Tips to Help Us Help You

We are committed to providing exceptional customer service. We’re here to help! This page provides guidance and steps you can take to assist us in responding to you quickly and with the information you need.
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On This Page:

• Tracking Your Request
• Tips When Emailing Us

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When you contact us, a ticket is created in our issue tracking system, and your request is given a unique reference number, or “REF.” Once you’ve opened a REF:

• You will receive an automated email confirmation with your REF number.
• If you have a UW NetID, to reply to and track the progress of your REF, select the My Requests link provided in the confirmation email.

When will my REF be resolved?

Based on the day it was opened and its urgency, your REF will be routed to the appropriate team, which includes teams/organizations such as the Medical Centers, UWHR, Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty, and others.

A variety of issues influence a REF’s resolution time. We  may need more information to properly resolve your request. The complexity of the issue may require input from your unit, campus policy holders, or even state agencies like the Health Care Authority (HCA). As a result, resolution can take anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks.

Administrators: Feel free to talk with your Named Support Contact if it feels like a REF is taking a while to resolve. You can also check the Admins’ Corner to find news and updates about Workday.

Things To Keep In Mind

⇒ Please don’t open a new REF about an existing, open REF; redundant tickets can make it difficult to track progress and, in turn, impact response time. If you have a UW NetID, instead, add information to/follow up on your existing REF using the My Requests link provided in the confirmation email you received.

⇒ If we contact you via email, please reply with the requested information promptly. This will keep your request moving towards resolution.

⇒ Whenever you contact us to follow up on a REF, please have your reference number handy – this can be found in the automated email confirmation you received; reference numbers begin with the three-letter prefix “REF.”
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When contacting the ISC by email, please follow this guidance:

⇒ In the Subject Line, summarize your issue/question clearly and directly.
“Need help with Workday” is an example of a vague subject line that will take us additional time and analysis to understand. Please include the “who” and “what” of your inquiry. For example:

• “Problem with direct deposit set up for Mary Johnson”
• “Question on job change for Sally Smith”
• “Costing allocation error for XYZ unit”
• “Time entry error for Bob Williams”

⇒ Limit each email to one issue or request.
Keeping your message focused to a single issue helps us route it to the correct team in the ISC, and to address and resolve the specific matter. If necessary, send a separate email for each additional issue – even if pertaining to one employee or on the same subject for more than one employee.

⇒ Do cc: other interested individuals on your email – this will add them to your REF’s Watch List.
When emailing the ISC, adding email addresses for your manager, your department’s HR or payroll administrator, or a colleague with a similar question to the cc: line of your email to the ISC is a great way to keep those individuals informed about the creation or status of the request.

⇒ Do not cc:/bcc: the ISC on an existing email conversation – start a new email instead.
Adding the ISC to an existing email conversation having several recipients can create confusion and affect response time: in-process email threads often contain lots of information to sift through, and it can be hard for ISC representatives to find the actual question(s) being asked.

Additionally, once the ISC is cc’ed in an email chain, each future reply to that chain creates a new REF in our system, leading to a backlog in the ISC’s queue, a longer time in processing and responding to the REF, as well as frustration for users who are trying to track the progress of their issue. Instead, simply start a new email to the ISC with your question.

⇒ Include the employee’s name, NetID, and Position Number in the email.
This information helps us respond to your inquiry faster. Also, if you are a manager or administrator submitting on behalf of someone else, please state that clearly.

⇒ Note when an issue is particularly time-sensitive.
For example, include a due date or payroll period associated with the issue. If the matter is urgent, please state that in the email.

⇒ Describe the issue in as much detail as you can.
Add the “where” and the “when,” if applicable. The more information that’s included in your email, the quicker we can act to solve the problem, without the need for correspondence to obtain basic information. It’s better to err on the side of too much information than to risk including too little.

⇒ Identify the troubleshooting steps you’ve already taken (if any).
It’s helpful to know where you have already looked for information and any actions you have taken in attempting to resolve the issue. We can avoid duplicating your efforts and immediately move to the next steps.
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