How can I create reminders on tickets that are on-hold?

Question

I often have customers who ask us to leave their ticket open for some time. The customer sometimes doesn't have all the necessary information to answer at the moment or they'll be away from the office.

In these cases, my agents change the status of the ticket to on-hold. How can I send a reminder to my customers about their on-hold ticket?

Answer

You can send a reminder to your customers on their tickets using automations. If you have a more complex configuration, step up your workflow using macros.

This article uses a recipe that requires the agent to choose from a selection of macros that indicate the time frame for the duration of the on-hold life span. Each macro adds a different tag to the ticket that makes an automation fire and send a reminder to your agents or customers.

This workflow has three parts:

• Create the macros
• Create the automations
• Next steps

Create the macros

Depending on your workflow, you may need one or more macros. This recipe requires three different macros.

To create the first macro

1. Create a macro.
2. Under Macro name, type:
   

   On-hold for 48 hours

   
3. Under Actions, add:
   • Ticket status | On-hold
   • Add tags | on_hold_48
   • Comment mode | Private
   • Comment/description
     

     This ticket is on-hold
     
     {{ticket.assignee.first_name}}, you'll receive a reminder about it in 48 hours.

     
4. Select Create.

Follow these instructions and create two more macros, one for 96 hours, and another for 144 hours. Each macro needs a different tag:

• The macro "On-hold for 96 hours" should have the tag on_hold_96.
• The macro "On-hold for 144 hours" should have the tag on_hold_144.

You can adjust the number of hours to your business needs and add as many macros as you wish. Ensure that the tag is different for each macro and that they reflect the number of hours in the title.

Create the automations

Depending on your workflow, you may need one or more automations. This recipe requires three different automations, one for each macro created previously.

To create the first automation

1. Add a new automation.
2. Under Automation title, add:

   Send a reminder after 48 hours on hold

3. Under Meet all of the following conditions, add:
   
   • Ticket: Ticket Status | Is | On-hold
   • Ticket: Tags | Contains at least one of the following |on_hold_48
   • Ticket: Hours since on-hold | (calendar) Is | 48
     
     If you have business hours in place in your account, adapt the Ticket: Hours since on-hold condition to suit your schedule.
4. Under Perform these actions, add:
   
   • Ticket: Ticket Status | Open
   • Ticket: Remove tags | on_hold_48
   • Notifications: Email user | assignee
   • Email subject:

     On-hold ticket for 48 hours reminder: {{ticket.title}}

   • Email body:

     Hello, {{ticket.assignee.first_name}}. The ticket {{ticket.id}} has been on-hold for 48 hours. Please reach out to the customer and request an update.
             
     {{ticket.link}}

     
5. Select Create automation.

This automation notifies the agent rather than the customer as automatic messages to customers may not be the best option for everyone. However, if you prefer that your customer receives the email, in the Notifications: Email user condition, change the (assignee) dropdown to (requester).

Follow these instructions and create two more automations, one for 96 hours, and another for 144 hours. Each macro needs a different tag:

• The automation "On-hold for 96 hours" should have the tag on_hold_96 and should fire when Ticket: Hours since on-hold is 96.
• The automation "On-hold for 144 hours" should have the tag on_hold_144 and should fire when Ticket: Hours since on-hold is 144.

You can adjust the number of hours to your business needs and add as many automations as needed. Ensure that the tag is different for each macro and that they reflect the number of hours in the title.

Next steps

Your agents can now use this workflow and be reminded of tickets on hold. Coach them to use these macros and not ignore the email reminders.

For other workflows, see these articles:

• Workflow recipe: Sending automated ticket reminders to customers
• Automations resources and recipes