We have Category, Subcategory and Item all mandatory in our request closure rules. We currently have an issue where technicians occasionally can't find the appropriate category for a request and so simply file it under Other to get the job done. This leads to inaccurate reporting.

 

I would propose a fourth box (perhaps optional per-template) that allows free-text entry with inline suggestions from all three levels of the tree. If the user selects one, the three fields are populated automatically. What would make this a killer feature would be the ability to associate keywords with categories & items to expand the results that come back.

 

Take, for example, the following tiny extract from our tree:

Example 1

 

Scenario: Someone has an issue with Aspera, a file-transfer product we use. The technician instinctively drills down into the Software category. We don't file Aspera there as it's entirely web-based and is therefore a Service. The tech can't find Aspera, so files it under Other. Bad.

 

Solution: They simply type in "aspera" into the free box and, by the time they reach "asp" it has dropped down a list of suggestions (like the email address fields) including Service > File Transfer > Aspera. The user selects it and the Category, Subcategory & Item fields are populated. Good.

 

Example 2

 

Something like email has both server-side (Exchange) and client-side (Outlook) components. We separate these as above, however we don't specifically have an Outlook category as it's part of the general MS Office suite.

 

Scenario: Someone has a clent-side problem with Outlook. Even with the above solution, typing "outlook" doesn't work as we don't have an Item for it. The technician remembers seeing Email under Services so looks in there and finds Mailbox & Address as the best match. This makes the request look like a problem with an Exchange mailbox. Bad.

 

Solution: We associate the keyword "outlook" with item Office Suite (using the admin interface). The technician starts typing "outlook" and SDP not only searches the three levels of category but also the keywords and quickly suggests Software > Core > Office Suite. Good.

 

In an ideal world, it might be appropriate for the list to be restricted to fields that are actually present on the template. For example, if the template only has Category & Subcategory fields, searching for "outlook" would work, but only actually display Software > Core in the list.

 

Thanks!

Richard