# Service request management in Accelerate
<a name="service-request-management"></a>

**Topics**
+ [When to use a service request for Accelerate](when-to-use-sr.md)
+ [How service request management works in Accelerate](how-sr-management-work.md)
+ [Creating a service request in Accelerate](creating-a-sr.md)
+ [Monitoring and updating a service request for Accelerate](mon-and-update-a-sr.md)
+ [Managing service requests with the support API for Accelerate](managing-service-requests-with-the-support-api.md)
+ [Responding to an AMS Accelerate-generated service request](respond-ams-gen-sr.md)

AMS Accelerate uses service request management to record, act on, communicate progress of, and provide notification of active service requests.

The goal of the service request management process is to ensure that your managed service is delivering what you need.

For billing-related queries, create a service request.

**Note**  
The AMS Accelerate team receives service requests created by you programmatically using the [AWS Support API](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awssupport/latest/user/Welcome.html) with service code `service-ams-operations-service-request`.

Using the AWS Support Center, you can perform the following tasks:
+ Report and update a service request. To an AMS Accelerate service request, choose **AMS Operation -- Service Request** from the **Services** menu.
+ Get a list of, and detailed information about, all of your submitted service requests.
+ Narrow your search for service requests by status and other filters.
+ Add communications and file attachments to your requests, and add email recipients for case correspondence.
+ Resolve service requests.
+ Rate service request communications.

# When to use a service request for Accelerate
<a name="when-to-use-sr"></a>

The following examples describe a service request. After you submit a service request, the AMS Accelerate team works with you to resolve the request per your AMS SLA.
+ AMS or AWS general guidance
+ Patch MW related questions
+ Backup schedule related questions
+ Questions about the functionality of AWS services

The following are examples of what shouldn't be raised in a service request:
+ Access issues
+ Patch failure
+ Backup failure

# How service request management works in Accelerate
<a name="how-sr-management-work"></a>

Service requests are handled by the on-call AMS Accelerate operations team.

After your service request is received by the AMS Accelerate operations team, it's reviewed to make sure that it's properly classified as a service request or an incident. If it's reclassified as an incident, the AMS Accelerate incident management process begins and you're sent a notification.

If the AMS Accelerate operator can resolve the service request, steps to do so are taken immediately. For example, if the service request is for architecture advice or other information, then the operator refers you to the appropriate resources or answers the question directly.

If the analysis of your service request identifies a bug or a feature request, then AMS sends you a notification through the service request. Since there is no ETA for feature requests or bug fixes, the original service request is closed. Contact your CSDM for follow up questions related to the original service request.

If the service request is out of scope for AMS Accelerate operations, the operator either sends the request to your cloud service delivery manager, so they can communicate with you, or to the appropriate AWS support team, along with an email to you as to what steps are being taken.

The service request is not resolved until you have indicated that you are satisfied with the outcome.

**Note**  
We recommend you provide a contact email, name, and phone number in all cases to facilitate communications.

# Creating a service request in Accelerate
<a name="creating-a-sr"></a>

To create a service request, follow these steps:

1. From the AMS Accelerate console, browse to [Dashboard](https://console.aws.amazon.com/managedservices/dashboard).

1. Choose **Open a service request**, the **AMS – Service Request** is pre-selected. 

1. Choose a **Category**.

1. Choose **Severity** (Plus or Premium tiers only).

1. Enter information for:
   + **Subject**: A descriptive title for the service request.
   + **Description**: A comprehensive description of the service request, the systems impacted, and the expected outcome of a resolution.

1. To add an attachment, choose **Attach files**, browse to the attachment you want, and choose **Open**. To delete the attachment, choose the delete icon![\[Blue circular icon with a white X symbol in the center.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/managedservices/latest/accelerate-guide/images/icon-delete-attachment.png)

1. **Contact us**: The default contact AMS through the web. To select other options:
   + **Preferred contact language**: English is the supported language for AMS Accelerate service requests.
   + **Web**: Your service request is submitted through the web and handled by the AMS operations team.
   + **Chat**: Chat online with an AMS Accelerate operations representative. This option adds you to the chat queue.
   + **Phone**: An AMS operations representative calls you back. Enter your AWS Region, phone number, and extension if applicable.
   + **Additional contacts**: Enter any additional email addresses you want copied on your service request.

