NOTE: for a video walkthrough of this functionality, click here.
As noted in this FAQ, once a user submits a request, the request is added to a queue of requests, awaiting review by users with the "Manage work requests" permission.
- If your company has automated workflows in place, it's possible that the requests will automatically be assigned to a user (or users), who will then review the request and determine whether to approve or deny it.
- Alternatively, if your company does not have any automated workflows in place, all users with the "Manage work requests" permission will be notified that a request was submitted and awaits review.
Regardless of whether you have automated workflows in place or not, the datapoints that appear in the request, actions you can take, and end results are the same in both scenarios. So let's walk through each section.
Work request datapoints
When a user submits a work request, they'll be prompted to add a variety of datapoints - some mandatory, and some not. The information they include in their submission is what appears on the back end when a request is being reviewed.
So, let's say a work request is submitted. Depending on your notification preferences, you'll be notified somewhere of its submission and be prompted to review it. When you click through to the request, you'll see a modal that looks like this:
This modal will contain a variety of datapoints to help you review the request and determine whether to approve or deny it. You'll see:
The following system-generated and mandatory fields:
- Title
- Description
- Requester
- Due date
- Creation date
As well as optional fields (depending on if the requester added them to their request):
- Priority
- Due date
- Category (HVAC, landscaping, plumbing, etc.)
- Location
- Related record (equipment, part bin)
- Attachments (pics, videos, and or files uploaded by the requester)
Pretty straightforward so far, right?
Work request actions
There are a few actions you can take when a request is submitted. You can comment on it, approve it as-is, approve it with edits, or deny it. We'll briefly touch on each below so you can better understand them all.
Commenting
Let's say the request is lacking detail and you need more information in order to confidently approve or deny it. This is where the commenting feature comes in to play. By adding a comment, you can ask your clarifying question(s) to get more context. The requester will be notified of the comment and prompted to respond. Once they do, you can move forward with denying or approving the request (or continue commenting back and forth).
Approving (as-is)
When a request comes in that is good to go, all you have to do is click the "Approve & Create Task" button. Doing this will:
- Notify the requester of your decision
- Create a corresponding work order in the Work Manager
- Move the request to your "Processed Requests" page.
Approving (with edits)
Now, let's say the request is generally good, but you want to add some specificity, select an assignee to fulfill it, or tweak some of what was inputted. All you have to do in that case is make your desired changes before clicking "Approve & Create Task." Once you do this, you'll see the corresponding work order with the changes you made logged in the History section.
Denying
Sometimes there are requests that you'll decide not to fulfill. If that situation arises, simply click "Deny Request," select a denial reason, optionally add more information, and click "Yes."
Once you do that,
- The requester will be notified of your decision
- Your denial reason/explanation will appear in the work request modal
- The request will be moved to your "Processed Requests" page.