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Set up your agent workspace for focused B2B case work

Your agent workspace is the place where you organize the work you can access, open cases and move between the records needed to support a customer. Core offers Classic and Tabbed interface choices, along with personal case-list defaults. A good setup helps you return to the right customer context and next action without turning every available setting into a distraction.

At a glance

For: new agents, experienced support specialists and team leads helping colleagues get started. Applies to: Supportbench Core.

Start here: Your profile menu → Interface; Cases → Case list options

Know which kind of setting you are changing  ·  Start with the work you are responsible for  ·  Choose Classic or Tabbed interface  ·  Choose the case list you should land on  ·  Choose list behavior deliberately  ·  Example: investigate an account issue while another case remains active  ·  Build a repeatable start-of-shift and handoff routine  ·  Troubleshoot workspace and list confusion

Know which kind of setting you are changing

Setting or surfaceWhat it doesWhat it does not establish
Classic / Tabbed interfaceChooses your personal navigation/workspace experience.Additional permissions, customer access or a different reporting definition.
Open workspace itemsIn Tabbed mode, helps you return to supported workspaces you have opened.A durable task list, a case assignment or proof that unsaved edits are safely stored.
Case list optionsControls supported personal list behavior and starting defaults.The complete definition of a shared case view.
A saved viewDefines a reusable selection and presentation of records.Access to otherwise unauthorized cases or automatic distribution to colleagues.
Notifications and watchingBring eligible updates to your attention according to their configuration.A guarantee that every update is delivered or read, or that someone has accepted a task.
Role and assignment settingsDetermine available capabilities and relevant work/access paths.The same thing as a personal layout preference.

Older articles may call the workspace the “Command Center.” In current Core, use the actual navigation labels such as Cases, Dashboard and the profile menu. Start with the task you want to perform instead of looking for a separate Command Center configuration page.

Start with the work you are responsible for

  1. Confirm your assigned team, queue responsibilities and escalation process with your lead. A convenient view is useful only when it includes the work you are expected to monitor.
  2. Choose a normal case and an appropriate safe test record for learning. Avoid practicing sends, merges or bulk changes on live customer work.
  3. Know how to find a case by its exact ID and how to return to Cases. This is a reliable recovery path when you lose your place in several open records.
  4. Identify the customer context you must check before acting: Company, Contact, affected asset or service, latest activity and the next customer commitment.
  5. Ask your administrator about a missing capability rather than using another agent’s session. Your workspace should operate under your own account and permissions.

Choose Classic or Tabbed interface

  1. Open your profile menu in the agent application.
  2. Open Interface.
  3. Choose Classic or Tabbed, according to the options available to your account. Classic uses the standard navigation experience; Tabbed provides supported workspaces within the agent shell.
  4. If choosing Tabbed, open a case through the normal Cases list and then open another supported workspace. Use Open workspace items to return to an item you opened.
  5. Verify the case ID and customer before continuing work after switching. A workspace title is an orientation aid; read the actual record before sending or changing anything.
  6. Return to the profile menu if you want to change the interface preference. Save or safely complete pending work before switching the overall interface.

The choice is personal. Selecting another interface does not edit a colleague’s setup or change a shared view. Supported workspaces and navigation behavior depend on the page you open; do not assume an external integration or every administrative screen becomes an embedded tab.

Choose the case list you should land on

  1. Open Cases and choose the gear labelled Case list options.
  2. In List defaults, open Defaults.
  3. Choose Default view and select an accessible case view that matches your normal responsibility. The available choices depend on what you can use.
  4. Choose Done to close the options and apply the preference.
  5. Return to the normal Cases starting point or sign in again at a suitable time to confirm the intended starting view. Check the Agent and Queue selectors as well as the view name.
  6. To return to the ordinary assigned-work starting choice, select My assigned cases in Default view and choose Done.