1. Choose **Submit**.

   A case details page opens with information on the service request, such as **Type**, **Subject**, **Created**, **ID**, and **Status**. Plus, a **Correspondence** area that includes the description of the request you create.

   To open a correspondence area and provide additional details or updates in status, choose **Reply**.

   After the service request has been resolved, choose **Resolve Case**.

    If there are so many correspondences that they don't all appear on the page, choose **Load More**.

   Be sure to rate the service through the 1-5 star rating to let AMS know how we're doing.

**Note**  
If you're going to test service request functionality, we recommend you add a no-action flag to your service request's subject, such as `AMSTestNoOpsActionRequired`. Then you can test without starting the service request resolution process.  
The AMS Accelerate team receives service requests created by you programmatically using the [AWS Support API](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awssupport/latest/user/Welcome.html) with service code `service-ams-operations-service-request`.

# Monitoring and updating a service request for Accelerate
<a name="mon-and-update-a-sr"></a>

To monitor a case, incident or service request, using Support Center, follow these steps.

1. In the AWS Management console, browse to **Support**.

1. From the left navigation, select **Your support cases**, browse to a case and choose the **Subject** link to open a details page with current status and correspondences.

   If you want to use phone or chat at this point, click **Open case in Support Center** to open the case **Create** page in the Support Center, auto-populated with the AMS service type.

   When a reported incident or service request case is updated by the Accelerate operations team, you receive an email and a link to the incident in the Support Center so you can respond.
**Note**  
You can't respond to case correspondence by replying to the email.

   If there are many cases in the dashboard, you can use the **Filter** option:
   + **Subject**: Use this filter to search on keywords in the subject of the case.
   + **Severity**: Use this to filter cases by severity by selecting a severity from the list.
   + **Case type**: Use this to see all cases of a particular case type. Accelerate incidents and service requests appear under the Technical Support Case Type along with any service-specific cases.
   + **Status**: Use this to filter cases by status by selecting a specific status from the list.

1. To check the latest status, refresh the page.

1. If there are so many correspondences that they do not all appear on the page, choose **Load More**.

1. To provide an update to the case status, choose **Reply**, enter the new correspondence, and then choose **Submit**.

1. To close out the case after it has been resolved to your satisfaction, choose **Close case**.

   Be sure to rate the service through the 1-5 star rating to let AMS know how we're doing.

# Managing service requests with the support API for Accelerate
<a name="managing-service-requests-with-the-support-api"></a>

You can use the [AWS Support API](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awssupport/latest/user/Welcome.html) to create service requests and add correspondence to them throughout investigations of your issues and interactions with AWS support staff. The AWS support API models much of the behavior of the [AWS Support Center](https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/home#/).

The AMS team also receives service requests created by you programmatically using the AWS Support API with the service code **service-ams-operations-service-request**.

For more information about how you can use this AWS support service, see  [ Programming the Life of an AWS Support Case](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awssupport/latest/user/Case_Life_Cycle.html#crebopbatecase).

# Responding to an AMS Accelerate-generated service request
<a name="respond-ams-gen-sr"></a>

AMS Accelerate proactively monitors your resources; for more information, see  [Monitoring and event management in AMS Accelerate](acc-mon-event-mgmt.md). Sometimes AMS Accelerate creates a service request, or service notification for you, typically if action on your part is required to resolve a service request. In that case, the AMS Accelerate team sends a notification to the contact you have provided for the account. You respond to this service request in the same way as any other case—usually through the Support Center, though in some cases, email or phone correspondence is required.

**Important**  
To receive state change notifications for a service request or incident case, you must have entered an email address in the addresses field. Notifications go only to the email address added to the case when it's created.

The link in the notification email works only if you're using an email server on your AMS Accelerate federated network. Otherwise, you can respond to the correspondence by going to your AMS Accelerate console and using the case details page.

**Note**  
AMS Accelerate sends communications to your primary email address on your AWS account; we recommend adding an alternate operations contact email alias to facilitate the service request/notification management process. This is covered during the AMS Accelerate onboarding process and within the related onboarding documentation.