> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.deandesk.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cases

> Track member questions, requests, and disputes from a unified case workspace.

<Info>
  **Institution-level feature** — managed from your institution dashboard at `deandesk.com/dashboard`. Cases sit at the institution level so they can span across schools.
</Info>

The **Cases** module is a lightweight ticketing system for tracking the questions, requests, and disputes that come into your institution — from members, families, prospective applicants, or staff. Each case has a lifecycle, an audit log, and can be linked to the relevant identity.

## Open the cases workspace

Go to **Cases** in the institution dashboard sidebar. The workspace shows:

* **Stat cards** at the top — counts of cases by status (new, open, in progress, waiting, resolved, closed)
* **A filterable list** of cases with type, status, priority, contact, and tags
* **Quick filters** to narrow by status or priority

## Case fields

Each case carries the following fields:

| Field               | What it stores                                                                |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Reference code**  | Auto-generated short ID for citing the case in conversations                  |
| **Title**           | A short summary of what the case is about                                     |
| **Description**     | The longer-form details                                                       |
| **Type**            | Question, request, dispute, billing, support, or other                        |
| **Status**          | New, open, in progress, waiting on admin, waiting on member, resolved, closed |
| **Priority**        | Low, medium, high, urgent                                                     |
| **Contact**         | Name and email of the person the case is about (for cold leads)               |
| **Linked identity** | The DeanDesk identity the case is for (if known)                              |
| **Tags**            | Free-form labels for categorization                                           |
| **Notes**           | A timeline of internal notes added by staff                                   |
| **Activity log**    | A timestamped audit trail of every status change, note, and edit              |

## Create a case

Open **Cases → New Case** (`/dashboard/cases/new`). At the top of the form is a segmented control that switches between two intake modes:

| Mode       | When to use                                                                                              |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Manual** | You already know the title, description, and other details                                               |
| **AI**     | You have raw text (email, chat log, phone notes) and want DeanDesk to extract a structured draft for you |

### Manual mode

<Steps>
  <Step title="Fill in the basics">
    Enter the title, description, type, status, priority, and tags.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Link an identity (optional)">
    Use **Identity Search** to find and link the case to a known identity in your institution. Once linked, the case appears on that identity's detail page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the contact info">
    If the person isn't yet a known identity, enter their name and email so you have a way to follow up.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an initial note">
    Optionally add an opening note that captures the conversation that prompted the case.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Save the case. It appears in the list with its reference code.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### AI mode

<Steps>
  <Step title="Switch to AI">
    Toggle the **AI / Manual** control at the top of the form to **AI**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Paste your raw text">
    Paste the original email, message, or notes from the conversation into the source text area.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate the draft">
    Click **Generate draft**. DeanDesk extracts a suggested title, description, type, status, priority, contact name and email, tags, an initial note, and a **triage summary** that captures the key facts in 2–3 sentences.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Auto-link an identity">
    DeanDesk also attempts to auto-link the draft to an existing identity by matching the contact name and email against your institution's people directory. If a likely match is found, it's pre-selected on the linked-identity field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review and save">
    Edit any field, then save. If you change the source text after generating, you'll see a stale-draft warning prompting you to regenerate.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Pre-link from an identity page

The identity detail page has a **Create a case for this identity** card with a **Create linked case** button. Clicking it opens the new-case form pre-filled with that identity's name, email, and identity link — so you don't have to search again.

<Tip>
  AI intake is also available from the [Institution AI Chat](/institution/ai-chat) — ask the assistant to "open a case for the message I just shared" and it will draft and link the case for you.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  AI Intake is also available from the [Institution AI Chat](/institution/ai-chat) — ask the assistant to "open a case for the message I just shared" and it will draft and link the case for you.
</Tip>

## Working a case

Every case has a direct URL at `/dashboard/cases/<id>` (clicking a case title or visiting the URL both work), so you can share or bookmark a case link. The cases workspace header includes the global people-search bar so you can jump to a related identity without leaving the page.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the case">
    Click the case title in the list to open the detail view.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update the status">
    Move the case through its lifecycle: new → open → in progress → waiting → resolved → closed. Status changes are recorded in the activity log.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add notes">
    Drop internal notes as you make progress. Notes are timestamped and attributed to the staff member who added them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Adjust priority and tags">
    Re-prioritize or re-tag the case as you learn more.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Resolve and close">
    When you're done, mark the case **Resolved** (and later **Closed**). Closed cases stay on the linked identity's detail page for historical context.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Case lifecycle reference

| Status                | Meaning                                                |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **New**               | Just created, not yet triaged                          |
| **Open**              | Triaged, work has not yet started                      |
| **In progress**       | Actively being worked                                  |
| **Waiting on admin**  | Blocked on internal action                             |
| **Waiting on member** | Blocked on the member providing more info              |
| **Resolved**          | Issue addressed, awaiting confirmation or grace period |
| **Closed**            | Done — no further action expected                      |