Standardize service request fulfillment with Agent Checklists :

Last updated: 2026-05-23

Source: https://support.freshservice.com/support/solutions/articles/50000013904-standardize-service-request-fulfillment-with-agent-checklists

An Agent Checklist is a list of steps an agent works through when fulfilling a service request. It is configured at the service catalog item level and appears on tickets raised against that item based on the applied conditions. If the checklist is linked directly without any conditions, it applies to all tickets raised using that service catalog item.

Each checklist has three parts:

Checklist items: The actions an agent needs to complete. Each template supports up to 50 items.

Mandatory markers: Flags on checklist items that must be completed before the service item can be marked as fulfilled. Checklist items that are not marked mandatory act as guidance.

Linked service items: the catalog items this checklist applies to. A single template can be linked to multiple service items.

``` Note: Checklists govern service item fulfillment, not ticket closure. An agent can close a ticket without completing every checklist item, but the service item cannot be marked as fulfilled until all mandatory items are checked. ```

Plan & Product Applicability

Before you set up and configure agent checklists, review the plan availability and scope of application.

Plan availability: Growth, Pro, and Enterprise

Workspace availability: Available in all workspaces, including both IT and non-IT workspaces.

Agent eligibility: Available to all licensed agents, including both IT and non-IT licensed agents.

Where to find checklist templates

Checklist Templates are managed from workspace settings.

1. Go to Admin settings and click the Workspace hamburger menu in the top-left corner.

2. Select the desired workspace.

3. Under Service management, click Checklist Templates under Service request management.

4. The Checklist Templates page lists every template in the workspace, the service items each one is linked to, and a toggle to enable or disable it. From this page, you can create a new template, edit an existing one, or remove templates that are no longer in use.

5. If no templates exist yet, the page shows an empty state with a Create template link.

Create a checklist template

Creating a template takes two steps: define the checklist, then link it to one or more service items.

Step 1: Define the checklist

1. On the Checklist Templates page, click Create template.

2. Enter a Checklist name. This is what agents see on the ticket, so keep it descriptive — for example, “Checklist for employee verification letter.”

3. Add an optional Description to explain when this checklist should be used. The description helps other admins but is not shown to agents.

4. Under Checklist items, type the first step and press Enter or click Add checklist item to add more. Each item supports up to 120 characters.

5. Select Mandatory on any step that must be completed before fulfillment. Mandatory steps block the requested item in the service request from being marked as Fulfilled.

6. Drag the handle next to any item to reorder the list. The order shown here is the order agents see on the ticket.

7. Click Create and proceed to move on to linking service items.

Step 2: Link service items

A checklist template is not visible to agents until at least one service item is linked to it.

1. On the Link service items step, click Link service items.

2. In the side panel, search for and select up to five service items at a time. Repeat to link more items.

3. Click Link.If any of the items you selected are already linked to a different checklist, the Confirm before linking dialog lists those items. Linking them here removes them from the other checklist, because each service item can have only one checklist at a time.

``` Note: If you exit the wizard without linking at least one service item, the template is saved but inactive. You can return later to link items. ```

Manage existing templates

Use the Checklist Templates page to edit, enable, disable, or delete templates you have already created.

Edit a template

1. Click the edit icon next to a template to update its name, description, or checklist items.

2. When you save, the Confirm before updating dialog shows how many service items are linked. Your changes apply only to future service requests raised for those items. Existing tickets, including ones in progress, are not affected.

This rule prevents agents from losing progress mid-ticket if the SOP changes after the ticket is created.

Enable or disable a template

Each template has a toggle on the right of its row.

Disable stops the template from being applied to new tickets. A confirmation dialog tells you how many service items are linked and what the impact is. Existing requests remain unaffected.

Enable makes the template available again. The previous service item links are restored.

Only enabled templates appear in the service item picker.

Delete a template

1. Click the delete icon next to a template.

2. In the Delete checklist template dialog, review the number of service items that are linked. Future requests for those items will be raised without a checklist; existing requests remain unaffected.

