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Automation & Workflows

Streamline your helpdesk operations with powerful automation rules, workflows, and triggers that reduce manual work and improve response times.

Automation Overview

Discover how automation can transform your helpdesk efficiency and consistency

What is Automation?

Automation in Loopdesk allows you to create rules that automatically perform actions when specific conditions are met. This reduces manual work, ensures consistency, and improves response times.

Faster Response Times

Instant actions when tickets are created

Consistency

Standardized processes across all tickets

Reduced Manual Work

Eliminate repetitive tasks

Improved SLA Compliance

Automatic escalations and reminders

Better Organization

Automatic categorization and assignment

24/7 Operation

Rules work even when agents are offline

Types of Automation

Trigger Rules

Fire when events occur (ticket created, updated, etc.)

Time-Based Rules

Execute after delays or at scheduled times

Conditional Rules

Complex logic with multiple conditions

Escalation Rules

Automatic priority increases and reassignments

Notification Rules

Custom email and SMS alerts

Common Automation Examples

Automatic Ticket Assignment

WHEN:
New ticket is created
AND:
Department equals "Technical Support"
Subject contains "software"
THEN:
Assign to "Software Team"

Priority Escalation

WHEN:
Ticket age is greater than 4 hours
AND:
Priority equals "High"
Status equals "Open"
THEN:
Change priority to "Urgent"
Notify supervisor

Customer Communication

WHEN:
Ticket status changes to "Resolved"
THEN:
Send email to customer
Set automatic closure after 3 days

Pro Tip

Start with simple automation rules and gradually add complexity as your team becomes comfortable with the system.

Creating Automation Rules

Master the rule builder interface and create powerful automation workflows

Rule Builder Interface

Accessing the Rule Builder

1

Navigate to Admin → Automation → Rules

2

Click Create New Rule

3

Choose rule type

Event Trigger

Responds to ticket events

Time Trigger

Runs after delays or on schedule

Manual Trigger

Agents can manually execute

Rule Components

1. Trigger Events

  • Ticket Created
  • Ticket Updated
  • Ticket Resolved
  • Ticket Closed
  • Customer Reply
  • Agent Reply
  • Status Change
  • Priority Change
  • Assignment Change
  • Due Date Approaching

2. Conditions (AND/OR Logic)

  • Ticket Properties: Status, priority, department, category
  • Customer Properties: Organization, user type, custom fields
  • Time Conditions: Business hours, days of week, age
  • Content Matching: Subject/description keywords
  • Assignment Conditions: Assigned agent, department
  • Custom Field Values: Any custom field data

3. Actions

  • Assignment: Assign to agent, department, or team
  • Status/Priority: Change ticket status or priority
  • Notifications: Email customers, agents, or external systems
  • Fields: Update ticket fields or add tags
  • Escalation: Move to higher priority or different team
  • Integration: Webhook calls, API requests, third-party systems

Step-by-Step Rule Creation

Learn to build effective automation rules with our comprehensive example

Example: Auto-Assignment Rule

1

Define the Trigger

  • Trigger Event: "Ticket Created"
  • Name: "Auto-assign billing tickets"
  • Description: "Automatically assign billing-related tickets to billing team"
2

Set Conditions

Condition Group 1 (AND):
• Department equals "Customer Service"
• Subject contains "billing" OR "payment" OR "invoice"
• Priority is NOT "Low"
Condition Group 2 (OR):
• Category equals "Billing"
• Customer Organization contains "Enterprise"
3

Define Actions

Action 1: Assign ticket to "Billing Team"
Action 2: Add tag "auto-assigned"
Action 3: Set priority to "Normal" (if currently "Low")
Action 4: Send notification to billing team manager
4

Configure Options

  • Active: ✓ Enabled
  • Run Order: 10 (higher numbers run later)
  • Stop Processing: ✗ (allow other rules to run)
  • Audit Log: ✓ (track when rule fires)

Testing Rules

Rule Testing Features:

  • Dry Run
    Test rule logic without making changes
  • Sample Data
    Use existing tickets to test conditions
  • Simulation
    Preview what actions would occur
  • Debug Mode
    Detailed logging of rule execution
  • Roll Back
    Undo changes if rule behaves unexpectedly

Advanced Rule Features

Complex Conditions

( Department = "Technical" AND Priority = "High" )
OR
( Customer.Type = "VIP" AND Status = "Open" )
AND NOT
( Subject contains "test" OR Subject contains "demo" )

Time-Based Conditions

  • Business hours only: Monday-Friday 9 AM - 5 PM
  • Exclude holidays and weekends
  • Different rules for day/night/weekend
  • Timezone-aware conditions

Dynamic Values

  • Use ticket fields in actions: "Assigned to {customer.account_manager}"
  • Date calculations: "Due date = Created date + 2 business days"
  • Counter fields: "Increment custom field 'escalation_count'"

Important

Complex rules with many conditions can slow down ticket processing. Monitor rule performance and optimize as needed.

