Setting up the Time Tracking app

You can use the Time Tracking app to monitor how much time agents spend on tickets. Once you've set up the Time Tracking app, you'll find instructions for using it at Using the Time Tracking app.

If you're looking for help using Zendesk Explore to generate reports about your time tracking, see Time Tracking app: metrics you need to be measuring.

Note: If you originally installed the private Time Tracking app from Zendesk Labs, installing the public version of the app from the Marketplace will reset your time tracking data, and you'll lose any data previously collected.

This article contains the following sections:

• Installing and configuring the Time Tracking app
• Understanding Time Tracking custom ticket fields

Installing and configuring the Time Tracking app

You can download and install the Time Tracking app from the Zendesk Marketplace. With this app, you can track how much time agents spend on working on tickets. Light agents can't use this app.

To install the Time Tracking app

1. In Admin Center, click Apps and integrations in the sidebar, then select Apps > Channel apps.
2. Click Zendesk Marketplace.
3. Find the Time Tracking app, then click the title.
4. On the app details page, click Install.
5. From the drop-down, choose the account you want to install the app to, then click Install.
6. On the app settings page, configure any settings you want as described below. You can return to this settings page at any time by clicking Apps > Manage > Time Tracking:
   • Title: Displays the name of the app. You can edit this to be any name you want.
   • Display timelogs to agents: Determines if agents can see a log of time spent on that ticket so far, including the agent and status for each time interval.

     

   • Hide the app from agents: Only displays the app to agents with the admin role. If the app is hidden, agents without the admin role cannot see or edit the timer.
   • Auto pause: Automatically pauses the timer when the agent navigates away from the ticket, such as by switching to another ticket tab. The timer resumes automatically when the agent navigates back to the ticket.
     Note: Auto pause will not occur when an agent's workstation is inactive or when they navigate to a different browser tab. This setting is specifically configured for switching between ticket tabs within Zendesk.
   • Display timer controls: Determines whether agents see the play and pause buttons next to the timer, allowing them to manually control when the timer starts and stops.
   • Reset current time: Determines whether agents can see the refresh button next to the timer, allowing them to start the timer over.
   • Resume on changes: When changes are made to any fields, the agent will be asked if the timer should be resumed.
   • Edit time submission: When you enable this setting, the window below appears when an agent submits a ticket. Agents can review and edit their time spent on a ticket if, for example, they spent significant time discussing the issue with a colleague outside of Zendesk.

     With this feature enabled, agents are required to confirm their time in order to submit the ticket. They have 15 seconds from when the window opens to cancel.

     
   • Simplified time submission: Enables agents to be able to edit and submit their time spent in minutes, rather than in hours, minutes, and seconds. For example, with this setting enabled, an agent could enter "5" for five minutes. Without this setting enabled, the agent would have to enter it in the format "00:05:00". This setting only applies if you've also enabled the Edit time submission setting.
   • Enable role restrictions: Select which roles can use the Time Tracking app. The app will not appear and will not track time for roles you don't select if you have this setting enabled.
     Note: If you enable role restrictions, roles without access to the app will see the custom fields the app creates in their tickets. By design, roles with access to the app won't see the custom fields. For details, see Understanding Time Tracking custom ticket fields.
     
   • Enable group restrictions: Enables you to select which groups have access to the app.
   • Block large time spent submissions: Blocks submission of a ticket if an agent is trying to submit a ticket with a time spent value greater than two weeks.

   When you've finished configuring settings, click Install.

7. If your Zendesk plan includes multiple ticket forms, you'll need to update all of your forms to include to include two new custom ticket fields created by Time Tracking. For details, see the section below.

Understanding Time Tracking custom ticket fields

When you install Time Tracking, it automatically creates two custom ticket fields, Time spent since last update and Total time spent. To view the fields, in Admin Center, click Objects and rules in the sidebar, then select Tickets > Fields.

By design, agents with access to the app won't see the custom fields on their tickets. If you enable role restrictions, roles that don't have access to the app will see the custom fields on their tickets.

If your Zendesk plan includes multiple ticket forms, you'll need to manually move the new fields to all of your ticket forms. If you don't add the new fields to all of your ticket forms, you will receive an error message, see Time Tracking app error message in Support tech notes.

To add the custom fields to your ticket forms

1. In Admin Center, click Objects and rules in the sidebar, then select Tickets > Forms.
2. Click the name of a ticket form to open it.
3. Drag the Time spent since last update and Total time spent fields from the list on the right onto your ticket form.

   

   For more information, see Creating ticket forms to support multiple request types.