3. Click Delete to confirm.

Deletion is recorded in the audit log, along with the admin who performed it.

Audit log

Every change to a checklist template — create, update, enable, disable, delete, and service item link changes — is captured in the workspace audit log.

To review activity, go to Workspace settings > Audit log and filter by Checklist template. Each entry shows the timestamp, the action, the user who performed it, and the affected template.

Link a checklist to a service catalog item

A checklist template takes effect only after it is linked to a service catalog item. When linking from the Checklist Templates page, the template is linked directly - without any conditions. When linking from the service item page, you can link with or without conditions.

To link from the service item:

1. Open the service catalog item from the Service Catalog.

2. Open the Checklist tab.

3. Under the Link checklist template, choose one of the following options:

Option	What it does
Link directly	Attach a single checklist template to this service item. Every ticket raised for the item receives the same checklist.
Link based on conditions	Apply different checklists depending on requester attributes such as location or department. Add as many conditions as you need; the first matching rule wins.

When you select Link directly, pick an existing template from the dropdown or click Create checklist template to build a new one inline.

When you select Link based on conditions, define one or more rules. For each rule:

Choose the checklist template to apply.

Add conditions using requester fields — for example, \Requester.location is USA\ and \Requester.department is HR\.

Choose whether to match ALL or ANY of the conditions.

Click Link another checklist to add more rules.

Rules are evaluated top to bottom. As soon as a rule matches, that checklist is applied, and the rest are skipped. If no rule matches, the ticket is raised without a checklist.

Edit a linked template from the service item

You can edit a checklist template directly from the service catalog item without opening the template settings.

1. Click Edit checklist next to the linked template.

2. Make your changes.

3. When you save, the Edit checklist template dialog asks how to apply the change:

Choice	When to use it
Update template	Apply your changes to the existing template. Every service item linked to this template uses the updated version going forward.
Save as new	Save your changes as a new template, leaving the original untouched. The new template is automatically linked to this service item.

Use Save as new when your changes are specific to this service item, and you do not want to affect the other items that share the template.

Service items of document type

For document-type service items, such as employee verification letters, the checklist controls whether the document can be generated.

If the linked checklist has any mandatory steps, the Generate and send for e-sign action is blocked on the ticket until those steps are checked.

If auto-generation is enabled at the service item level, mandatory checklist items are ignored, and the document is generated automatically. A note on the service item settings page calls this out.

Admin permissions to manage and link checklists

Checklist actions are controlled through workspace roles. To review or update them:

1. Go to Global Settings > Roles

2. Open the relevant role and look under Permissions > Roles

3. Create a new admin role or open an existing admin role to edit it.

Permission	What it allows
View checklist template	See checklist templates in workspace settings and on service items.
Create checklist template	Create new templates from the Checklist Templates page or inline from a service item.
Edit checklist template	Edit the name, description, items, and mandatory flags on existing templates.
Delete checklist template	Remove templates from the workspace.
Link and unlink service items	Attach or detach checklist templates from service catalog items, including setting conditions.

Ticket experience for agents

When an agent opens a ticket raised against a service item that has a checklist linked, the checklist appears in the right-side panel.

Where the checklist appears

Under the requested item, agents see the checklist name, a progress bar, and an X of N completed counter.

Clicking View checklist opens the full list in the right-side panel, below the ticket properties.

Each item shows a checkbox, an asterisk for mandatory items, and strikethrough styling once completed.

If a ticket has more than one requested item and each has its own checklist, all of them appear in the right panel. Agents can expand each one independently.

Check items off

Completed items appear with strikethrough text and a green check.

The progress bar and the X of N completed counter updates in real time.

Any agent with permission to update ticket properties can check or uncheck items. No separate permission is required.

Mandatory items and fulfillment

Mandatory items are marked with a red asterisk and labeled Complete this mandatory item on hover.

