Assigning tickets in ServiceNow
Assigning tickets
Review the weekly schedule
Review the weekly schedule to familiarize yourself with staff who are out of the office on your ticket assignment day. Unless there is no one else who can do a particular activity, avoid assigning tickets to those who are out of the office.
Master ticket assignment schedule
The weekly schedule also shows the ticket assignment schedule by week.
Unassigned tickets
Access the unassigned tickets queue, which displays all tickets that haven’t yet been assigned. You can also access the unassigned queue from the Registrar Dashboard.
Click on the INC number of the oldest ticket, which ensures we assign tickets in the order received.
Review the ticket
Review the content of the ticket and compare it to the activities displayed in the Who Does What reference table. The selected Subcategory and Short description may not accurately reflect the true nature of the request, so to ensure it’s correctly assigned, be sure to read through the ticket.
If you’re not sure how to assign a ticket, ask for advice in the Ticket Assignment Questions Teams channel before assigning.
Assign to an agent
Assign the ticket to the person identified on the Who Does What reference table.
In the Assigned to field, enter the name of the individual, or click the Search button to see all agents in our assignment group.
Fill in required fields
If Building is blank, enter Remote.
If the Room is blank, enter Remote or n/a - any value is acceptable
If the Business Phone is blank, enter 0000000000
Select a Subcategory
Review the Subcategory to ensure it matches the ticket, and change as you find appropriate.
Click on the Subcategory drop-down menu to see all options.
Categorization ensures we are tracking activities accurately.
Provide a relevant Short description and Save
Review the Short description to ensure it matches the ticket, and change as you find appropriate.
Best practice: A short summary and the first initial of the affected student or staff and their full last name.
Short descriptions are useful for the agent working the ticket as well as the caller, who can view a list of all of their open tickets in the IT portal, allowing them to more easily find what they’re looking for.
Examples:
Transfer articulation - S. Student
Classroom relocation request [Course Subject + Number] [Term] - D. Professor
Change meeting pattern of [CRN] [Course Subject + Number] [Term] - S. Staff
Click the Save button.
Using the Who Does What reference
Activity/Incident
A general short description of an activity. When adding a new activity, be sure to capitalize the letter of the first word and proper nouns, with all others lower case.
ServiceNow Subcategory
Refers to the Subcategory selected in ServiceNow. When adding a new activity, ensure that the value matches fully to the corresponding ServiceNow Subcategory value.
Anyone
When Anyone appears in this field, the activity can be done by anyone currently in service.
If you see “Anyone” in the Anyone field, assign to anyone who is in service.
Staff
The order in which users appear on this list is the hierarchy by which an incident should be assigned. All of these individuals can do this activity, with the first person being the primary agent. If the primary agent is currently overtaxed on this activity, the ticket can be assigned to the others listed.
Additional Description
Related notes.
Link to instructions
A link to the instructions for how to do an activity.
Best practices
This reference guide supports our shared goal of assigning tickets accurately and efficiently and delivering timely service.
Reminders
Check the reference table before assigning a ticket.
Read the full ticket – don’t rely on subject lines alone.
Match requests to scope and expertise based on the Who Does What / Assigning Service Now Tickets table.
If you’re not sure how to assign a ticket, ask for advice in the Ticket Assignment Questions Teams channel before assigning.
Why this matters
Accurate ticket assignment:
Reduces turnaround time
Minimizes reassignment
Supports equitable distribution of work
Enhances the service experience for our requesters
Iteration and collaboration
If you notice a pattern of mis-assignments, raise it kindly – it helps us refine the process.
Keep the Who Does What / Assigning Service Now Tickets reference updated as responsibilities evolve.
All feedback is welcome!