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Advanced Catalogue Model: Proactive, Reactive and Automated

Helpdocs Admin Updated by Helpdocs Admin

The advanced model combines three parts: a small catalogue for your most common requests, AI-attached forms for rare requests, and AI categorisation for everything else. Together they help contacts create tickets quickly while your team still gets the information it needs.

This approach takes more effort than the Quick Setup. It suits teams that have time to review the catalogue every month.

The short version

  • Proactive: a small catalogue of 5 to 10 high-value service types.
  • Reactive: AI attaches a form after the ticket is created, only when needed.
  • Automated: AI sorts every ticket, so service types don't have to.
  • Review: a monthly check keeps all three parts working.

Who this is for

This model works best when you have:

  • A person dedicated to customer success, not just in name.
  • Time each month to review form results, tickets and hours.
  • Someone able to set up webhooks or events, AI prompts and automation.

If you don't have these yet, start with the Quick Setup. You can move to this model later.

The three parts

1. Proactive: a small, high-value catalogue

You choose the few service types that bring the most value. These are the requests that are submitted often, or that make a big difference when handled well. Keep them at the root level and keep their forms short.

Because the list is short, contacts can scan it quickly, even when they are in a hurry.

Read more: Build a Small, High-Value Service Catalogue

2. Reactive: capture what the catalogue misses

Some requests are useful but rare. Instead of creating a service type for each one, let the contact create the ticket first. Then AI reads the ticket and attaches a form only if one is needed. The contact answers a few questions after they know their request was received.

AI has two options:

  • Predefined form. AI searches your forms by name, description and tag, using MCP, and attaches the best match.
  • Disposable form. If nothing fits, AI drafts a short form for that one ticket. Disposable forms are for ad-hoc cases.

Read more: Capture Requests the Catalogue Misses With Inline Forms

3. Automated: let AI sort every ticket

Some service types exist only to set a tag, queue, status, category or priority. AI can do this after the ticket is created, based on what the contact wrote and who they are, such as their account, role or VIP flag. It can also assign a tier 1 agent, which replaces much of the dispatcher's work.

You can then remove those service types and shorten the catalogue.

Read more: Use AI Categorisation Instead of Setup-Only Service Types

How the parts work together

Stage

What happens

Part

Before the ticket

The contact sees a short list and picks one. Forms are short.

Proactive

Ticket created

The contact knows the request was received. A webhook or event is triggered.

Right after

AI sets tags, queue, status, category, priority and agent.

Automated

Right after

AI attaches a form if more details are needed.

Reactive

Each month

You review what was submitted and adjust.

Review

What your contact sees A short list, a quick submission, and then, only if needed, a short follow-up form. They are never asked to complete a long form while they are in a hurry.

The monthly review connects everything

The review is how you learn what to change. Use it to:

  • Remove service types and forms nobody uses.
  • Merge near-duplicate forms.
  • Find tags that appear often and may deserve a service type.
  • Find disposable forms that keep repeating, and turn them into predefined forms or service types.
  • Check where your team's hours go.
  • Check a sample of AI results for mistakes.

For custom reports, you can use the API and export your data to Power BI or a data lake.

Read more: Monthly Service Catalogue Review Checklist

What it costs

Be clear about the costs before you start:

  • Setup effort. You need to set up webhooks or events, write AI prompts, and describe and tag your forms.
  • Ongoing effort. A monthly review takes time and attention.
  • AI usage cost. Each ticket is read by AI. Compare this with the cost of manual sorting and dispatch.
  • Mistakes. AI will sometimes choose the wrong tag, priority or form. People make mistakes too. Review a sample each month and adjust.
  • Less guaranteed routing. A service type routes a ticket correctly only when the contact picks the right one. AI sorts every ticket, whatever route it came from.

Suggested order

You don't need to start everything at once.

  1. Build your small catalogue and review it monthly.
  2. Add AI categorisation, then retire setup-only service types.
  3. Add inline forms for rare but useful requests.

How did we do?

Quick Setup: Service Groups for Teams With Limited Time

Build a Small, High-Value Service Catalogue

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