Setting up email IDs for automatic case creation

As a case business analyst, to enable automatic case creation from emails, you configure an email ID by associating it with a line of business and providing the basic details. After you configure the email ID, you can specify the email ID attributes such as exclusion subjects, case templates, and acknowledgement templates. With these attributes, you can define automatic case creation for specific emails.

For example, you want to specify that emails sent to your line of business email ID with the Out of office subject should not be processed. In this case, you add the Out of office email subject as an exclusion subject for your line of business email ID. 

Email ID attributes of a company

The following table describes the attributes of an email ID in detail:

AttributeDescription
Exclusion subject

An exclusion subject is a term in an email subject, such as Delivery error or Out of office, that indicates an incoming email should not be processed.

When you add an exclusion subject for an email ID, you can set which companies the exclusion subject applies to by selecting one of the following values:

  • Private—Accessible only by the company for which it is created.
  • Global—Accessible by all the companies in a tenancy. You can view and add a global exclusion subject that was created for another email ID or was deleted.

The exclusion subjects are matched with the email subject sent to your company's email ID. If the exclusion subject matches the content in the email subject, the email is not processed. The exclusion subject match is case insensitive.

Acknowledgement template

When a case is created or updated via email, an acknowledgement email is sent to the requester by using the default templates.

Templates are associated with the following operation types for cases:

  • Create—A template with this operation type is used when a case is created.
  • Update—A template with this operation type is used when a requester sends emails to update open or closed cases.

You can also create custom acknowledgement templates and associate them with specific operations such as case create, case update, task create, and task update.

Note: An email ID can contain only one template per operation type.

Case template

case template contains predefined information for similar types of cases. You can associate a default case template with an email ID.

When an email arrives, a case template is selected by using the information in the email, and a case is created. Case template selection depends on the following conditions:

  • When the cognitive service is enabled, the cognitive capability predicts the case template by matching the information in the email subject. 
    If the cognitive capability does not find any match, the default case template is selected.

  • When the cognitive service is disabled, the default case template is used.

For more information about enabling the cognitive service, see Leveraging cognitive capabilities in BMC Helix Business Workflows.

Trusted email

You can enable users outside of an organization to send emails to raise requests by setting up a trusted ID.

To make a user email or domain a trusted ID, map it with an employee who is registered in the BMC Helix Innovation Suite Foundation library. When a user sends an email from the trusted ID, a case is automatically created. The employee with whom the trusted email ID is mapped is displayed as the requester of the case.

To enable any user to send emails to raise a request, add *@* to the Trusted Email list. Cases are created for emails received from any valid email ID, except email IDs added to the Blocked email list.

Blocked email

You can restrict automatic case creation for specific email IDs or domains.

Add the email ID or domain to the Blocked Email list. Cases are not created for emails that are received from the blocked email IDs or domains.

Important

If an email subject content matches with a service request ID or case ID, the request is considered as a request for case update and not new case creation.

To set up an email ID

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Business Workflows.
  2. Click My Application Settings .
  3. Select Email > Configuration.
  4. On the Edit Email Configuration page, from the Line of Business list, select the line of business for which you want to set up an email configuration.
    If you have access to a single line of business, the line of business is selected by default.
  5. Select the existing email configuration that you want to set up, and enter the following details:

    FieldDescription
    DescriptionSpecify the description of the email configuration.
    Default Case Template to UseSelect a template from the list to associate a case template.
    Incoming Mailbox NameSelect an incoming mailbox for the email configuration.
    StatusSelect one of the following statuses:
    • Active—The configuration is available for use.
    • Inactive—The configuration is not available for use.
  6. To add exclusion subjects, acknowledgement templates, support groups, trusted emails, or blocked emails, perform any of the following actions:

    TabActionDescription
    Exclusion SubjectsAdd an exclusion subjectTo add a new exclusion subject, click New, complete the following fields in the New Exclusion Subject pane, and click Save.
    • Subject—Enter a name for the exclusion subject.
    • Sort Order—Enter the order in which the exclusion subjects are processed.
    • Global—Click the toggle key to use the exclusion subject for other email IDs. When you create an email configuration, all exclusion subjects are copied to the new email configuration.
    To add an existing global exclusion subject, click Available Global Subjects, select a subject from the Available Exclusion Subjects list, click , and click Save.

    The selected subjects are displayed in the Associated Exclusion Subjects list.

    Acknowledgement TemplatesAssociate custom acknowledgement template with an email IDTo associate a custom acknowledgement template with an email ID, perform the following steps:
    1. Select the required template and click Edit.