For standard service items, the service item cannot move to Fulfilled until every mandatory item is checked. Attempting to do so shows the error “Service item not fulfilled as 1 or more mandatory checklist items are not completed. Review your checklist,” and the relevant checklist opens automatically.

For document service items, Generate and send for e-sign is disabled until every mandatory item is checked.

Non-mandatory items can be skipped without blocking fulfillment.

Audit trail on the ticket

Every checklist action is recorded on the ticket’s Activities tab:

Agent name

Checklist item that was checked or unchecked

Timestamp

This makes it easy to confirm later that the required steps were followed.

Behavior across stages

Checklist items cannot be edited. They can only be marked as completed or uncompleted at any stage before fulfillment.

Once the service item is Fulfilled, the checklist becomes read-only. If the stage is later moved back to Requested or any other stage, the completed checklist items continue to remain as completed.

Changes made to a template after a ticket is raised do not affect that ticket. The ticket continues with the version of the checklist it was created with.

Best practices

Start with one or two high-volume service items: Pick the requests where missed checklist items cause the most rework - benefits enrollment, address change, or employee verification - and configure checklists for those first. Roll out the rest in phases once your team is comfortable.

Be deliberate about mandatory checklist items: Mandatory checklist items block fulfillment, so reserve them for actions where skipping causes a real compliance or downstream issue. Most checklist items should be guidance, not blockers.

Keep item names short and action-oriented: "Verify ID proof" reads better than "The agent should verify the requester's ID proof before proceeding to the next step." The character limit is 120, but shorter item names are usually better.

Use conditions when the SOP varies by region or team: If your benefits process differs between the US and Europe, configure each as a separate checklist and use Link based on conditions with requester location, rather than one long checklist that mixes both.

Test in sandbox before rolling out: Agent Checklists are supported in the Freshservice sandbox. Build and validate your checklists in sandbox before syncing to your production account.

Review the audit log after changes: After updating or deleting a template, scan the audit log to confirm the change applied as expected. This is especially useful after rolling out checklists to a new service area.

Communicate changes to your agents: Edits to a template apply only to future tickets. When you update an SOP, let your agents know what changed when they are working on a service request.

Frequently asked questions

Can a service item have more than one checklist?

No. Each service item is linked to one checklist at a time, either directly or through the first matching condition. To apply different checklists in different scenarios, use Link based on conditions with multiple conditions.

What happens to existing tickets if I edit or delete a checklist template?

Existing tickets are not affected. Edits and deletions apply only to future service requests raised after the ticket is created for the linked items. Tickets already in progress continue with the version of the checklist they were created with.

Can agents add their own items to a checklist on a ticket?

No. Checklists are defined by admins at the service item level. Agents can only check or uncheck the existing checklist items on a ticket.

Does completing a checklist close the ticket?

No. Checklists govern service item fulfillment, not ticket closure. An agent can close a ticket without completing the checklist, and completing the checklist does not automatically close the ticket.

Can I reorder checklist items after a template is in use?

Yes. Open the template, drag the checklist items into the order you want, and save. Reordering changes the display order only; it does not enforce that item 2 can only be completed after item 1.

What if I link a service item that is already linked to another checklist?

Freshservice asks you to confirm. If you proceed, the service item is removed from the other checklist and linked to the new one. Each service item can have only one checklist at a time.

Are checklist changes captured anywhere for auditing?

Yes, in two places. The workspace audit log captures changes to checklist templates: create, edit, enable, disable, delete, and linking or unlinking of service items. The ticket Activities tab captures every checklist item an agent checks or unchecks, along with the agent's name and a timestamp.

Can I use checklists for incidents, problems, or changes?

Checklists are scoped to service catalog items. Extending them to other ticket types is on the roadmap.

Are Agent Checklists available for non-IT workspaces and non-IT agents?

Yes. Agent Checklists are supported in both IT and non-IT workspaces. The feature is also available to both IT and non-IT licensed agents, based on the plan and permissions configured for the account. Agent Checklists are available on Growth, Pro, and Enterprise plans.