A starting preference is not a shared-view edit

Changing Default view selects where you begin. It does not rewrite that view’s filters, columns or sharing settings. Use the view editor only when you intend to change the reusable definition, and consider colleagues and scheduled reports that may depend on it.

Choose list behavior deliberately

ControlWhen it can helpWhat to check
Grouping bar and table pivotingYou need to inspect clusters of cases by a supported field.Grouping organizes the current result; it does not include cases excluded by filters or permissions.
Default groupingYou want a consistent starting arrangement.Choose a grouping suited to your work and verify the result after reopening.
Refresh list when a new notification arrivesYou want eligible notification activity to refresh the list you are viewing.This is a case-list preference, not a universal automatic-refresh setting for every page or Dashboard.
Show agents and queues from all teamsYou need to choose from a broader set of team selectors.A broader selector list does not itself grant record access.
Include watched casesYour responsibility includes following eligible watched cases in agent lists.Watching is separate from owning the case or accepting its next action.
Show agent closed casesYou need closed work included in the agent list.This control applies to agent lists; queue behavior is separate.
Pin casesYou need to keep specific cases prominent in your list.A pin is a personal attention aid, not a change to the case’s SLA or priority.

Change one preference at a time and inspect the result. If you turn on several options together, an unexpected list can be harder to explain. Keep a simple default and use a focused view for a special review.

Example: investigate an account issue while another case remains active

An equipment customer reports a recurring error while you are already preparing an update for another organization. Tabbed workspaces can help you move between the relevant case and supporting records, but the operational discipline remains the same.

  1. Save the first case’s work through the appropriate draft or record action. Note its next promised update in the supported case/task process; do not rely on leaving its tab open.
  2. Open the new case and verify its Company, Contact and affected environment. Read the latest customer message before assuming it matches an earlier issue.
  3. Use authorized Company history, asset context and knowledge to compare evidence. Keep a hypothesis separate from a confirmed diagnosis.
  4. When switching back to the first case, check its exact ID and recipients before continuing the reply. A template or copied technical detail may be inappropriate for the other customer.
  5. Before closing workspaces, check saved activities, tasks and outstanding commitments. An open item is not a substitute for a recorded owner and next action.

The value for a B2B agent is continuity across complex customer context. Use the workspace to reduce navigation effort while keeping communications and decisions attached to the correct case. Do not measure success by how many tabs remain open.

Build a repeatable start-of-shift and handoff routine

  1. At the start of the shift, open the intended view, confirm its scope and check assigned and monitored work. Review overdue or approaching commitments using the fields your organization maintains.
  2. Check relevant notifications, discussions and tasks. A mention can require a response even when you do not own the case; clarify who owns the customer update.
  3. During work, record findings and next actions on the case. Save a reusable view for a recurring need rather than reconstructing a complicated temporary filter every day.
  4. Before handoff, leave a concise summary of impact, evidence, attempted actions, unresolved questions and next promised update. Use the assignment/escalation process agreed by your team.
  5. At the end of the shift, confirm responsibility for open commitments. Closing a workspace does not close or transfer the underlying case.

Troubleshoot workspace and list confusion

ProblemChecks and corrective action
I cannot find Interface or TabbedCheck the profile menu and account/feature availability. Record the actual page and ask the administrator about your supported experience.
The list opens in the wrong placeReopen Case list options → Defaults → Default view, verify the saved choice and check Agent/Queue scope.
A colleague sees a case I cannotTry the exact case ID and compare authorized scope. A layout preference cannot fix a role or record-access restriction.
I cannot find an item I previously openedUse normal navigation or the exact case ID. Do not treat the workspace strip as the system of record for outstanding work.
I switched records and am unsure where my reply belongsStop before sending. Verify the case ID, Company, Contact, activity type and recipients, then save/send in the correct record.
A default view is absent from the choicesCheck that it is an eligible accessible case view. An administrator may need to review sharing or role permissions.
My personal change affected a shared reportCheck whether you edited the view definition instead of a personal preference. Review the saved definition with its owner and affected schedule users.

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