst configures this value at a global level or at a template level. For details about configuring reopen days in a case template, see Enabling case agents to reopen a case. 

When a case is reopened the following changes occur:

• The status of the case is set to In Progress.
• A notification is sent to the case assignee and the requester. 
• An activity note is added to the case. 
  The activity note also includes the number of times the case has been reopened. 
• If a Service Target is associated with the case, and the Allow Measurement to Reopen? is set to Yes, the service target measurement is restarted. 
  If the option is set to No, the service target measurement continues at the status that it was when the case was resolved. Learn more about service target measurements in Configuring service targets.

To reopen a case

1. Log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.
2. (Version 20.08.01) From the Line of Business list, select the line of business for which you want to reopen a case.
   If you have access to a single line of business, the line of business is selected by default.

3. To reopen case, click the Case ID on the Cases console.

   Important

   You cannot reopen a case that is cancelled.

4. Click .
   The case is reopened and the status is set to In Progress.

After you reopen the case, agents can complete the tasks and then close the case.

Related topic

Creating and updating cases