Enabling automatic record assignment in an application
You can automatically assign the application requests by configuring them in BMC Helix Innovation Studio. This capability enables you to:
- Process the application requests faster, thereby reducing the turnaround time.
For example, configuring a service desk application to automatically assign help desk requests to the correct IT agents.
- Ensure that no request remains unassigned.
Additionally, users are satisfied because their requests are addressed right away.
BMC Helix Platform uses foundation data to identify the assignees, for example, organization, categorization, criteria, and location data. According to the assignment rules, the requests are assigned to a group of assignees or an individual assignee.
To configure automatic assignment of requests, you define the rules for assigning requests in an assignment policy, and trigger the policy from assignment processes.
How does automatic assignment work
The following workflow provides information about the automatic assignment of requests:
- You define the rules for assigning requests in an assignment policy, and trigger the policy from assignment processes.
- When a request is created, the relevant assignment process get triggered, which calls the assignment policy to facilitate action on the submitted request.
- The rules associated with the assignment policy are executed sequentially to select the correct assignee for the request.
- If there are multiple assignees, predefined assignment methods configured in the rule are used to identify an assignee for the request.
The automatic assignment is a two-level process. BMC Helix Platform first identifies the support group for assigning the request. If an individual assignee is configured,BMC Helix Platform identifies an assignee from the support group and assigns the request to that individual.
For example, if Laptop not working request is created in a Change Request application, BMC Helix Platform identifies IT Helpdesk - India as the support group. If an individual assignee is configured, BMC Helix Platform assigns the request to IT agent A or IT agent B as per the assignment method.
Methods for assigning requests
If multiple assignees are identified for a request, a specified assignment method is used to identify an assignee. You can specify any one of the methods for assigning requests to individuals:
| Method | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Round robin | Assigns the request to the person who has gone the longest since receiving an assignment. | If IT agent A was last assigned a request at 9:00 A.M., and IT agent B was assigned a request at 11:30 A.M., the next request will be assigned to IT agent A. |
| Load balancer by Number | Assigns the request to the person who has the fewest number of request assignments. | If IT agent A is assigned 2 requests and IT agent B is assigned 3 requests, the next request will be assigned to IT agent A. |
| Load balancer by Capacity | Assigns the issue to the person who has the lowest capacity ratio. | If IT agent A has a capacity rating of 10 and is assigned 5 issues, then the capacity ratio is 5/10=0.5 (Assigned issues/Capacity rating=Capacity ratio). Similarly, if IT agent B has a capacity rating of 20 and is assigned 8 issues, then the capacity ratio is 8/20=0.4. In this case, person B is selected because of the lowest capacity ratio. But if IT agent A and IT agent B have a capacity rating of 10 and are assigned 10 issues, in this case, the next open issue is assigned to the person who has gone the longest since receiving an assignment. |
Note
For the Load Balance by Number and Load Balance by Capacity assignment methods, one more than one agent could qualify for a request. In such cases, the assignment occurs according to the sequence in which the records are fetched; the assignment does not occur in an alphabetical or random order. This sequence is determined by the sort order on the assignee record definition, if specified; otherwise, the sequence is the order in which the records are created.
To configure applications to automatically assign requests
The following image depicts the stages for configuring applications to automatically assign requests:
The following table describes the details of each of the stages involved in this process:
Task | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Define an assignment policy | You can define an assignment policy to specify the sequential rules for autoassigning requests. The assignment rules are based on foundation data. As per the assignment rules, BMC Helix Platform identifies the correct assignee for the request. |
| 2 | Define an assignment process | You can define an assignment process to trigger the assignment policy. Based on the assignment rules, BMC Helix Platform automatically assigns the request to the correct assignee. |
Comments
Log in or register to comment.