When a case has been investigated and a resolution has been reached, there are a few important steps to complete it properly. This article covers how to close a case and communicate the outcome to the whistleblower, how to create a redacted version when you need to share case details with someone outside your team, and how to archive the case when it is fully resolved.
Closing a Case
When you are ready to close a case, open it and go to the State dropdown in the Tools panel on the right side. Change the state to Closed.
New fields will appear once a case state is changed to close.
Field | What it does |
Closing code | Classifies the outcome of the case |
Internal closing comment | A note only visible to your fellow case handlers |
Closing comment to reporter | The message the whistleblower will see |
Closing codes available:
Code | When to use it |
Resolved | The case was investigated and addressed |
Rejected | The report did not meet the criteria for investigation |
Cancelled | The case was withdrawn or no longer relevant |
Spam | The report was not a genuine submission |
Other | Any outcome that does not fit the above |
💡 Closing a case does not delete it from the system. It moves it to a closed state and you can find it again at any time by going to Filters on the Cases page and selecting Closed under State.
The internal closing comment is stored indefinitely. Avoid including sensitive personal information in this field.
Redacting a Case
If you need to share a case with someone outside your whistleblower unit, such as an external legal advisor, you should create a redacted version first to protect the identity of the whistleblower.
Click Redact case in the top right corner of the case page.
A form will open pre-filled with the case details. Review it carefully and remove or rewrite anything that could directly or indirectly identify the reporter.
💡 Pay close attention to the description and any uploaded files, as these may contain identifying details or embedded metadata.
What you can and cannot do with a redacted case:
Action | Redacted version |
Add internal notes | Yes |
Communicate with the whistleblower | No, only possible from the original case |
Edit content after submission | No, the redacted version cannot be edited once created |
Create multiple versions | Yes, you can create several redacted versions for different audiences |
Once created, the redacted case appears as a separate entry in your cases list. You can tell it apart from the original by its Case ID, which contains an R instead of an O, for example XYVC-R-3-1. The last number indicates how many redacted versions exist for that case.
To give someone access to the redacted version, use the Users with access field inside that case. You can select an existing user or invite someone new by clicking Add new user.
💡 Anyone added to a redacted case will only be able to see that specific version. They will have no access to the original case or any other cases on the platform. Make sure not to check other options if you would like to set this for them.
Exporting a Case
Before archiving, you may want to export a full record of the case for compliance or documentation purposes.
From the Options menu in the top right corner of the case, click Export. This generates a complete PDF containing:
All messages exchanged with the whistleblower
Status changes throughout the case lifecycle
Internal notes
The full activity log
You can also chose to export with or without case files attached
Archiving a Case
A case must be closed before it can be archived. Once it is in a closed state, click Options in the top right corner and select Start archiving of case.
You will be asked to confirm and given the option to choose whether the case should remain visible in statistics after archiving.
Cases created during testing can be excluded from statistics here to keep your reporting clean and accurate.
Once archived, the case is removed from your active list and stored in the system database for the retention period configured by your administrator, in line with local GDPR requirements.
You can also customize a specific case retention date by clicking on Show advanced settings then chose until when do you want to store this case.
If you need to access an archived case during the retention period, contact the support team with the Case ID and they will reinstate it for you.
We're here to support you. If you have questions, reach out to us directly via the Messenger icon in the bottom right corner of your screen, or send us an email at support@whistleblowersoftware.com