Escalation

BMC FootPrints Service Core escalation enables you to automate business processes throughout the system with no programming, using the same web-based interface used for searches, reports, creating Issues, and so on. This feature can perform simple escalations that send an email when an Issue has been unresolved for a certain amount of time as well as observe more complex rules based on multiple criteria that enact multiple actions, such as changing status, assignment, and so on.

Some of the common uses of the BMC FootPrints Service Core escalation feature are:

• Time-based escalation—Escalate overdue Issues to another user or priority.
• Service Level Agreements—Alert Agents to the fact that a service level agreement threshold is being reached.
• Reminders—Send follow-up reminders to Agents.
• Automatic Assignment—Create auto-assignment rules based on a combination of multiple criteria.
• Custom Email Notifications—Create custom email notifications to be sent to Agents and Customers at any stage in the workflow.
• External Programs—Launch a batch job in another system or application.
• Multi-workspace workflow—Automate the escalation of an Issue from one workspace to another.
• Approvals—Use in conjunction with statuses and roles to define a custom approval process.

An escalation rule automatically escalates Issues based on your criteria on a workspace-wide basis. Rules can be defined for which Issues should be automatically escalated and for defining what should occur when Issues meet those criteria. For example, your organization may have a rule that states that "all priority 1 Issues must be closed within 24 hours." The BMC FootPrints Service Core automatic escalation feature can be configured to send an email automatically to alert the Administrator when a priority 1 Issue is still open after 24 hours.

The order of escalation rules on the escalation page determines which rules take precedence. For details on configuring escalation, refer to Managing Escalations.