Here's my tips for setting up and using Cases.
This does not include using cases via Portal or Communities yet.
This also does not include any social media monitoring tools.
Rules
When it comes to your customers, there are no rules.
As much as you try to get people to only submit emails to your support@ or via your Support form on your website, it just does not work. People are going to email their favourite Sales Rep, Support Person, or The Boss directly. Or they are just going to whinge on Social Media. Also, people are going to add many support items in the one ticket, and they are going to respond to a closed case with a new open case. You need to deal with all of these scenarios.
Things to help are:
- Create Cases by Email
- Create Cases by Web. See Web to Case
- Create Cases from Outlook
- Create Cases from Gmail. Just get Cirrus Insight.
- Create Cases using Publisher Actions
- Create Cases on your Mobile device.
- Clone Cases
- Close Cases
Case Management Rules
Use Case Feed
Case Feed is going to be the only way to use Cases in the future, so if you are setting up Cases now, use Case Feeds.
https://help.salesforce.com/HTViewHelpDoc?id=case_interaction_setting_up.htm&language=en_US
All Cases start in the Queue
No exceptions. If the person who normally handles cases is out sick for the day, an important case could get missed because it is owned by them.
With Case Queues there is only one place that new Cases exist.
All Cases are Owned by either a User or a Queue
This isn't my rule, it is Salesforce's rule.
You Take Ownership of the Case before you modify it
If you are working on the Case, you are the owner of it.
This is a general rule and may be broken in special circumstances.
Set up
Start on Paper
Yep. Leave Salesforce alone - and go and grab some paper.
I want a simple flowchart or a simple list of statements in the form of IF this THEN do this.
I need to know what your support process is before we even start looking at cases.
It does not need to be a fancy Visio or Online diagram like this one or this one with swim lanes.
Example
- Generally we like to solve cases within 24 hours.
- If Case comes in by email
- Person reads the question.
- If they can answer it.
- They respond straight away
- If it's for Product X
- Forward the email to User Y
- and CC the client.
- If they can't answer it.
- They forward it to the appropriate person.
- and CC the client.
- If they can answer it.
- Person reads the question.
etc.
Questions
- What support levels do you have?
- Who are the people that handle cases?
- Do you have different teams for different products?
- What is your SLA?
- What happens if you can't meet your SLA?
- Do you notify the client.
- Do you want an automatic response to say we have received your case? (see also Web to Case).
- What should it say?
- What needs to happen for a case to get Escalated?
- Who does it go to?
Support Settings
The default Case settings page.
Set up Queues
Queues are a great way to manage Cases in the initial stage. See Case Queues.
Email to Case Setup
Assignment Rules
Assignment rules are very handy. Assign cases to different queues based on State or where the case came from.
Set up Case Feed
Setting up Case Feed is hidden away. Customize > Cases > Support Settings. Check Enable Case Feed Actions and Feed Items.
This starts the conversion process.See https://help.salesforce.com/htviewhelpdoc?id=case_interaction_upgrading_cases.htm&siteLang=en_US
Email Management
Respond from a System Address
this helps your clients not get too comfortable that they are always going to get a personal response from one person, and will hopefully stop them emailing staff directly.
Email Loops
Using the Thread ID in emails helps ensure that email Subjects are not the same, so it knows which Case to attach the email to.