Understanding the difference between Services, Categories, and Inboxes in Siit

At Siit, we've designed our platform to help you manage employee requests efficiently and deliver a seamless experience for both your admins and your employees. To make the most of Siit, it's important to understand three core features: Services, Categories, and Inboxes. Each plays a unique role in organizing, assigning, and resolving employee requests within your company.

Below, we’ll explain what each feature does, how they work together, and provide a concrete example to help clarify their differences.

What is an Inbox?

Inboxes in Siit are internal workspaces composed of multiple Siit Admins. Their main purpose is to help you assign requests to the right team, so admins can collaborate effectively and have shared visibility on requests.

• Who sees Inboxes? Only admins. Employees never see the number or names of Inboxes.
• How are Inboxes used? They are used to organize and assign requests internally, based on team structure or expertise.
• How many Inboxes can I create? As many as you need—there are no restrictions.
• Where are Inboxes configured? In the Request Settings, reinforcing their assignment and internal nature.

Example: In a Finance department, you might have team members specializing in different topics:

• Payroll
• Expense Reimbursements

You can create 2 separate Inboxes for each topic, so requests are automatically routed to the right specialists or if the team is sharing the scopes, you could have one single Finance Inbox.

What is a Service?

A Service is what your employees see when they submit a request—think of it as the "type" of help they need. The Service Catalog is the list of all available services employees can choose from.

• Who sees Services? Employees (when submitting requests) and admins when the request is submitted to better monitor the activity. 
• What do Services represent? The specific reason or topic for the employee’s request (e.g., “Computer Issue”, “Update Bank Account”).
• How are Services used? Employees select a Service that best matches their need; this helps route the request to the right team.

Tip: You can think of a Service as the "request qualification"—it clarifies what the request is about.

What is a Category?

A Category is a group of related Services. Categories help organize your Service Catalog, especially as the number of Services grows.

• Who sees Categories? Categories can be internal (for admins only) or visible to employees (if you have many services and decide it to be displayed).
• When should Categories be used? If you have a few of them (more than 15 services for example), grouping them under Categories makes it easier for employees to find what they need.
• How do Categories work? Employees first select a Category, then pick the relevant Service within that Category.

How to Differentiate Category and Inbox

Here’s the key difference:

• Inbox: Internal, for assigning and collaborating on requests among admins.
• Category: External-facing (for employees), helps group and organize services for easier request submission.

In simple organizations, Categories and Inboxes might share the same names and structure. But in more complex organizations, Categories (what employees see) and Inboxes (internal assignment) are usually different.

Example: IT and Finance Team Organization in Siit

Let’s look at how an IT and Finance team might set up Siit:

1. Inboxes example

IT Team: 

• IT Ops

Finance Team:

• Finance Payroll Inbox: Managed by payroll specialists.
• Finance Expense Reimbursements Inbox: Managed by the expense team.

2. Categories 

• IT
• Finance

3. Services

Under each Category, you might have:

For IT requests:

• Software access
• Employee Offboarding
• Hardware issue

For Finance requests:

• • Salary Inquiry
  • Payslip Request
  • Submit Expense Report
  • Expense Reimbursement Status

How it works together:

• An employee wants to submit an expense report which belongs to the Finance category. They select the "Finance" Category, then the "Submit Expense Report" Service.
• Siit automatically assigns this request to the Expense Reimbursements Inbox, where the right admins can collaborate and resolve the request. 

Conclusion: How Services, Categories, and Inboxes Work Together

• Services are the specific types of requests employees can submit.
• Categories help group Services, making it easier for employees to find the right option.
• Inboxes are internal workspaces for admins to organize, assign, and collaborate on requests.

By keeping Categories and Services focused on the employee experience, and using Inboxes for your internal team organization, you can provide a seamless and efficient support process—without creating unnecessary complexity or confusion for your admins.