Understand how cases move from automatic triage into team queues, agent assignments, or manual triage, and how teams and managers keep work moving.
After a case is created, it needs an owner. Automatic triage routes most cases to a team and, when possible, to an individual agent. When no agent is selected, the case waits in the team's claim queue. When triage can't route a case confidently, a Case Manager completes the routing manually.
This article explains how team queues, assignment, claiming, and manual triage work together.
What happens after triage
Automatic triage determines:
- Which team should own the case.
- Which agent should work on it, when possible.
- What the request is about.
- How urgent the request is.
When triage finishes, the case follows one of three paths:
| Outcome | What it means | What happens next |
| Assigned | A team and individual agent are selected. | The assigned agent can begin work immediately. |
| Claimable | A team is selected, but no individual agent is assigned. | An agent on the team can claim the case from the claim queue. |
| Manual triage | Triage can't confidently determine the correct routing. | A Case Manager reviews the case and completes the routing. |
Cases aren't available to claim while automatic triage is still running.
For more information about how triage determines ownership and classification, see How intake, deflection, and triage work.
Teams and team queues
Every case belongs to a team. Teams define who can receive, claim, and work cases for a service area such as Payroll, Benefits, or HR General.
Each team includes:
- Case Managers who oversee the team's work.
- Case Agents who work assigned cases and can claim unassigned work.
When a case is routed to a team without an assignee, it appears in that team's claim queue. Agents on the team can review claimable cases and take ownership when they have capacity.
Administrators can also configure a maximum number of open cases for agents. This helps teams balance workloads and avoid overloading individual agents.
Assigned work
An assigned case has both a team and an individual assignee.
Assigned cases appear in the agent's work list. The assignee is responsible for progressing the case, communicating with the employee, and resolving the request.
Case Managers can reassign work when:
- The case was routed to the wrong agent or team.
- An agent is unavailable.
- Workloads need to be balanced.
- A specialist is better suited to resolve the request.
For the steps to assign or reassign cases, see Assign and reassign cases.
Claimable work
A claimable case belongs to a team but doesn't have an individual assignee.
Before claiming a case, agents should confirm that:
- The case belongs to one of their teams.
- Automatic triage has completed.
- The case doesn't need manual triage.
- They have capacity to take on additional work.
When an agent claims a case, it leaves the claim queue and appears in their assigned work.
Case Managers can leave routine work in the claim queue for qualified agents to pick up, or assign urgent or specialist cases directly.
For the steps to find and claim work, see Find and claim work.
Manual triage
Some cases require a Case Manager to complete the routing. This happens when automatic triage can't confidently determine the correct team, assignee, or classification.
During manual triage, the Case Manager:
- Reviews the employee's request and conversation.
- Confirms or updates the team.
- Assigns an agent or leaves the case claimable for the team.
- Updates the priority, categories, or flags when needed.
Once routing is complete, agents can begin work.
If cases regularly require manual triage, review the information that guides automatic triage. Team descriptions, categories, priority definitions, and AI intake briefs may need to be improved in Case Setup.
For the steps managers use to handle unassigned work, see Manage unassigned work.
People remain in control
AI assists with routing, but people remain in control of case ownership and classification.
When an agent or manager manually sets the team, assignee, categories, flags, or priority, those values are preserved. Automatic triage completes only information that hasn't already been provided.
Managers can also return a case to the claim queue by clearing the assignee while keeping the team assigned.
Who does what
| Role | Queue and assignment actions |
| Case Agent | Works assigned cases and claims claimable cases from their teams. |
| Case Manager | Assigns and reassigns cases for managed teams, completes manual triage, and monitors unassigned work. |
| Case Administrator | Configures teams, memberships, capacity limits, and the Case Setup settings that guide triage. |
Best practices
- Let agents claim routine work when any qualified teammate can handle the request.
- Assign urgent or specialist cases directly to the most appropriate agent.
- Review cases waiting for manual triage before routine claimable work.
- Investigate recurring manual triage with your Case Administrator.
- Keep team descriptions and agent information accurate so automatic triage has the context it needs.