Layton ServiceDesk - Workflows - Processing Emails from Automated Systems

Overview

There may be a need to process emails from automated systems (e.g. alerts from security systems, reports from financial companies, etc.) as Requests. If the system is added as an End User, the emails can be automatically processed, but the problem then is that email notifications will be sent back to the system, which is unwanted. They aren't real people. If the system is added as an End User without an email address, the emails will not be processed. This workflow addresses this problem.

References

• Global End User Security
• Request Type
• Business Rules

Scenario

The organization using Layton ServiceDesk, a health fund, uses an external company called FPS (Financial Payment Services) to process claims. FPS sends emails from its payment system to the organization, alerting that it was unable to pay certain entities, and to investigate why.

Abstract

• In order to automatically import emails, an End User account, containing the email address, needs to exist
• A Request Type can be configured to prevent the sending of email
• By processing the email into a new Request, then using a Business Rule to assign the Request Type, email notifications can be prevented.

Procedure

Configuration

1. Create a new End User account. Use these settings:
   • End Username: FPS
   • Forename: FPS
   • Surname: System
   • Email: [email protected]
   • NTLM Login: Off
   • Auto Login: Off
   • Block Survey: On
   • All other fields: empty.
2. Create a new Request Type named after the system, e.g. FPS. Use these settings:
   • Is Incident: Do these emails represent an incident, which means the Request will be automatically measured against the ServiceDesk available time?
   • Request Class: Set this, if applicable.
   • Default Priority: If the same Priority is used for all these Requests, set it here.
   • Auto Populate Assigned Analyst: Leave this set to (None), to give more flexibility in the later steps of the configuration.
   • Do Not Email: This is the key setting, which is why a custom Request Type is used in this workflow.
3. Create a new Request Business Rule. Use these settings:
   • Rule Name: Process FPS Emails
   • Description: Automatically assign custom Request Type to FPS emails to prevent email notifications.
   • Priority: 1. This is important, as it has to be processed as the first Business Rule.
   • Enabled: Checked.
   • Criteria: sys_eusername (End User) is FPS
   • Perform these action: sys_requesttype_id (Request Type) FPS
   • Other actions can be added, if desired.
4. In Request Business Rule list view, for any Business Rules that have a Priority of 1, click them and change the Priority to something other than 1. This new Business Rule must be the first to execute.

Testing Procedure

1. If there are any existing emails from FPS System in the Incoming Email Queue, process them manually. Despite these configuration changes, previously existing emails in the queue will not be automatically processed.
2. You'll have to wait until next time one of these emails is sent to see if it is automatically processed. Check the Incoming Email Queue from time to time.