In Zendesk, go to Admin Center, then Objects and rules, then Business rules, then Automations, and select Add Automation. Give it a title, add conditions and actions, make sure one action cancels a condition, use Preview match to check which tickets it catches, then click Create automation. Automations run hourly on non-closed tickets.
Automations wait; triggers don't
Zendesk has two kinds of business rule, and picking the wrong one is the most common mistake. Triggers fire immediately when a ticket is created or updated. Automations fire when a time event occurs after a ticket property was set or updated, such as 48 hours after a ticket was solved. If your rule starts with after or since, you want an automation.
How the hourly run works
| Rule | What Zendesk says |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Once every hour on all non-closed tickets, starting at some point during the hour |
| Tickets per hour | A maximum of 1,000 |
| Updates per ticket | A maximum of 100 by automations, except the Close ticket automation |
| Active automations | Up to 500 at a time, each smaller than 65kb |
| Order | First to last, every hour |
| Uniqueness | Conditions can overlap, but active automations can't be identical |
Because the run starts at some point during the hour, an automation set for 24 hours after solved might act a little later than that. Don't build anything that depends on minute-level timing.
Creating the automation
- In Admin Center, click Objects and rules in the sidebar, then select Business rules, then Automations.
- Select Add Automation and enter a title.
- Add the conditions that must be met, such as hours since the ticket was solved.
- Add the actions to perform, including one that cancels a condition, such as setting the status to Closed.
- Click Preview match to see which tickets the conditions catch.
- Click Create automation, then reorder it in the list if order matters.
You can also clone an existing automation as the basis of a new one, which is quicker and safer than starting from scratch.
The rule that stops endless loops
Zendesk's help article on how automations work makes this the one rule you can't skip. Every automation must contain a condition that's true only once, or an action that cancels at least one of its conditions. Without that, the automation fires on the same ticket every hour, forever. A ticket stops accepting automation updates after 100 of them, so a looping rule can also block your other automations from touching that ticket.
In practice: if the condition is status is Solved and the action sets status to Closed, the ticket no longer matches after the first run. That's a cancelling action. If the action only adds a tag, add a condition that the tag isn't already present.
Three automations worth building
- Close solved tickets: hours since solved is greater than 96, then set status to Closed.
- Nudge pending tickets: hours since pending is greater than 72 and no reminder tag, then email the requester and add a reminder tag.
- Flag ageing new tickets: hours since created is greater than 24 and status is New, then raise the priority and add a tag.
Run Preview match on each before you save. If the list is far longer than you expected, a condition's too broad. If it's empty, check the hours and status values, since a rule that matches nothing won't ever run.
Order and overlap
Automations run in order from first to last every hour, so one automation's changes can affect whether the next matches. If a reminder rule and a close rule both look at pending tickets, put them in the order you want them to act. Conditions can overlap, but identical active automations aren't allowed.
Help Scout and Trello compared
Help Scout workflows use conditions and actions as if-then rules, and can be manual or automatic. Trello publishes an Automation quotas and limits help page for its own rules. To compare help desks, see my roundups of Zendesk alternatives, Help Scout alternatives and Intercom alternatives.
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My advice for Zendesk admins
Use automations for anything time based and triggers for anything instant. Give every automation a cancelling action or a once-only condition, run Preview match before you save, and check the order whenever you add a new rule. Clone working automations rather than starting blank.
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Frequently asked questions
How often do Zendesk automations run?
Once every hour on all non-closed tickets.
How many tickets can one fire on?
A maximum of 1,000 tickets per hour.
How many automations are allowed?
Up to 500 active automations.
What's the difference from a trigger?
Triggers fire immediately on ticket create or update; automations fire when a time event occurs.
Do they run on closed tickets?
No. Automations don't run or fire on closed tickets.
