# Service desk (https://docs.akollo.com/en/modules/service-desk)



The service desk is where employees ask for help inside your organisation, for example with a timesheet problem, an access request or equipment. It keeps the issue, the person responsible and the resolution together. Employees open it under **My work → Portal**: the **Catalogue** lists what can be requested and **My requests** follows what they have asked for.

<Callout type="info" title="Note">
  This release covers the employee side: the portal, the catalogue, request forms, routing to queues and business calendars. The screens for the teams that handle requests (queues, triage and escalation) are not available yet, and response-time targets are not measured yet.
</Callout>

## Who uses it [#who-uses-it]

| Role                       | What they do here                                                                                                                    |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Employee                   | Browses the catalogue, submits requests, adds comments and files, and rates the help once a request is resolved.                     |
| Service agent              | Receives requests through the queue they belong to. A queue with an assignment rule assigns a new request to an agent straight away. |
| Service desk administrator | Sets up the catalogue, request forms, queues and business calendars.                                                                 |
| Support session            | Can look at the portal but cannot submit, comment or attach anything.                                                                |

## Main screens [#main-screens]

| Screen          | What it shows                                                                                                                                     |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Catalogue**   | The services you may request, grouped by category, with **Search the catalogue**. Items offered only to other departments or roles do not appear. |
| Request form    | The fields of the chosen item. Required fields are marked. **Submit request** sends it.                                                           |
| **My requests** | The requests you opened, with subject, reference and status.                                                                                      |
| Request page    | The status and description of one request, its comments and attachments, and the rating once it is resolved.                                      |

<Screenshot src="/screens/en/service-portal.webp" alt="Request portal with the catalogue grouped by category, a search box and the My requests tab" caption="The request portal: browse the catalogue by category or search it." />

## Key tasks [#key-tasks]

### Ask for help [#ask-for-help]

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Open the portal [#open-the-portal]

    Choose **My work → Portal**. The **Catalogue** tab opens.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Find the service [#find-the-service]

    Browse the categories or type in **Search the catalogue**, then open the item.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Describe the problem [#describe-the-problem]

    Fill in the form. Say what is affected (for example the task, report or period), roughly when it happened and what you saw. Share only what the request needs.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Submit [#submit]

    Choose **Submit request**. The request goes to the queue that matches it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Follow a request and add information [#follow-a-request-and-add-information]

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Open My requests [#open-my-requests]

    Choose **My requests** in the portal and open the request.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Check the status [#check-the-status]

    The page shows where the request stands: **New**, **In progress**, **Waiting**, **Resolved** or **Closed**.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Add comments or files [#add-comments-or-files]

    Add a comment or attach a file when the person handling it needs more information.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Rate the help you received [#rate-the-help-you-received]

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Wait until it is resolved [#wait-until-it-is-resolved]

    Rating is offered once the request is **Resolved**.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Rate it [#rate-it]

    On the request page, give your rating and, if you like, a short note. Each request can be rated once, and only by the person who opened it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Mermaid
  title="The path of a request"
  chart="`flowchart LR
A[Employee submits] --> B[Matching queue]
B --> C{Assignment rule?}
C -->|Yes| D[Agent assigned]
C -->|No| E[Waits in queue]
D --> F[Resolved]
E --> F
F --> G[Employee rates the help]
F --> H[Closed]`"
/>

## Business calendars [#business-calendars]

Administrators can define business calendars through the API. A calendar has a time zone, weekly working hours, the end time of half days and a list of holidays. When the HR module is in use, the holidays of an organisational unit come from its HR holiday calendar and are combined with the calendar's own days. Each change is published as a new version that starts now or later; published versions never change. Calendars are not yet used to measure response times.

## Permissions [#permissions]

* **Every employee** can submit requests, see their own requests, comment on them and rate them once they are resolved.
* **Catalogue items** can be limited to certain departments or roles. Items you are not eligible for do not appear.
* **Someone else's request** is not shown to you.
* **Agents** work on the requests of the queues they belong to. Queue membership is set by the service desk administrator, not by a role.
* **Configuration** (catalogue, forms, queues, calendars) needs the service desk configuration permission.
* **Support sessions** are read-only.
* **API**: service desk records are also available through the Akollo API with the same permissions as the screens.

## What the AI can do here [#what-the-ai-can-do-here]

The service desk does not have AI features of its own yet. The [AI assistant](/en/ai/assistant) works only with what you are allowed to see and never changes anything without your confirmation. See [AI and you](/en/ai/ai-and-you).

## FAQ [#faq]

<Accordions type="single">
  <Accordion title="Why can I not find a service my colleague requested?">
    Some catalogue items are offered only to certain departments or roles. Items you are not eligible for do not appear in your catalogue.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can I not submit a request for an item?">
    The item has no published form yet. Until a form is published, the item cannot be requested, and the page says so.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who handles my request?">
    The request goes to the queue that matches it. If that queue has an assignment rule, an agent is assigned straight away; otherwise it waits in the queue for the team.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I add information after submitting?">
    Yes. Open the request under **My requests** to add comments and attach files.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When can I rate the help?">
    Once the request is resolved. Only the person who opened it can rate it, once.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are response times measured?">
    Not yet. Business calendars can already be defined, but they are not yet used to measure response times.
  </Accordion>
</Accordions>

## Related [#related]

* [Service requests in detail](/en/trust/service-requests)
* [Customers](/en/modules/customers)
* [API and keys](/en/connections/api)
* [Trust FAQ](/en/trust/faq)