Workflow: How to solve a ticket automatically after a certain amount of time

<p>This article explains how to automatically set tickets to solved if you don't receive a response from the user after a few days. You can automate the process to solve tickets with automations.</p><div class="p"><div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If you use the messaging channel to communicate with your users, you can also configure notifications and solve tickets automatically through <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7043034053658-Automatically-releasing-agent-capacity-for-inactive-messaging-conversations#topic_wms_52r_jfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">messaging inactivity reminders</a> instead of this automation workflow.</div></div><p>The workflow includes these steps:</p><ul>
<li data-list-item-id="ea51accbf299b100add7eaf233900ff68"><a href="#h_01GBW9JPFSEBWT8P739HSJ3KTW">Step 1: Create an automation</a></li>
<li data-list-item-id="e682fa9d418ca739b0c583f0a35b8a135"><a href="#01HZ2DM2JXF3FY76QG4A3JKCQH">Step 2: Create a view to ensure the automation solves tickets</a></li>
</ul><h2 id="h_01GBW9JPFSEBWT8P739HSJ3KTW">Step 1: Create an automation</h2><ol>
<li>
Create a new <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408883801626-Creating-and-managing-automations-for-time-based-events#topic_adj_pzy_tb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automation</a>
</li>
<li>
Under <strong>Meet all of the following conditions</strong>, add these conditions:
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Status category</strong> | <strong>Is</strong> | <strong>Pending</strong><br>The automation checks only tickets marked as pending
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Hours since update</strong> | <strong>Greater than</strong> | <strong>48</strong>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Hours since status category pending</strong> | <strong>Greater than</strong> | <strong>48<br></strong>The <strong>Hours since update</strong> condition counts from the last update in the ticket. The <strong>Hours since status category pending</strong> condition targets tickets in a default or custom pending status in this state for more than two days.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Tags</strong> | <strong>Contains none of the following</strong> | <code>ticket_solver</code><strong><br></strong>The <strong>Ticket: Tags</strong> condition guarantees that the automation runs only once in a ticket and the same automation won't update it again
</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/8470916016410" alt="Automation conditions to solve ticket after 48 hours.png">You can add tags, set users and groups, or target specific tickets to optimize your conditions.
</li>
<li>
Under <strong>Perform these actions</strong>, add these actions:
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Add tags</strong> | <code>ticket_solver</code>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Notifications: User email</strong> | <strong>(requester and CCs)</strong> | Add your custom email subject and body. This action notifies your users of the ticket closure.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Status category</strong> | <strong>Solved</strong>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Click <strong>Create automation</strong>
<img src="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/8470916017178" alt="Automation actions to solve ticket after 48 hours.png">
</li>
</ol><h2 id="01HZ2DM2JXF3FY76QG4A3JKCQH">Step 2: Create a view to ensure the automation solves tickets</h2><ol>
<li>
Create a <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408888828570-Creating-views-to-build-customized-lists-of-tickets#topic_vcr_xfp_ec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ticket view</a>
</li>
<li>
Under <strong>Tickets must meet all of these conditions to appear in the view</strong>, add these conditions:
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Tags</strong> | <strong>Contains at least one of the following</strong> | <code>ticket_solver</code>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Status category</strong> | <strong>Is not</strong> | <strong>New</strong>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Click <strong>Save</strong>
<img src="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/8470935262874" alt="View conditions to show solved tickets after 48 hours.png">The view displays tickets tagged with <code>ticket_solver</code>. The tag tracks tickets that the automation solves in a view.
</li>
</ol><div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> In accounts with custom ticket statuses deactivated, use the <strong>Ticket: Status</strong> and <strong>Ticket: Hours since pending</strong> categories for the automation, and <strong>Status</strong> for the view condition.</div><p>For more details about automations, see <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408832701850-About-automations-and-how-they-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">About automations and how they work</a>.</p><style>
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<details>
<summary>THIS SECTION IS AI CONTENT. DON'T EDIT OR DELETE.</summary>
<h2 id="h_01KS20FGZMSNKE2MR4J9KDDTRP">
What is the automation workflow for solving inactive tickets? How
do time-based rules automatically close pending tickets? Why should
I use reminders to solve uncompleted customer requests?
</h2>
<h2 id="h_01KS20FGZMHTWB9EKJ1RXM4560">
How do I create an automation to solve unreplied tickets? How do
I set up a time-based rule for inactive requests? How do I configure
a reminder to close pending progress states?
</h2>
<ol>
<li>Create a new automation.</li>
<li>
Under <strong>Meet all of the following conditions</strong>,
add these conditions:
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Status category</strong> | <strong>Is</strong>
| <strong>Pending</strong>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Hours since update</strong> |
<strong>Greater than</strong> | <strong>48</strong>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Hours since status category pending</strong>
| <strong>Greater than</strong> | <strong>48</strong>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Tags</strong> |
<strong>Contains none of the following</strong> |
<strong>ticket_solver</strong>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Under <strong>Perform these actions</strong>, add these actions:
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Add tags</strong> | <strong>ticket_solver</strong>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Notifications: User email</strong> |
<strong>(requesters and CCs)</strong> (Add your custom
email subject and body)
</li>
<li>
<strong>Ticket: Status category</strong> | <strong>Solved</strong>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Click <strong>Create automation</strong>.
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="h_01KS20FGZM5S383E6VMZ0J5AZC">
How do I create a view to track automatically solved tickets? How
do I set up an agent inbox view for the ticket solver tag? How do
I configure dashboards to monitor automated state updates?
</h2>
<ol>
<li>Create a ticket view.</li>
<li>
Under
<strong>Tickets must meet all of these conditions to appear in the view</strong>,
add these conditions:
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Tags</strong> |
<strong>Contains at least one of the following</strong>
| <strong>ticket_solver</strong>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Status category</strong> | <strong>Is not</strong>
| <strong>New</strong>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Click <strong>Save</strong>.
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="h_01KS20FGZM877JXH21D72D8PR4">
Can I automatically solve tickets through the messaging channel?
Can unreplied messaging conversations close automatically without
time-based rules?
</h2>
<p>
Yes. If you use the messaging channel to communicate with your customers
or end users, you can configure notifications and solve tickets automatically
through messaging inactivity reminders instead of using this automation
workflow.
</p>
<h2 id="h_01KS20FGZMSC70Z5NG5E6VXY81">
What are the limitations of the hours since update condition? What
are the plan restrictions for custom ticket statuses in automations?
</h2>
<p>
The <strong>Hours since update</strong> condition starts counting
strictly from the last update in the ticket. In accounts with custom
ticket statuses deactivated, you must use the
<strong>Ticket: Status</strong> and
<strong>Ticket: Hours since pending</strong> categories for the automation
setup, and <strong>Status</strong> for the view condition.
</p>
</details>
</div>