Submitting service requests for customers

As a service agent, you can submit service requests for users directly from the Smart Recorder in BMC Helix ITSM without opening BMC Helix Digital Workplace or the Request Entry console separately.

The information you must complete when submitting a request depends upon the following criteria:

The questions defined in the SRD
Whether those questions are required

An SRD you access from the universal client might also include an advanced interface form (AIF), which requires you to complete and save additional information in a separate form before you submit the request. (The AIF is cross-launched from the BMC Helix ITSM mid tier client, which might require a separate login.)

If the service request is managed in BMC Helix Digital Workplace, click Approval Record Details in the service request to view the list of approvers and the reason for approval or denial.

When you submit a request for a customer in BMC Helix ITSM:

The request is considered to be submitted directly by the customer; the entitlement rules apply.
The customer is listed in the request details as the person who made the request
The customer can check the status of the request from BMC Helix Digital Workplace or the Request Entry console.

When you submit a request for another person (the contact) who is acting on behalf of the customer:

Both entitlement rules and on-behalf-of rules apply.
In the submitted request details, the contact is listed as the person who made the request.

Configuration parameter	Value
enableSbeIntegration	true
enableDWPWidgetIntegration	true
smartit.url	Smart ITload balancer URL
dwp.base.url	<BMC Digital Workplace load balancer server URL>
dwpCatalogChunkSize	20

To enable the SLA progress bar in service requests managed in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog

You must enable the enableSLAForDWPC CCS parameter to view the SLA progress, target, and milestone of BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog service requests in BMC Helix ITSM. When enabled, you can view progress details in a single interface without leaving BMC Helix ITSM.

In BMC Helix Digital Workplace, configure the SLA progress bar.
For more details about its configuration in BMC Helix Digital Workplace, see Configuring Service Level Management.
In Mid Tier, select Application > AR System Administration > AR System Administration Console.
Select System > General > Centralized Configuration.
In the AR System Configuration Generic UI window, from the Component Name list, select com.bmc.arsys.smartit > *.
In the Setting Name column, enter enableSLAForDWPC.
In the Value column, enter true.

For more details about viewing the SLA progress bar, target, milestone, and goal of service requests in BMC Helix ITSM that are managed through BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, see SLA progress bar.

To submit BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog service requests

From BMC Helix ITSM, you can search and view theBMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog service requests from Global search, Smart Recorder and My profile. Perform the following steps to submit a service request by using Digital Workplace Catalog in Smart Recorder.

In Smart Recorder, select a customer and type some keywords to search for the appropriate BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog. The suggested catalogs appear in the Resources tab.
Select the appropriate Digital Workplace Catalog.
As soon as you select a Digital Workplace Catalog, the Create Ticket button of Smart Recorder is displayed as Create Service Request and the additional resources are not displayed in the Resources tab.
Click Create Service Request.

The catalog widget is displayed on your screen. To close the catalog widget, click Cancel request button or click the X icon.
Answer the required questions that are asked in the widget.
The Submit request button is displayed active.
Click Submit request.
The service request is submitted.

Following up on service requests

After a service request is submitted, any defined notifications, approval requests, and fulfillment processes are triggered.

During the approval process, you can view the approval status by clicking Show Approvers in the notification at the top of the request.
Active and closed fulfillment process steps appear on the Fulfillment tab at the bottom of the request details. (If you just submitted the request, fulfillment steps begin to appear the next time you open the request details. Additional process steps that were bypassed because they did not meet conditions defined by the administrator are not shown.)
You can track the progress of the request against its due date by monitoring the SLA Progress bar, as explained in SLA progress bar.
If the service request is managed in BMC Helix Digital Workplace, click Approval Record Details to view the list of approvers and the reason for approval or denial.

Due to possible dependencies in the approval and fulfillment processes defined in the SRD, much of the information in a service request cannot be edited, including the customer name, contact name, and responses to questions. You can post notes to the Activity stream, but you cannot change the status of a request, except to cancel it. If necessary, from the request details, you can request the same service again for the same customer.

Scenarios

As a service desk agent, you can submit BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog service requests, view their SLA status, and their approval status in BMC Helix ITSM. The following scenarios provide an example of such activities:

Scenario: Submit a service request by using BMC Helix ITSM

Carl, a service desk agent, assists employees by guiding them to the appropriate services. When a sales department representative contacts him requesting VPN access for a new employee, Carl confirms that the service desk can help and begins capturing the details in Smart Recorder.

He searches for relevant templates in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, finds the VPN Access service template, and uses it to create the service request. Carl asks the required questions, confirms the information, and saves the request. The system automatically triggers the associated approval and fulfillment workflows. Carl informs the customer that she can track the request and add comments through BMC Helix Digital Workplace.

Scenario: View SLA details of requests managed in BMC Helix Digital Workplace

Carl, a service desk agent working in BMC Helix ITSM, reviews the Router Issue service request that was created through BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog. While viewing the request, he notices the SLA progress bar under the request header, indicating progress against the 2‑hour SLA.

The SLA indicator shows a warning color, as more than 50% of the allotted time has elapsed and the goal is still pending. Carl clicks the SLA icon to review the target, milestones, and goal details. Recognizing the risk of an SLA breach, he prioritizes the request and coordinates with the relevant support teams to ensure timely resolution and prevent missing the final SLA.

Scenario: View details of requests approved or rejected in BMC Helix Digital Workplace

Carl, a service desk agent, working in BMC Helix ITSM, reviews a Router Issue service request that was approved through BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog. To understand the approval context, he clicks Approval Record Details from the request, which opens the Approval List panel.

Carl reviews the list of approvers along with their approval rationale. He then follows up with the approvers to discuss the decision in more detail. Through these discussions, he gains insight into how the approval approach helped resolve similar network issues in the past, and he plans to apply the same strategy to manage future network downtime more effectively.