Your agents reply to customer tickets by adding comments to them. They can do this either through the Zendesk Support web interface, or by responding to the ticket using email or another messaging channel.
This article includes these sections:
About public and private comments
You can configure ticket comments in one of two ways:
-
Public: Ticket comments can be seen by the customer. Public comments are written on the Public reply (or messaging channel) of the ticket comments field. For example, here's where agents can add public replies from the ticket interface
-
Private: In general, private comments (known as internal notes) can be seen by agents, but cannot be seen by the customer. These are great for discussing tickets internally with your team without having to involve the customer. However, on Enterprise plans, admins can configure agent access to private comments and agent-only fields on tickets they request. For example, here's where agents can add private comments from the ticket interface:
Making agent comments private by default
By default, when an agent adds a comment, the comment becomes public. For example, if the agent wants to add a private comment to the ticket from the ticket interface, they must first select Internal note. If they forget, the customer will see what they write.
If you prefer, you can configure ticket comments from agents to be private by default. Then, when an agent adds a comment from the ticket interface, they will need to select a public channel (such as email) instead of an Internal note if they want the customer to see the comment.
If CCs are enabled, you can also change the default comment privacy for end user CCs. See Configuring CC and follower permissions.
Settings to make agent comments private by default do not apply to channels that are considered live, including chat, messaging, and social media. See About channel switching logic in the ticket composer.
To configure private ticket comments as the default
- In Admin Center, click
Objects and rules in the sidebar, then select Tickets > Settings.
- In the Comments section, deselect both these options:
Set composer to public channel by default and
Agent comments via email are public by
default.
If the Zendesk Agent Workspace is not enabled on your account, the option names vary slightly. Deselect both these options: Agent comments by web are public by default and Agent comments via email are public by default.
Restricting agent access on tickets where they're the requester (Enterprise only)
Admins can configure the visibility of private comments on tickets where an agent is the requester, regardless of the tickets' group assignments.
If you restrict agents in your account from seeing internal notes and agent-only fields, they won't be able to access the tickets in Support where they're the requester. Instead, they can use their email or your help center's customer portal to access tickets where they're the requester.
- In Admin Center, click
Workspaces in the sidebar, then select Agent tools > Agent interface.
- Under Agent as requester, choose the level of
access you want agents to have to internal notes on
tickets where they're the requester:
- Show all internal notes: No restrictions. Agents can view tickets where they're the requester, regardless of group assignment, as an agent.
- Hide internal notes on tickets assigned to private groups: Agent access to internal notes on tickets where they're the requester is restricted only if the tickets are assigned to a private ticket group. See Creating private ticket groups and granting agents access.
-
Hide all internal notes: Agent access
to internal notes on tickets where they're the
requester is restricted, regardless of group
assignment.Note: Agents in custom roles with access to All tickets can still view internal notes on tickets where they're the requester, even when this option is selected. See Creating custom roles and assigning agents.
- Click Save.
40 comments
Ivan Miquiabas
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, this is not an option os of this time, you cannot set the default privacy of ticket comments via custom role. This is an account setting so either it will take effect agents in general or not.
See full details here
Hope that helps!
0
Sarah Cullerton
+1 to Allison's request - this would be an extremely helpful feature to have by role. Our higher tiers are primarily collaborating on tickets versus communicating with customers, and it would be great if they could default to internal while front line teams defaulted to public replies.
0
Matt G.
The majority of our tickets come in using Internal Notes. A few days ago, something was rolled out by Zendesk that now forces all of these tickets to have Private Comment chosen by default. Our organization, which processes 10s of thousands of tickets per week, would love for a setting in Zendesk's configuration to force this change back to how it was, with Public Comment being the default regardless of where the ticket comes in or if it's only had internal comments thus far.
1
Sydney Neubauer
Matt G. ZD did make a change: Announcing a logic improvement for the “Public by default” ticket setting (coming soon) – Zendesk help
It finished roll out a few days ago so I bet this is what you are seeing on your tickets
0
Patrick Bu Jonassen
The change to “default internal notes on tickets with only internal notes” is an issue for one of our larger customers as well. Their tickets primarily comes in through API as internal notes, and now adds an extra two clicks for each ticket. It would be great if you can add a setting for customers to choose default public reply on tickets with only internal notes.
Patrick Bu Jonassen
Kundelab.no
1
Alan Pugh
Patrick Bu Jonassen Matt G. I've created a feature request to make this optional if you'd like to upvote it: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/7310882774426
This is having a major impact on our team and the explanation that it's an improvement in logic doesn't track. The feature is called “Public by default” and the improved logic is to make some tickets not public by default. It breaks the feature.
1
Matt Beesley
Is it possible to create macros that have both an internal note and a public comment at the same time?
0
Bruno Gabriel
The agent should be able to see ticket on views, even if they don't have access to the group, right? (When they're the requester)
If is that the case, it does not seem to be working.
0
Bruno Gabriel
Rob Stack
0
Ramil
"Set composer to public channel by default" “Settings to make agent comments private by default do not apply to channels that are considered live, including chat, messaging, and social media.”
this feature should apply even in Messaging since Messaging in most cases converted to email and there is always a risk to send intenral notes when Messaging is default to public.
pls consider this option. tnx
0