Document Audience
This document is intended to guide HR Agents in managing cases in the HR Portal.
HR Agent Responsibility
HR Agents will create, update, complete tasks for, communicate, and close HR cases via TennCare ServiceNow’s HRSD module. All approvals, rejections, work notes, comments, follow-ups, PDF documents, and some emails will be recorded within the HR case record, and subsequently stored on the platform as a closed case.
Objectives of Case Management
Case Management is used to log all HR inquiries and requests and route them to the right resources to resolve employee’s questions or fulfill their requests. The use of HR Case Management helps ensure that:
• All employee interactions are automatically documented
• Service provided is consistent and timely
• Compliance with legal and regulatory standards is maintained
• All records are securely housed in a single location, easily accessed by a properly credentialed HR Agent
Purpose of this Document
The purpose of this document is to provide TennCare HR Agents with a detailed guide on how to open, work, and close an HR case within HRSD. This guide will walk HR Agents through working cases that are submitted via the HR Portal and are automatically routed to their case queue, as well as how to manually create a new case stemming from a phone call, email, etc. from an employee.
Throughout this step by step guide you will encounter various ServiceNow terminology defined below.
This section is used to capture additional details of an HR case that are not included in the auto-populated “Short Description” field.
HR Tasks: The description field of an HR task is normally used when an HR Agent assigns an HR task/To-do to an individual. It is important to enter relevant details here so that the task assignee has the information needed to complete the task.
A task is used to assign an action item (HR task/To-do) to an individual. A case may contain many tasks, but a task can only be related to one case.
Tasks are often used when an HR Agent requires additional information, review, approval, and/or resolution acceptance from an individual regarding a specific case. An HR Agent may use the functionality to share relevant information and prompt the individual to complete the particular action.
HR Agents and Task receivers can communicate through Additional Comments on a specific task. The assignee will receive an email notification when a task is assigned to them, and they can view and action the task within the “To-do” section of the HR Portal. The task assignee can subsequently include relevant details within the response commentary once they complete the assigned task.
An HR Agent can re-assign a case if they are not the appropriate individual to complete the case. If an HR Agent encounters a case that has been automatically assigned to them, but they are not able to fulfill due to either the content of the case or their specialty, they can transfer the case to the correct HR Agent.
Checklists guide HR Agents through activities and steps required to complete a case. The HR Agent can mark each activity completed as they work through the list.
Checklists are often used to track specific activities related to a certain type of case.
Watch lists allow multiple individuals to receive status notifications for a case. If an HR Agent receives a case and needs to keep other employees, i.e., a supervisor or HRL, apprised of updates to the case, the HR Agent can add that individual(s) to the watch list.
Question
What is the purpose of a watch list in a case management system?
Answer the question above the continue reading. iTELL evaluation is based on AI and may not always be accurate.
The Collaborator functionality allows an HR Agent to bring the appropriate parties together to work a case. Another HR Agent or manager level may need to provide input on the case, and the collaboration feature allows them to view and keep track of the details of the case.
This is often used when an HR Agent in one HR Unit needs to engage with an agent in a different unit.
A collection of all the Intake Forms available to HR Agents located in the native view. It is designed to allow HR Agents to complete Intake Forms on behalf of an employee when a request is made but it is not submitted on the HR Portal (i.e., phone call, email, etc.).
A feature that allows HR Agents to create a report and document an interaction with an employee, where they were able to immediately answer the question/request, without completing the full fulfillment cycle of a case.
The following table outlines the terminology and functionality for how to collaborate on a case using various channels to communicate across users.
Work Notes are used by HR Agents only to document information related to a case, creating an audit trail of what has been completed or needs to be completed. Work Notes are only visible to HR Agents and regularly used to document to track decisions, rationale, steps taken to fulfill and close a case, include an email conversation, and/or other communication the HR Agent had with the Requestor.
ServiceNow emails are used to communicate and/or share information regarding a case with individuals who do not have access to the ServiceNow platform, e.g., a vendor, 3rd-party agency, etc.
This is useful when the HR Agent needs to communicate with a third-party vendor such as a benefits provider, I-9 or background checks service, or DOHR regarding a particular request or a component of a request.
If you send an email through the ServiceNow “Compose Email” feature, it will be recorded in the case history that an email was sent. Any responses to that email would have to be copied and pasted into the Work Notes section of the case for future use.
Question
Why are ServiceNow emails used?
Answer the question above the continue reading. iTELL evaluation is based on AI and may not always be accurate.
