Time recording for Customer Service Management
Summarize
Summary of Time Recording for Customer Service Management
The Time Recording feature in Customer Service Management allows agents to efficiently track time spent on cases and related tasks. This functionality automates the generation of time cards and time sheets, streamlining the approval process for managers. Agents can log time directly from case forms and submit their entries for manager approval, enhancing overall productivity and oversight.
Show less
Key Features
- Automated Time Entry: Agents can record time for case-related activities and other tasks like meetings, which automatically creates corresponding time cards and weekly time sheets.
- Manager Approval: Managers have the ability to review, approve, or reject time sheets and can define labor cost rates for different activities.
- Modify Recorded Time: Agents can revise their time worked entries even after a time sheet is approved, reverting the time sheet to a Pending state for reprocessing.
- Labor Rate Cards: Managers can create labor rate cards to establish cost rates for various activities, ensuring accurate expense tracking.
- User Roles: The feature introduces roles for time card users and administrators, delineating access and permissions for recording and approving time entries.
Key Outcomes
By utilizing the Time Recording feature, ServiceNow customers can expect improved accuracy in tracking work hours, streamlined approval workflows, and enhanced visibility into team productivity. The automation of time card creation and labor cost management supports better financial oversight and resource allocation within customer service operations.
Record time worked on cases and case tasks. Time worked entries automatically generate time cards and time sheets for manager approval.
Customer service agents (users with the sn_customerservice_agent role) can record time worked on case-related activities, create time cards and time sheets, and submit for approval. Managers can approve time sheets, define cost rates for different types of activities, and convert to expense lines.
The time recording feature extends the functionality of the Time Card Management application to Customer Service Management. Agents can record time worked on cases and tasks directly from the Case or Case Task form and time spent on other activities, such as meetings or training, from the Time Worked form. Time worked entries automatically create time cards for each task and selected work category. Time cards are automatically included in a weekly time sheet.
The time recording feature also extends the functionality of the Cost Management application to Customer Service Management. Customer service managers can create labor rate cards, which define different cost rates for different activities. Time sheets use labor rate cards to determine costs and to generate expense lines.
Agents can modify the hours recorded on time cards. Once a time sheet is approved and a time card is processed, the agent can still go back and modify the time worked. The time sheet reverts to the Pending state and new time cards are created. If an agent adds more time worked records to an approved time sheet for the same week, a new time sheet record is created for the current week.
Managers can view time worked records, time cards, and time sheets for agents in their assignment groups, as well as approve and reject time sheets. After a time sheet is approved, the system processes the time cards and uses rate cards based on the time card category to create expense lines.
Time recording plugin
The time recording feature requires the Customer Service Management plugin (com.sn_customerservice) and the Time Recording for Customer Service plugin (com.snc.csm_time_recording).
User roles
The time recording feature adds the following roles.
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Time card user [timecard_user] |
Record time worked on cases and tasks. View, modify, and delete time worked entries on time cards and submit time sheets for approval. Users with the customer service agent (sn_customerservice_agent) role inherit the timecard_user role. This role restricts access to the time sheets, time cards, and time worked records created by the agent. |
| Time card administrator [timecard_admin] |
Review, approve, and reject time sheets for customer service agents. Users with the customer service manager role (sn_customerservice_manager) inherit the timecard_admin, timecard_approver, and timecard_manager roles. This role restricts access to the time sheets, time cards, and time worked records created by the agents in a manager's assigned groups. |
System properties
The time recording feature adds the following properties.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| com.snc.time_card.time_worked | Enables the time recording feature for Customer Service Management. The default setting is false. Note: This property has been replaced by the Auto fill time card with time worked entries field on the Time Sheet Policy form. When this field is enabled, the user's time card is
auto-filled with the information from their time worked entries. |
| com.snc.time_card.default_rate | The default hourly rate used when processing time cards if a rate from a labor rate card is not available. |
Time Sheet policy
The time recording feature uses the Default time sheet policy.
For users with the sn_customerservice_agent role, creating time worked records automatically creates or modifies time cards regardless of the setting for the com.snc.time_card.time_worked system property. The time sheet policy controls this functionality. The system administrator can disable the auto-creation of time cards for a specific user with the sn_customerservice_agent role by creating a separate time sheet policy for that user.
Labor rate cards
The time recording feature provides one labor rate card: CSM Rate Card (Default).
If needed, system administrators can create additional labor rate cards. Navigate to and click New to create a labor rate card.