Universal Request versus Interaction Records (New Call record)

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Universal Request versus Interaction Records (New Call record)

    Universal Request and Interaction Records are two types of records used by agents across various departments to handle employee or customer inquiries. They differ primarily in purpose, lifecycle, and how they facilitate issue resolution within ServiceNow.

    Show full answer Show less

    Interaction Record

    An Interaction Record (also known as a New Call record) is a temporary record created by agents during live chats or phone calls to document the interaction and decide on next steps. Key functions include:

    • Attaching the interaction to an existing request (e.g., IT incident, HR case, or Universal Request).
    • Creating a new department-specific ticket (such as an IT incident or HR case).
    • Creating a Universal Request and assigning it to a Tier 1 agent or group for further handling.

    Interaction Records are not visible to requesters and are used internally to capture initial contact details and facilitate ticket creation or escalation.

    Universal Request

    A Universal Request is created from an Interaction Record or directly via the self-service portal when an issue requires transfer to another department or further escalation. It acts as a requester-facing task record that:

    • Is used by Tier 1 agents to resolve or escalate employee issues across departments and channels.
    • Supports cross-departmental ticket transfers and unified views for requesters.
    • Serves as a parent task record for child tickets like incidents (INC), HR cases (HRC), and custom task types.
    • Enables cross-departmental SLA and reporting.

    Requesters can see their Universal Requests on their ticket list page and access detailed ticket information.

    Key Differences

    • Visibility: Universal Requests are requester-facing, while Interaction Records are internal and temporary.
    • Record Type: Universal Requests are task records that support cross-departmental workflows; Interaction Records are not task types.
    • Purpose: Interaction Records capture initial contact and determine next actions; Universal Requests manage and track ongoing issue resolution and escalation.
    • Reporting: Universal Requests enable cross-departmental SLA and performance reporting; Interaction Records do not.

    Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers

    Understanding the distinction helps agents efficiently manage employee requests by documenting initial interactions and escalating or transferring tasks appropriately. Interaction Records facilitate capturing live communication details, while Universal Requests provide a structured, visible task for issue resolution and tracking across departments. This leads to smoother handoffs, better requester transparency, and improved cross-departmental collaboration and reporting.

    Universal request and interaction records are created and used by agents of various departments. However, they differ in the way they are handled. The following information provides an overview of both the records and how they differ from each other.

    Interaction Record

    An Interaction Record or a New Call record is used by an agent to take notes and determine the next steps during a live chat or a phone call. From an Interaction Record, an agent can perform one of the following actions:
    • Attach the interaction to an existing request, such as an IT incident, an HR case, or a Universal Request.
    • Create a new department ticket, such as an IT incident or an HR case.
    • Create a Universal Request and assign it to a Tier 1 agent or assignment group in a specific department.
    Let's say an agent gets a live chat from a customer who is experiencing a technical problem. The agent documents the conversation in an interaction record and determines that the issue needs expertise of IT department. To ensure a seamless hand off, the agent creates an IT incident.

    Universal Request

    A Universal Request is created from an Interaction Record or New Call record when an agent determines that a new task record must be transferred to a different department by assigning it to a Tier 1 assignment group.

    Let's say an employee wants to find specific information about medical benefits on the company's self-service portal. The employee searches for information about medical benefits and finds no relevant catalog items. In this case, the employee can select Request help on the portal to create a universal request.

    The following table lists the high-level differences between an Interaction Record and a Universal Request.

    Table 1. Differences between Universal Request and Interaction Record
    Universal Request Interaction Record
    Universal Requests are task records used by Tier 1 agents to either resolve or escalate an employee issue through any channel. Interaction records are temporary records used by agents to capture initial interactions with an employee from a chat or phone call. The agent determines whether to create a new task record or add it to an existing record.
    Universal Requests are requester-facing records. The universal requests are listed on the requester's ticket list page. They can view the individual tickets in the standard ticket page. Interaction records are not requester-facing records.
    Universal Request is a task type that agents work on. Universal Request supports cross-departmental ticket transfers and a unified ticket page experience for the requester. Interaction record is not a task type.
    Universal Request is a task type that serves as a parent record for other records that are created as child records, such as INC, HRC, and custom task types. It is also used for all cross-departmental reporting. Interaction records cannot be used for cross-departmental SLA reporting.