FAQ: Incidents vs. Service Requests
One of the things that Freshservice emphasizes more clearly than our previous system is the difference between incidents and service requests, and you'll need to understand the basic difference in order to use the tool well.
What is an incident?
Generally, something has gone wrong and needs to be fixed. For example, if you have been successfully printing to a printer for weeks or months and you're suddenly unable to print to that printer, that's usually an Incident. Another characteristic of many incidents is that incidents frequently involve a little mystery: they often require investigation or troubleshooting. It's frequently unclear what happened, why, or what it will take to restore normal operation.
What is a service request?
Generally, you need something you don't have. Suppose instead of the previous case, you need a printer set up, perhaps because you moved to a new office or building—that's a service request. Other examples of service requests include resetting a password, ordering a new device, or onboarding a new employee. Some requests are more complex than others, but all of them can be clearly defined: once the necessary information is in hand, service requests are repeatable and routine.
This video attempts to answer the question as well, even though it's for a different product.
We hope this give you a little insight into how to translate what you need from us into the right web forms; of course, we're happy to assist you if you're still confused. We look forward to serving you soon!