Implementing Policy › Notifications › Previous Assignee Notifications

Previous Assignee Notifications

You can define Previous Assignee or Group values for an activity notification that detects changes to key fields when a ticket is saved. Previous values let you notify a previous assignee when a ticket is transferred, or notify both the current and previous groups when the priority of a ticket is escalated.

The Previous value fields of a ticket are local fields that exist only in memory and not in the database. The fields are populated during the save operation of a ticket and cleared at the completion of notification processing. A previous value field is associated with a particular activity type through an activity association.

You can define Previous values that detect changes to the following key fields of a ticket:

There are several contacts that you can specify for each object type (request, incident, problem, change order, or issue), which notify the current and previous contacts when an activity occurs.

• Assignee—Person assigned to handle the ticket.
• Assignee Previous—Person previously assigned to handle the ticket.
• Group—Group assigned to handle the ticket.
• Group Previous—Group previously assigned to handle the ticket.

After the notification rule is saved, the Assignee Previous and Group Previous fields display on the Object Contact Notifications List page.

Example: Configure Current and Previous Values for Key Fields

The following usage example describes how an administrator configures current and previous values for key fields to help ensure that the previous support representative is notified when a request is transferred away from them.

1. Situation—A support representative is frustrated because a ticket was transferred away from them and they were never notified.
2. Task—The administrator adds the Assignee and Assignee Previous object contacts to the notification rule for the Transfer activity notification. They attach a message template and specify the current and previous assignees to notify on the request form.
3. Action—When the request is saved, the Assignee and Assignee Previous fields of the request are populated. When the activity occurs (ticket is transferred), the condition for the rule is evaluated.
4. Result—If the condition is met, a notification message that describes the ticket activity is sent to the current assignee and the previous assignee.