Configure case issues

Updated Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Marc Staine

Issues classify the reason a customer needs help. They can drive case forms, routing, views, workflows, and reporting. Separate internal terminology from customer-facing wording when the two audiences need different labels.

Applies to: Supportbench Core. Location: Settings → Cases → Issues. Access and available controls depend on your role and account capabilities.

Before you begin

You need permission to administer Case issue types and access to the intended Divisions.
Review the issue hierarchy, external wording and existing references before changing a branch.
Review the saved result and a controlled example in the consuming workflow. Configuration, customer access and actual delivery or processing are separate checks.

Configure and verify

Open Settings → Cases → Issues and choose New Issue or open the intended definition.
Enter Name (the internal issue label), the intended External name and Description. Review Parent, Divisions, Visibility, Active and Display order using the field reference.
For a root, confirm the permitted Division scope; a child’s hierarchy can determine its scope. Review descendants before moving or deleting a branch.
Where offered, write an AI description that distinguishes the actual issue from neighboring choices.
Choose Save Changes, reopen the issue and verify its hierarchy. Check both the agent Case picker and intended portal experience where the issue is customer-visible.

Settings reference

Details and availability

Setting	What it controls	How to choose
Internal Name	Required internal label; up to 50 characters.	Use language agents can recognize in routing and reporting.
External name	Customer-facing replacement for the internal label in the portal.	Use language a customer can understand without knowing your internal team structure.
Description	Administrative explanation; up to 250 characters.	Explain when to choose this option, including an example if useful.
Display order	An integer from 0 to 25; lower numbers appear first and ties sort by name.	Put commonly used choices first without changing their operational meaning.
Active	Controls availability in standard selection lists. Inactive items remain saved.	Deactivate obsolete options when you need to retain their configuration and existing references.
Divisions	Restricts the option to selected divisions. Global scope is available only when your access allows it.	Choose the intended divisions. Do not assume an empty selection is permitted for every administrator.
Parent	Places the issue below another issue. Parent and division scope interact.	Review the complete branch and scope before moving an issue.
Visibility	Everywhere, Internal only, or External only.	Choose the audience that should be able to select the issue.
AI description	When available, an explanation up to 1,000 characters used to help classify incoming work.	Describe distinguishing symptoms and examples.

Behavior to know

New issues start active with Everywhere visibility and display order 0.
Root issues require a division unless the administrator can save a global issue.
Branch deletion affects descendants. Inspect the complete impact before confirming.

Recommended use

Use terminology that agents and customers already understand. Explain the intended meaning in the description.
Keep the initial configuration small enough for people to choose consistently. Add options when they represent a real operational difference.
Review existing references before renaming, changing scope, or deleting. Where supported, deactivate an obsolete option before considering permanent deletion.

Worked example

Create an internal issue named Password Reset and an external label Sign-in help.
Select the relevant division and the intended parent, if any.
Choose Everywhere if both agents and customers should select it.
Save and inspect both the agent and portal selectors with the intended users.
Review workflows and reports that depend on the issue before applying the change broadly.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
An issue is absent for an agent or customer	Check Active, Visibility, hierarchy, Division and the actual consuming context.
A root cannot be saved without a Division	Your access may require a permitted Division; global scope is not available to every administrator.
Deleting a parent affects more than one item	Branch deletion includes descendants. Review the whole branch and references before confirming.
The customer sees unexpected wording	Review External name and the issue’s configured Visibility, then retest the actual portal.

Cases → Configure case forms and chat customer details with policies
Configuration → Configure workflows and automation
Self-Service → Configure a customer portal
Account → Configure AI policies and case assistance

Was this article helpful?