Configure case setup

Case Setup is where you configure how cases are created, routed, managed, and closed. Before employees begin raising cases, use Case Setup to define your HR teams, request categories, service targets, notifications, and lifecycle rules.

Most organizations complete Case Setup once during implementation, then update individual settings as their HR services evolve.

This article provides an overview of the available configuration areas and the recommended order for setting them up.

Where available, select Use recommended defaults to populate a section with suggested values you can customize to meet your organization's requirements.

Before you begin

• Understand HR Case Management
• To configure Case Setup, you must have the Case Administrator role.
• Open Case Setup from your Applaud app.

If one section depends on another, save your changes before moving on. For example, create teams before using them in SLA policies or shared views.

How the settings work together

The settings in Case Setup work together throughout the lifecycle of a case.

1. An employee submits a request.
2. The AI Assistant (or case creation form) collects the required information.
3. Categories, priority, and flags help classify the case.
4. The case is routed to the appropriate team or agent.
5. SLA policies determine the service targets for the case.
6. Notifications keep employees and agents informed as the case progresses.
7. Lifecycle settings control when inactive cases are resolved, closed, and finalized.
8. After resolution, a close survey can collect employee feedback.

Recommended configuration order

When you configure Case Management for the first time, complete the sections in the following order:

1. Teams
2. Categories
3. Flags
4. Priority definitions 
5. SLA policies
6. Notifications
7. Close survey
8. Lifecycle
9. Allow message undo
10. AI-only case creation
11. Case numbering

Configure teams

Teams define who owns and works cases. Every case is assigned to a team, and each team contains the case managers and case agents responsible for handling those cases.

Create a team

1. Open Case Setup > Teams
2. Select Add team.
3. Enter a Team name.
4. Enter a description in What this team handles.
5. Select Add member.
6. Add at least one Case manager and one or more Case agents.
7. Optionally configure the Max cases limit and Background for each agent.
8. Select Save.

Team settings

Configure categories

Categories define the types of requests employees can raise. They help organize cases, improve routing, and ensure the AI Assistant collects the right information before creating a case.

Well-designed categories make it easier for employees to describe their issue, help agents find similar cases, and improve reporting across your HR services.

Create a category

To load a starter set, select Categories > Edit > Use recommended defaults, or to create a custom category:

1. Open Categories > Edit.
2. Select Add category.
3. Enter a Name.
4. Optionally select an Icon.
5. Enter a Description.
6. Add an AI intake brief.

7. Select Save.

Category settings

Configure flags

Flags highlight important characteristics of a case that affect how it is handled. Unlike categories, which describe what a case is about, flags identify conditions such as urgency, financial impact, compliance risk, or the need for additional attention.

Create a flag

To load a starter set, select Flags > Edit > Use recommended defaults, or to create a custom flag:

1. Open Flags > Edit.
2. Select Add flag.
3. Enter a Name.
4. Optionally select an Icon.
5. Enter a Definition that describes when the flag should be applied.
6. Select Save.

Flag settings

Configure priority definitions

Priority definitions describe what each priority level means in your organization. During case triage, the system uses these definitions to help assign the appropriate priority to each case, and agents can use them as guidance when reviewing or updating cases.

The four priority levels are fixed:

• Critical
• High
• Normal
• Low

You can customize the definition for each priority level, but you can't rename or remove the priority levels.

Edit priority definitions

1. Open Priority definitions > Edit.
2. Update each definition.
3. Optionally select Use recommended defaults.
4. Select Save.

Configure SLA policies

SLA policies define the service targets applied to cases. They determine how quickly cases should be acknowledged, updated, and resolved, as well as how the quality of the service experience is measured.

Create an SLA policy

To load a starter set, locate SLA policies and select Use recommended defaults, or to create a custom policy:

1. Locate SLA policies and select Add policy.
2. Enter a Policy name.
3. Optionally enter a Description.
4. Define the Conditions.
5. Configure the SLA and XLA metrics you want to track.
6. Enter target values for each enabled metric.
7. Select Save policy.

Policy structure

Each SLA policy includes identifying information and the conditions that determine which cases the policy applies to.

For detailed guidance on SLA and XLA metrics, see Understanding SLA and XLA metrics.

Configure notifications

Notifications keep employees, agents, and managers informed as cases progress.

Some notifications are required for case processing and can't be disabled.

1. Locate Notifications and select Edit.
2. Review the available notification categories.
3. Turn optional notifications on or off.
4. Select Save.

Notification categories

Notification categories determine who receives notifications for different case events.

Required notifications

The following notifications are required and cannot be disabled because they are necessary for case processing.

Example manager notification

When AI triage cannot confidently assign a case, the Case needs manual triage notification alerts team managers so they can assign the appropriate team, assignee, or categories.

Configure close survey

Close surveys collect employee feedback after a case is resolved. You can configure which questions are asked, the rating scale used, and whether surveys are sent.

1. Locate Close survey and select Edit.
2. Enable Send survey when cases are resolved.

3. Choose the questions to include.

   Note: You must enable at least one survey question.
4. Select a survey scale.
5. Preview the survey.
6. Select Save.

Survey settings

Configure the questions employees see and when close surveys are sent.

Effort scale options

Choose a scale that matches the type of feedback you want to collect.

Recommended defaults

The recommended configuration enables all three questions and uses the CSAT 1–5 scale.

Configure lifecycle settings

Lifecycle settings automate how cases progress after work is complete. You can configure when inactive cases are resolved, closed, and finalized.

1. Locate Lifecycle and select Edit.
2. Configure:
   • Auto-resolve cases waiting on the employee
   • Lifecycle for resolved and closed cases
3. Select Save.

Lifecycle settings

Configure the time-based rules that control how cases move through the later stages of the case lifecycle.

Configure message undo

The message undo delay gives agents a short time to review or cancel a message before it is delivered to the employee.

Configure the undo window

1. Locate Allow message undo and select Edit window.
2. Configure the Window (seconds).
3. Select Save.

How it works

When message undo is on, public agent replies are delayed until the undo window expires or the agent chooses to send the message immediately.

1. The agent selects Send update.
2. The message appears as pending with Undo and Send now options for 15 seconds.
3. After 15 seconds, or when the agent selects Send now, the message is delivered to the employee.

Message undo settings

Configure the delay and the length of the undo window for public agent replies.

Configure AI-only case creation

Choose how employees create new cases: through the AI Assistant or via a case creation form.

Configure case creation

1. Locate AI-only case creation.
2. Turn on the setting to require employees to use the AI Assistant.
3. Turn off the setting to allow employees to create cases using a form.
4. Select Save.

AI-only case creation settings

Choose how employees create new cases.

Configure case numbering

Case numbering defines the format of case IDs used to identify and reference cases. You can configure the case ID prefix and the starting number before cases are created.

Configure case numbering

1. Locate Case numbering and select Edit.
2. Enter a Prefix.
3. Enter the Start number.
4. Select Save.

Case numbering settings

Configure the prefix and starting number used when generating case IDs.

Example case numbers

The following examples show how the prefix and starting number determine the first generated case ID.

Validation rules

The following rules apply when configuring case numbering.

Next steps

• Write effective AI intake briefs
• Example case management configurations

Related articles

• Manage the case lifecycle
• Close survey effort scales