Universal Request (UR) in ServiceNow

AAU is introducing Universal Request (UR) as the new, unified entry point for support and service requests in ServiceNow. Previously, you were used to referring to an RITM or INC number; going forward, you will instead refer to a UR number.

The purpose is to make it easier to create, track, and receive support without requiring users to understand the differences between the various ticket types in the system.

UR also provides better opportunities for collaboration across teams and departments, for example between IT, HR, and other service areas.

What is changing?

Previously, different types of tickets were created depending on the nature of the request:

• INC (Incident) when something was not working as expected
• RITM (Requested Item) when requesting a service, software, access, equipment, or similar

This meant that you often had to select the correct type of request.

With Universal Request, we hope the experience becomes simpler.

When you create a request, you will now receive a UR number (Universal Request). This becomes the main ticket number that you follow throughout the entire process. ServiceNow will then create any necessary underlying tickets and route them to the appropriate support teams or departments.

What does this mean for you as a user?

• You receive one single ticket number to follow.
• You no longer need to worry about which type of ticket should be created.
• You experience one consolidated request, even if multiple departments are involved.
• Communication regarding your request is gathered in one place.
• Your request can be transferred more easily to the appropriate department if it was initially submitted to the wrong team.

How is UR different from INC and RITM?

Universal Request (UR)	Incident (INC)	Requested Item (RITM)
Your overall service request	A fault or service disruption	A request for a service, access, software, or equipment
The ticket number you will see and follow	Internal ticket type	Internal ticket type
Provides a single point of communication	Used by support staff	Used by support staff
Can contain multiple underlying tickets	Resolves a specific issue	Handles a specific request

In practice, a Universal Request may contain an Incident or a Requested Item, but these are handled internally within ServiceNow. As a user, you only need to follow your UR number.

Why are we introducing Universal Request?

Universal Request makes it easier for departments across AAU to collaborate when handling support and service requests.

If a request needs to involve multiple departments, or if it needs to be transferred to another area, this can happen without the user losing visibility of the process. The user continues to follow the same request, while the necessary internal workflows are handled behind the scenes.