Configure activity types

Updated Wednesday, October 28, 2026 ·

Activity types help agents describe the work recorded on a Case, such as a phone call or an internal implementation note. They provide a consistent starting visibility and can participate in response-SLA timing. For B2B teams, clear type definitions make a long customer history easier to understand without treating every internal update as a customer-facing reply.

Applies to: Supportbench Core. Location: Settings → Cases → Activity types. Editing requires Administer activity types and an enabled editor. Available records and Division choices also depend on the administrator’s role scope.

Before you begin

Define the work the type represents and how it differs from existing choices. Avoid several labels for the same action unless agents can explain the distinction.
Decide whether new Activities of this type should begin internal or customer-visible. Choose this deliberately for operational notes, troubleshooting calls and customer communications.
Review whether the relevant response-SLA timing should restart for this type. This is a service-policy decision, not a cosmetic naming option.
Confirm Administer activity types permission and the intended Division scope. A restricted administrator cannot save a blank Division selection as a global type.
Prepare an approved sample Case and intended user role for validation. Do not send a real customer message merely to test visibility or timing.

Configure and verify

Open Settings → Cases → Activity types and choose New Activity Type, or open the exact existing type to change.
Enter Name and Description. Explain when agents should use the type and when a different type is more appropriate.
Review Divisions. A new type may select the profile’s default Division if permitted, otherwise the only visible Division when there is just one. With multiple choices and no matching default, it can start blank. Confirm the intended scope instead of accepting a prefill without review.
Leave Divisions blank for global scope only when your role has unrestricted Division visibility. A restricted role must select at least one permitted Division.
Review Publicly visible by default. New types start with this enabled; clear it for internal-only operating notes when that is the intended starting point. The actual Activity’s visibility still needs review before saving or sending.
Review Reset SLA timer. New types start with this off. Enable it only for the response-timing behavior agreed for this type; do not assume any Case update should restart a customer commitment.
Choose Display order, Display color and Icon. Use an understandable label as well as color, and keep any custom icon within the supported formats and 25,600-byte limit.
Confirm Active, then Save Changes. Reopen the saved type and verify its fields.
Open an approved sample Case in the intended Division as a representative agent. Confirm the type is available, inspect the new Activity’s visibility and record only approved test content. If SLA reset is part of the policy, verify the relevant timing on an appropriate controlled example.
Test an excluded Division/user when the type is scoped. A missing option can be the expected result of scope rather than a broken save.

Settings reference

Details and availability

Setting	What it controls	How to choose
Name	The label people select. Required; up to 50 characters.	Use a short, distinct label that describes its purpose.
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.
Display color	The visual indicator used when displaying the option.	Use a consistent palette and meaningful labels; color alone should not carry meaning.
Publicly visible by default	Sets the initial visibility of new activities using the type.	Choose internal by default for operational notes. Verify the actual activity’s visibility before saving.
Reset SLA timer	Controls customer-response timer behavior for this activity type.	Enable only if recording this activity should restart the relevant response timing.
Icon	Choose a built-in icon or upload/clear a custom icon. Custom images support JPG/JPEG/PNG/GIF up to 25,600 bytes.	Choose an icon that remains understandable at small sizes.

Behavior to know

The default-public flag is an initial value, not a guarantee that every activity will be public.
New activity types start active and publicly visible by default, with SLA reset off. Review these defaults before use.
The available activity types depend on your account, active/visible settings and division access. Your list may include email, phone, note, task and system-generated activity types; it is not a fixed list for every account.
Billable is not configured on the activity type in Core. Review the time recorded on an activity separately when your process tracks billable work.
New types start Active, Publicly visible by default, order 0 and the default icon; Reset SLA timer starts off. Review each initial value against the intended process.
A blank Division selection means global only for an unrestricted role. Restricted editors must select permitted Divisions; the server enforces this scope.
Core uses the newest non-draft Activity whose type has SLA reset enabled as the applicable response-SLA anchor. Do not describe every note, draft or general Case update as a reset.
The visibility default is an initial choice, not immutable protection. Inspect the actual Activity and intended recipients before saving or sending customer-facing content.

Recommended use

Use a small vocabulary that makes Case history readable. A new agent should understand why Phone Call differs from an internal implementation note.
Prefer an internal starting visibility for information that routinely contains internal coordination, hypotheses or commercial details. Customer-facing content still requires a deliberate audience review.
Agree SLA reset behavior with the service owner. A type chosen merely for a convenient icon should not unexpectedly change a response deadline.
Review existing use before changing a shared type’s visibility or SLA behavior. Explain the change to agents and verify the actual operating path.
Keep time recording and billable review separate. Billable is not an Activity Type setting in Core.

Worked example: an internal equipment-investigation call

A support team needs to record calls with an engineering specialist while working a customer’s equipment issue. It first checks whether an existing internal call type already fits.
If a distinct type is justified, the administrator creates it with a clear description, the intended Divisions and internal starting visibility. The team leaves SLA reset off unless its agreed service policy requires that timing behavior.
The administrator saves and reopens the type, then a representative agent checks it on an approved Case. They confirm that the draft starts with the expected visibility and that the saved internal note does not become the customer update.
The agent prepares a separate appropriate customer communication containing the verified result, with the correct recipients and visibility. The internal specialist discussion remains distinguishable in the Case history.
The team reviews whether agents choose the type consistently and whether the resulting history makes handoffs easier to follow.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
The type is missing from a Case	Check Active, Division scope, the Case context and the agent’s access. Reopen the relevant form after the configuration save.
Blank Divisions cannot be saved	Global scope is available only to an unrestricted role. Choose at least one permitted Division for a restricted editor.
A new type already has a Division selected	Core can preselect the profile default or sole visible Division. Review it; the prefill is not proof that it matches the intended process.
An operational note starts public	New types default Publicly visible by default to on. Review the saved type and the actual Activity visibility before saving sensitive internal content.
The SLA changed unexpectedly	Inspect the actual non-draft Activity history and the types with Reset SLA timer enabled. A type-level timing flag can affect the response-SLA anchor.
A draft did not reset the timer	The applicable anchor uses non-draft Activities. Verify the intended saved Activity and service policy rather than repeatedly saving a draft to force timing.
A custom icon is rejected	Use JPG/JPEG/PNG/GIF within 25,600 bytes. Choose a built-in icon if an appropriate small file is not available.
Billable is not in this editor	Review the time recorded on the Activity separately; it is not an Activity Type setting.
The configuration cannot be edited	Check Administer activity types, enabled editor capability and role scope. Do not broaden unrelated customer access to make the control available.

Cases → Configure case templates and chat shortcuts
Cases → Configure case forms with case policies
Configuration → Configure workflows and automation

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