    2. From the Acknowledgement Template list, select the custom template that you want to associate with the email ID, and click Save.

    Trusted EmailMap an external email or domain ID with an employee

    To map an external email or domain ID with an employee, perform the following steps:

    1. Click Trusted Email.

    2. Enter an email ID or domain name.

      • To add a specific user, enter an email ID.

      • To add a specific domain name, enter a domain ID. 
        Use the following syntax to enter a domain ID: *@DomainName. For example: *@calbro.com.

      • To enable cases to be created from emails received from any email ID, enter *@*.

    3. In Mapped Requester, select an employee from the BMC Helix Innovation Suite Foundation library with whom you want to map the email or domain ID.

      Note: If you do not map an email or a domain ID with an employee, the external users cannot create cases. When you enable case creation for emails received from all email IDs, the mapped user must have the same permissions as a Requester and must not be an agent. The people record for the mapped user must include the following attributes:


        • Name—Enter required Name fields

        • Person Type—Set the value to Employee.

        • Employee Type—Select the employee type such as active employee, ex-employee, and so on.

        • Primary Organization—Select your company name.

        • Agent—Set to No.

    4. Click Save.
    Blocked EmailRestrict automatic case creation for specific emails

    To restrict automatic case creation for specific email IDs or domains, perform the following steps:

    1. Click Blocked Email.
    2. Enter an email ID or a domain name.

        • To add a specific user, enter an email ID.
        • To add a specific domain name, enter a domain ID. 
          Use the following syntax to enter a domain ID: *@DomainName. For example: *@calbro.com.
    3. Click Save.
  7. (Optional) If you want to override the default email parameters, perform any of the following steps:

    • To create a process, click the Create option corresponding to the Email Custom Process field.

      The Process designer of BMC Helix Innovation Studio is displayed. In the Process designer, a process is displayed with the following process variables. You must configure the output variables in the process. The input variables in the process are populated automatically during runtime.

      Variable

      Description

      Input variables

      Record Definition Name

      Specifies the record definition name such as Case or Task.

      Operation Type

      Specifies the type of operation such as Create or Update.

      Email ID

      Specifies the email ID that is configured to create cases.

      Email Subject

      Specifies the subject of the email.

      Email Plain Text Body

      Specifies the email body.

      Requester Email ID

      Specifies the email ID of the requester who requested to create a case.

      Is External

      If the requester is a user in Foundation data, specifies the value as False.

      If the requester is not a user in Foundation data, specifies the value as True.

      Ticket Id

      Specifies the case ID.

      Output variables

      Cancel process

      Specify the value as True for process cancellation, else specify the value as False.

      To cancel email processing for specific conditions, you must set the value as True.

      Ticket Template ID

      Specify the template ID to create cases.

      Acknowledgement Template Name

      Specify the acknowledgement template name to send an email acknowledgement.

      Assigned Group

      Specify the group to which you want to assign cases.

      For more information about how to create a custom process, see Example: Creating custom process to override default email parameters.

    • To use an existing process, from the list of processes, select the process.
      You must use a process that is created by copying the Email - Sample Custom Process so that the process includes the correct input and output variables.
  8. Click Save.

Important

You cannot use the same email ID in multiple configurations.

Example: Creating a custom process to override default email parameters

Hannah is a case business analyst in Calbro Services. She enables automatic case creation for service requests that are received by emails and creates an email configuration. Internal users in Calbro Services use BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced to raise requests. In the email configuration, Hannah wants to configure automatic case creation only for external users and disable case creation for internal users. To create cases for external users, she wants to use the HR queries case template. If the request is for employment verification, Hannah wants to assign the case to Employee Relations support group. For other requests, she wants the case to be assigned to the support group defined in the case template for HR Queries.

To fulfill her requirement, Hannah creates the Email Custom Process and uses it in the email configuration. The following figure shows the Email Custom Process:


The following figures show the element properties in Email Custom Process:

ElementProperties
Exclusive element: Check for case creation request

Exclusive element: Check for internal user

Compute Value element: Cancel case creation with acknowledgement

Compute Value element: External user request acknowledgement

Get Record By Query element: Get case template for HR queries

Compute Value element: Case template for HR queries

Get Record By Query element: Get support group - Employee Relations

Exclusive element: Check for employment verification request

The following video (2:36) explains how to modify email parameters by using a process:

https://youtu.be/P-R-FpOAMeY

Where to go from here

Creating email and acknowledgement templates

 
Was this page helpful? Yes No Submitting... Thank you

Comments