Time-Based Automation

Configure scheduled rules and business hours for precise timing control

Delay Rules

Execute after a specified time period

Example: "Send reminder 24 hours after ticket creation"

Useful for follow-ups and escalations

Recurring Rules

Run on a regular schedule

Example: "Weekly cleanup of resolved tickets"

Useful for maintenance and reporting

Calendar Rules

Execute on specific dates/times

Example: "Monthly SLA reports on the 1st of each month"

Useful for periodic tasks

Example: Escalation After No Response

Rule Configuration

Trigger:
Time-based delay
Delay:
4 hours after ticket creation

Conditions & Actions

Conditions:
  • • Status equals "Open"
  • • Priority equals "High"
  • • No agent response exists
  • • Business hours only
Actions:
  • • Change priority to "Urgent"
  • • Assign to supervisor
  • • Send escalation email
  • • Add internal note: "Auto-escalated due to no response"

Recurring Task Automation

Daily Tasks

  • Close resolved tickets older than 7 days
  • Send summary reports to supervisors
  • Update dashboard metrics
  • Clean up temporary data

Weekly Tasks

  • Generate department performance reports
  • Update agent availability calendars
  • Archive closed tickets older than 30 days
  • Send customer satisfaction surveys

Monthly Tasks

  • Generate SLA compliance reports
  • Update knowledge base analytics
  • Clean up inactive user accounts
  • Backup automation rule configurations

Business Hours Configuration

Setting Business Hours

Step 1: Navigate to Admin → Settings → Business Hours
Step 2: Configure for each department:
  • • Days of Operation: Monday through Sunday
  • • Daily Hours: Start and end times
  • • Timezone: Local business timezone
  • • Holidays: Exclude specific dates

Business Hours Impact

SLA Calculations:
  • • Response time SLAs only count business hours
  • • Resolution time excludes nights/weekends
  • • Escalation rules respect business hours
  • • Automatic scheduling considers availability
Example Business Hours Setup:
Department: Technical Support
Monday-Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM EST
Sunday: Closed
Holidays: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

Escalation Rules & Advanced Integration

Ensure critical issues receive proper attention and integrate with external systems

SLA-Based Escalations

Technical Support SLA Example

Level 1: Response within 2 hours
  • • If no response in 1.5 hours: Notify agent supervisor
  • • If no response in 2 hours: Escalate to supervisor
Level 2: Resolution within 8 hours
  • • If not resolved in 6 hours: Change priority to High
  • • If not resolved in 8 hours: Escalate to senior agent
Level 3: Critical escalation
  • • If not resolved in 12 hours: Notify department manager
  • • If not resolved in 24 hours: Escalate to director

Escalation Chain Example

1
2 hours: Notify assigned agent
2
4 hours: Notify team supervisor
3
8 hours: Reassign to senior agent
4
12 hours: Escalate to department manager
5
24 hours: Executive escalation

VIP Customer Rules

WHEN: Ticket created by VIP customer
THEN:
  • • Set priority to "High" automatically
  • • Assign to senior agent immediately
  • • Notify account manager
  • • Reduce SLA timeframes by 50%
  • • Add "VIP" tag for easy identification

Enterprise Account Escalations

  • Dedicated support team assignment
  • Faster response time requirements
  • Direct escalation to account management
  • Custom SLA agreements
  • Priority queue placement

Integration Automation

CRM Integration

  • • Create CRM records for new helpdesk customers
  • • Update contact information bidirectionally
  • • Sync support ticket history to CRM
  • • Trigger sales follow-up for resolved issues
  • • Update customer status and preferences
Example Automation:
WHEN: Ticket resolved with high satisfaction rating
AND: Customer type equals "Prospect"
THEN: Create sales opportunity in CRM

Email Marketing

  • • Add satisfied customers to newsletter list
  • • Remove customers who request no marketing
  • • Trigger educational email series for common issues
  • • Send product update notifications
  • • Customer retention campaigns

IT Monitoring

  • • Auto-create tickets from monitoring alerts
  • • Update ticket status based on system status
  • • Close tickets when issues are automatically resolved
  • • Escalate tickets for repeated alerts
  • • Integrate performance data into tickets

Critical

Test escalation rules thoroughly to avoid notification spam or missed escalations. Monitor escalation frequency to identify process issues.

Automation Rule Management Checklist

Review and test all automation rules monthly
Monitor rule performance and execution times
Document rule logic and business purpose
Train agents on manual trigger rules
Backup automation configurations regularly
Audit rule permissions and access controls

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