Working a request

Last updated: August 27, 2026

Opening a request gives you everything about it on one screen: what was asked for, who asked, what you have said back, what documents are attached, what is waiting on a decision, and every change anyone has made. This article covers what each part of that screen is for.

How to open and orient yourself

Go to Requests.

  1. Click a request title. It opens on the Request Details tab.

  2. Read the requester's original message at the top of the thread. This is the request in their words, and it is what you are answering.

  3. Read the AI Summary in the right rail for the short version: what is sought, over what period, and where the request currently stands.

  4. Use the tabs across the top to move between the correspondence, your notes, the documents and the record of decisions.

The AI summary is advisory. The product says so on the panel itself: Advisory, AI assists, a human decides. Read the request itself before you act on the summary of it.

The five tabs

  • Request Details. The correspondence thread with the requester, and the reply box. Everything here is visible to the requester.

  • Internal Notes. Staff-only. Never emailed and never shown to the requester.

  • Case/Media. The documents attached to this request, and where you create a case to go and find more.

  • Request Approvals. What is waiting on a sign-off decision, and what has already been decided.

  • Activity Log. The chronological audit trail: who changed what, and when.

The right rail

The rail is where you change things about the request rather than talk about it.

  • Request Details. Status, Assignee, Team, Priority, Complexity and the deadline. Changes save as you make them.

  • SLA Details. Both clocks, and how much time is left on each.

  • Requester Details. Who filed it, their contact details, and their history with your agency.

  • Tags. Free labels for your own grouping.

  • Submitted Form. Exactly what they filled in on your portal, field by field.

  • Attachments. Anything they attached when filing.

  • Custom Fields. Any fields your agency has added.

  • Similar Closed Requests. Prior requests that resemble this one. Advisory, and worth a look before you start gathering.

  • Where This Came From. If the requester read a published record before filing, that record is pinned here. They named it; it is a fact rather than a guess.

Assigning and prioritizing

Set Assignee to give the request an owner, or set Team to route it to a group. Routing to a team applies that team's default assignee, so the request does not sit unowned after a handover.

Priority is your agency's urgency level and you set it by hand. Complexity is Govflo's assessment of how much work the request will take, based on how many comparable requests exist in your history. Treat complexity as a resourcing signal on day one rather than a verdict.