Assigning Requests to Staff #

Assigning a request designates a specific staff member as responsible for resolving it. Assignment drives workload visibility in the dashboard and determines who receives assignment notifications.

Who Can Be Assigned #

Any WordPress user with the edit_service_requests capability can be assigned to a request. This includes administrators and users with the service_staff role. The assignment dropdown in the request form lists only users who hold this capability.

Assigning During Creation #

When creating a new request, the Assigned To field is optional. Leaving it blank creates the request in New status without an assignee.

Assigning or Reassigning After Creation #

1. Open the request from Services > Requests.
2. In the metadata section, click the current assignee (or the empty Assigned To field).
3. Select a staff member from the dropdown.
4. Click Save.

The status will automatically transition to Assigned if the request was previously in New status.

Assignment Notifications #

When a request is assigned, the system sends a request-assigned notification to the newly assigned staff member (if this notification type is enabled). This tells the staff member they have new work waiting.

Workload Visibility #

The Staff Workload dashboard widget shows a count of open requests grouped by assigned staff member. This helps administrators identify who is overloaded and redistribute work when needed.

Self-Assignment #

Staff members with the edit_service_requests capability can assign requests to themselves directly from the request detail page, without administrator intervention.