ServiceNow has the capability to send notifications automatically to users’ emails throughout the lifecycle of HR cases and tasks. Automated Notifications may alert users of case or task status, needed actions, updates, links, etc. These notifications can be configured to send to multiple users and/or groups based on certain conditions. In you would like to build in or modify Automated Notifications, you will need to request them in the O&M backlog for development.
HR Agents, Requestors, and Task receivers can communicate additional case details, questions, etc. using Additional Comments on a case.
Due to the nature of some Intake Forms and employee requests, not all cases worked will be identical. The list below represents potential action items required by HR Agents in certain scenarios. Select the link to be redirected to the section within this document for the step-by-step guide. Refer to the Key Case Management Terms in the table above for additional context as needed.
| Potential Action | Trigger for Completing | Completed By |
|---|---|---|
| Link a Knowledge Article(s) to a case | A Knowledge Article exists relevant to a Requester’s inquiry and can help answer their question or provide next steps | TennCare HR Agents |
| Add a task to a case | An HR Agent needs to gain approval from a Requester, a Requester’s Supervisor, or from a different department within TennCare such as Budget/Fiscal | TennCare HR Agents, TennCare Supervisors, TennCare Budget/Fiscal |
| Re-route a case | A case needs to be shared with an HR Agent within a higher level or different assignment group within TennCare HR | TennCare HR Agents |
| Add Comments to a case | An HR Agent needs to share comments with the Requester and save the comments to the case record Note: Comments are visible to requesters and HR Agents (not subject person) and are saved to the case record | TennCare HR Agents, Requestor |
| Add Work Notes to a case | An HR Agent needs to share comments, information, guidance and/or next steps with another HR Agent but not share with the case Note: Work Notes are saved to the case, however, they are only visible to other HR Agents. | TennCare HR Agents |
| Create an email | HR Agent needs to contact the Requester separate from initiating an action (task/To-do) | TennCare HR Agents |
| Add Attachments | A document needs to be attached to a case for reference | TennCare HR Agents |
| Place a Case On Hold | HR Agent is unable to work and/or complete a case due to an external factor and needs to wait for additional information | TennCare HR Agents |
| Document First Call Resolution (“FCR”) | An HR Agent resolves a Requester’s inquiry/issue via phone or email without an Intake Form formally being submitted Note: HR Agents are required to document this interaction in HRSD – HR Agents will create a new case, move the case to “Ready for Work,” and then utilize the First Call Resolution (FCR) feature | TennCare HR Agents |
| Create a Case | An HR Agent receives a Request (via phone, email, etc.) and not from the HR Portal, they will be required to create a new case for that individual | TennCare HR Agents |
| Close a Case | Once an HR Agent completes their work on a particular case, they will need to follow guidance on closing a case and receiving confirmation from the Requester | TennCare HR Agents |
Question
What action needs to be taken if an HR Agent needs to contact the Requester separate from initiating an action?
Answer the question above the continue reading. iTELL evaluation is based on AI and may not always be accurate.
The list below represents the various stages of a case and the order in which they occur as a case is moved through the fulfillment process.
Draft: All cases that are submitted through the HR Portal will automatically be moved to Ready. Only when an HR Agent creates a case will it appear in Draft.
Ready: All cases will be opened in Ready. This state designates that a case has been opened, but is not currently being worked.
Work in Progress: Cases currently being worked will be moved to Work in Progress. This state designates that a case has been opened, assigned, and is currently being worked on by an HR Agent.
On Hold: Cases that require additional information or review from an external or internal party (e.g. Requester, Vendor, IT) will be moved to the On Hold state which will pause the cases aging.
Awaiting Acceptance: Once a case is completed by the HR Agent, it will enter the Awaiting Acceptance state. All cases that are completed by HR Agents require an electronic confirmation by the Requester that their request has been fully completed. The case will remain in this state until the Requester Accepts or Rejects the case’s completion. There is a pre-determined time limit for Requesters to accept or reject a case’s completion before it is automatically closed.
**Closed Incomplete: ** Only HR tasks should be marked as Closed Incomplete, and is applicable when an HR task assignee rejects an HR task. An HR case will not be marked Closed Incomplete.
Closed Complete: Following acceptance by the Requester or the automatic acceptance of a case due to timing, a case is moved to Closed Complete. This is an automated step and does not require action by the HR Agent.
HR Agents gain appropriate access to HRSD through their ServiceNow Group Membership(s). This membership also drives how cases are routed to appropriate individuals.
Group Membership can be managed through the TennCare Service Portal’s catalog item, ServiceNow Group Administration and Membership.
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