Managing the Service Catalog
The Service Catalog lets you build a structured library of requestable services that employees and customers can browse and submit through the self-service portal. Each catalog item maps to a specific desk, ticket type, and priority, and carries its own custom form so every request captures exactly the right information upfront.
This article covers how to set up and manage your Service Catalog from Admin Settings - including categories, catalog items, form fields, access control, and the built-in analytics that help you understand how your catalog is being used.
Getting started with the Service Catalog
To open the Service Catalog settings, go to Admin Settings and select Service Catalog. You will see the catalog items table, which lists all items across every category with support for search, filtering, sorting, and pagination.
Click any row in the table to open the full detail view for that item.
Using preset categories and items
If you are starting from scratch, Harmony includes built-in preset categories and items drawn from a standard ESM catalog. Instead of building everything manually, you can adopt presets with a single click.
Preset categories appear alongside your existing categories in the Manage Categories view so you can see what is available at a glance.
Pre-populated item forms automatically fill in the name, description, icon, ticket type, priority, and form fields - you only need to review and confirm before saving.
Harmony provides 10 preset categories and 6 pre-configured catalog items to help you get up and running quickly.
Managing categories
Categories organise your catalog items into logical groups. Managing categories requires the Admin role.
Creating and editing categories
In the Service Catalog settings, open Manage Categories.
Click Add category to create a new custom category and give it a name.
To rename an existing custom category, click the pencil icon next to its name, type the new name, then press Enter or click away to save. Press Escape to cancel without saving.
Preset categories are fixed and cannot be renamed.
Reordering categories
Drag categories into the order you want them to appear in the portal.
Deleting categories
When you delete a category, it is soft-deleted rather than permanently removed immediately. This means the record is marked as removed and cleaned up automatically in the background, reducing the risk of accidental data loss.
Managing catalog items
Catalog items represent individual service request types within a category. Creating, updating, deleting, and reordering items within a category requires desk-level Manage permission.
Creating a catalog item
From the catalog items table, click Create item (or use the Create Form dialog).
Fill in the following:
Icon - choose an emoji to represent the item visually.
Name - the title users will see in the portal.
Category - the group this item belongs to.
Desk - the desk that will handle requests from this item.
Description - a summary of what this service is for (see AI-generated descriptions below).
Ticket type and priority - define the type and urgency of tickets created from this item.
Visibility - control whether the item is visible in the portal.
Add the form fields users will complete when submitting a request (see Configuring form fields below).
Click Save.
Editing a catalog item
Click any row in the catalog items table to open its detail view. Make your changes and save.
Reordering catalog items
Within a category, drag items into the order you want them to appear.
Deleting a catalog item
Deleted items are soft-deleted rather than permanently removed immediately. Background cleanup handles the rest, so an accidental deletion does not result in instant data loss.
Bulk moving items to a different desk
You can reassign multiple catalog items to a different desk in a single action without updating them one by one.
In the catalog items table, use the checkboxes to select the items you want to move. You can select up to 200 items at once.
When one or more items are selected, a bulk action bar appears. Click Move to desk.
Pick the target desk from the dialog and confirm.
A per-item result summary shows exactly what succeeded or failed. A partial failure will not block the rest of the batch from completing.
This action is available to users with desk management permissions only.
Configuring form fields
Each catalog item has its own form that users complete when submitting a request. You can build this form from a range of field types.
Available field types
Text
Short free-text input
Text area
Multi-line free-text input
Date Picker
Lets the user select a date
Time Picker
Lets the user select an hour and minute in 24-hour format (e.g. 14:30)
Dropdown
A list of predefined options
Checkbox
A true/false toggle
The Time Picker field is separate from the Date Picker. Use it when you need to capture a specific time for event requests or scheduling. It works across all supported surfaces, including the agent interface, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.
Adding descriptions to fields
When adding or editing a field, you can enter a description alongside the field label. This description is displayed to users within the form and gives them helpful context about what the field is for and how it should be filled in. Clear field descriptions help teams submit accurate, consistent information.
AI-generated descriptions
Well-written item descriptions improve how accurately Harmony's agents match incoming requests to the right catalog form. To help you craft effective descriptions, Harmony can generate an AI-optimised version for you.
When creating or editing a catalog item, click the AI generate option in the description field. The AI uses the item's name, category, desk, team, and ticket type as context to produce a focused, precise description.
Generated descriptions support up to 500 characters, giving enough room to capture meaningful detail while staying concise.
Better descriptions mean fewer misrouted tickets and a smoother experience for employees submitting requests.
You can edit the generated description before saving if you want to refine it further.
Restricting access to catalog items
By default, catalog items are visible to all agents. If you need to limit who can see and use a specific form before full role-based access control is in place, you can restrict individual items to a list of designated agents.
How per-item access control works
Each catalog item can have its own list of permitted users, defined by email address.
Restricted forms are hidden entirely from agents who do not have access - those agents will not see the form exists.
Platform Admins always have access regardless of the per-item permitted users list.
Setting permitted users on a catalog item
Open the catalog item detail view.
Find the access control section and add the email addresses of the agents who should have access.
Save the item.
Any agent whose email is not on the list, and who is not a Platform Admin, will not see the item in the catalog.
Understanding catalog usage
The catalog items table includes a Usage column showing how often each item is used per month. This data loads automatically after the table renders and the column is fully sortable. Items with no usage data sort last.
You can use this information to identify which services are most in demand, spot underused items that may need better descriptions or visibility, and make informed decisions about catalog organisation.
Resolution rates
The detail view for each catalog item shows a resolution rate. This figure reflects only tickets that were actually created from that catalog item, giving you an accurate picture of how well requests submitted through that form are being resolved.
Form layout and language settings
The service catalog form uses a clean, responsive layout. Expanded sections use the full available width, and field spacing adjusts for good visual balance across different screen sizes.
Language configuration has been removed from individual catalog items. Language handling is managed at the platform level, which reduces confusion when setting up and maintaining your catalog.
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