Creating Service Contract Templates Creating Service Contract Templates
Use templates for service contracts that occur frequently. You can set defaults for populating fields in the Service Contract screen. To access the Service Contract Template screen, select Service Contract Templates on the Service Contract Configuration menu and then click the Create link. Service Contract Template Screen Example
In the Name field, enter a name for the template to appear in the template selection dialog and by default in the Name field in the Service Contract screen after the template is selected.
In the Status field, select the Active, Inactive, Suspended, or Expired status level to populate the Status field in the Service Contract entry screen. Custom status labels may be configured for the following basic status levels:
Active - the contract is available for assignment to customers, companies, and assets.
Inactive - the contract is not available for assignment to customers, companies, and assets.
Suspended - the contract is not available for assignment to customers, companies, and assets.
Expired - Select to make the contract settings read-only. A service contract can be assigned this status automatically via the Service Contract agent; it checks all service contracts for total counts and/or end dates/times and if the specified total count and/or end date/time is reached, the agent changes the status to an Expired status.
You can click the Create New 
and View/Edit 
icons to access the Custom Status Labels screen.
Different fields will appear depending on the basis you select in the Type field; enter the values to populate the fields by default in the Service Contract entry screen.
To base the contract on a specified number of incidents and/or changes within a specified timeframe (in days), select Duration. Then enter the beginning and end dates in the timeframe in which incidents and/or changes are counted against the contract in the Duration Start and Duration End fields.
To base the contract on a specified number of hours or work items (incidents and/or changes), select Count and then:
Enter the maximum number of hours or incidents and changes allowed under the contract in the Duration Count field. (Note that hours or incidents and/or changes are counted against a contract when the record is initially saved.)
In the Duration Count Type field, select Hours to base the contract on the number of hours entered for time worked on incidents and changes or Work Items to base the contract on the number of incidents and changes created for the associated customer, asset, or company. If the number of incidents/changes and/or hours that should be counted against the contract changes, enter a different number in the Used field.
To base the contract on a specified number of incidents and/or changes within a specified daily timeframe, select Both and then:
Enter the maximum number of hours or incidents and changes allowed under the contract in the Duration Count field. (Note that hours or incidents and/or changes are counted against a contract when the record is initially saved.)
In the Duration Count Type field, select Hours to base the contract on the number of hours entered for time worked on incidents and changes or Work Items to base the contract on the number of incidents and changes created for the associated customer, asset, or company.
Enter the beginning and end dates in the timeframe in which incidents and/or changes are counted against the contract in the Duration Start and Duration End fields. If the number of incidents/changes and/or hours that should be counted against the contract changes, enter a different number in the Used field.
In the Available to Support Representatives field, select Yes to include the service contract template in the list of templates available for selection in the Service Contract entry screen.
In the Hours of Operation field, select the Hours of Operation definition that has the time frames in which the contract should be in effect; incidents and/or changes will be counted against the contract during the these time frames. You can select the Default Hours of Operation (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm) or a definition created via the Automate | Hours of Operation screen. Click the Hours of Operation link to display details on the selected definition. You can click the Create New and View/Edit icons to access the Hours of Operation tab in Global Settings.
Select the Send Expiration Reminder checkbox to enable the Expiration Reminder checkbox in the Service Contract screen by default. An Expiration Reminder is a notification that the contract is about to expire. The notification will be sent according to the value specified in the applicable Threshold Value or Days Before field. Recipients are specified on the Notifications tab in the Service Contract Management | Notifications tab in the Feature Basics screen.
In the Threshold Value field, enter the number to display by default in the Threshold Value field in the Service Contract entry screen. This value is the number of hours or incidents and/or changes to be reached before triggering the Expiration Reminder notification to be sent.
In the Days Before field, enter the number to display by default in the Days Before field in the Service Contract entry screen. This value is the number of days before the Duration End date in which to trigger the Expiration Reminder notification to be sent.
In the Comments field, enter any comments or extra information regarding the contract. If configured in the Preferences dialog, you can use the text editor toolbar for manipulating and insert images.
On the Contacts tab, select customers, companies, and/or support representatives to populate the Internal Contacts and External Contacts fields in the Service Contract entry screen. These contacts can be selected as recipients for service contract notifications.
Use the Notifications tab to populate the Notification Events field in the Service Contract entry screen when the template is selected. These settings will override any defaults set via the Service Contract Management | Notifications tab in the Feature Basics screen. These notifications are sent on the schedule of the Notifications agent on the Agents tab; see Configuring Service Contract Notifications for more information.
