Journal types (journal entries, follow-ups, and trouble tickets) are configured in the Admin Console Data Management application. The auto-assign feature is only applicable to follow-ups and trouble tickets. Journal entries cannot be assigned.
When a follow-up or trouble-ticket journal type is configured as auto-assignable, the default behavior is to auto-assign it. The Assign To field in the New Follow-up (or New Trouble Ticket) window is disabled, and the Assign To user group is displayed in it. In this case the IDI platform will assign the follow-up or trouble ticket to the next available person in the designated user group (user group selected when the Journal Type was created).
In order to be eligible for assignment, a user must be enabled, available, and activated. These states are set in the Admin Console Security application. If no users in the User Group qualify for assignment, the follow-up or trouble ticket is assigned directly to the User Group.
The algorithm for determining the next available user is based on the User Name and the Creation Date of any follow-up or trouble ticket previously assigned to the user. The IDI platform compares the latest Creation Dates for all available users in the group. If a user has not been previously assigned a follow-up or trouble ticket, that user is placed at the head of the assignment list. If there is more than one such user, one of them is chosen at random. If all users have been assigned follow-ups or trouble tickets, the user with the earliest date is assigned, and then rotates to the end of the assignment list.
If necessary, you can override the auto-assignment for a follow-up or trouble ticket when it is entered in the IDI Desktop Client. The New Follow-up and New Trouble Ticket windows for auto-assign journal types have a check box that lets you disable this feature and force a manual assignment.