Setting up intelligent triage topics

<body>
<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">As part ofintelligent triage, topics classify what a ticket is about. You can use the topics that appear in tickets to automate your workflows.</p>
<div class="article-banners">
<div id="docs-wmp-link">
<a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5411234991258-plan" rel="noopener" target="_blank">What's my plan?</a>
</div>

<div class="article-banner" id="addon_copilot">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Add-on</strong>
</td>
<td>Copilot</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

</div>

<div class="body">

<p class="p" dir="ltr">As part of <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4964463770650" target="_blank">intelligent triage</a>, topics classify what a ticket is
about. You can use the topics that appear in tickets to automate your workflows.</p>
<div class="p" dir="ltr">To begin, it's helpful to understand the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5222280338202" target="_blank">use cases</a> where topics can help in ticket workflows. Here are some
ways you can use them:<ul class="ul" id="topic-1__ul_atf_dts_42c">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5222280338202-Intelligent-triage-use-cases-and-workflows#topic_ojz_rdx_tvb" target="_blank">Redirect customers to self-serve</a>.<p class="p">For example, you can deflect tickets with account password or sign
in issues by sending an auto reply with an article that describes how to solve the
problem.</p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6191493148186-Routing-automatically-triaged-tickets-using-standalone-skills-based-routing" target="_blank">Route tickets to the right groups</a>.<p class="p">For example, you can assign a refund topic directly to agents who
specialize in handling refunds.</p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4766535251610-Routing-automatically-triaged-tickets-using-omnichannel-routing#topic_k43_4hs_25b" target="_blank">Increase ticket priority</a>.<p class="p" dir="ltr">For example, you can increase SLA priority for tickets that report
scam issues.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">To help you get the most out of Zendesk's AI Copilot features, this
article provides an overview on how admins can get started with topics. It contains the
following sections:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic-1__ul_vhy_5d3_b3b">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_nfx_tgn_k2c">Step 1: Set up the channels for topic detection</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_usd_cfy_j2c">Step 2: Use triggers to create workflows based on topics</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_gdf_x5y_j2c">Step 3: Track your progress with the Intelligent triage dashboard</a></li>
</ul>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">Related articles</strong></p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic-1__ul_tft_dql_tkb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4964463770650" target="_blank">About intelligent triage</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5222280338202" target="_blank">Intelligent triage use cases and workflows</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7934127855002" target="_blank">Overview of the Intelligent triage dashboard</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_nfx_tgn_k2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Step 1: Set up the channels for topic detection</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can set which ticket channels include <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4550640560538#topic_ebn_l4g_htb" target="_blank">topic detection</a>.</p>
<p class="p">For example, you might want your agents to view topics on email
channels, but not messaging channels.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To set up channels for topics</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_nfx_tgn_k2c__ol_ofx_tgn_k2c">
<li class="li">
<span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_nfx_tgn_k2c__d8e1503" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_ai.png">
<strong class="ph b">AI</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Intelligent triage &gt; Topic</strong>.</span><p class="p">A list of intelligent triage topics appears.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Manage settings</strong>.<p class="p">A <strong class="ph b">Manage settings</strong> page
appears.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">For topic detection, add the <strong class="ph b">Channels</strong> you use the most. Some channels are
already added by default.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_nfx_tgn_k2c__image_rfx_tgn_k2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ai_gs_intent_channels.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p">For a full
list of channels you can add, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4550640560538#topic_gpp_p4g_htb" target="_blank">Automatically classifying tickets with intelligent
triage</a>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_usd_cfy_j2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Step 2: Use triggers to create workflows based on topics</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Once you are familiar with the use cases where topics can help and
configure which channels include topic detection, you can create ticket triggers to manage
ticket workflows based on topics. For example, you can create a trigger to automatically
route any ticket with an Account activation topic to a group of agents in your company who
handle account services.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To create a trigger based on topic</strong></p>
<p class="p">To automate ticket workflows, create ticket triggers based on topic.</p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_usd_cfy_j2c__ol_mnz_tqy_j2c">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_usd_cfy_j2c__d8e1812" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_objects_rules_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Objects and rules</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Business rules &gt;
Triggers</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">On the Triggers page, click the <strong class="ph b">Ticket</strong> tab, then click <strong class="ph b">Create
trigger</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Enter a <strong class="ph b">Name</strong>, <strong class="ph b">Description</strong>, and <strong class="ph b">Category</strong> for your trigger. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408886797466" target="_blank">Creating ticket triggers</a> for details.</li>
<li class="li">In trigger <strong class="ph b">Conditions</strong>, add the <strong class="ph b">Topic</strong> you want to use as part of the
trigger condition.<p class="p">You can use the values included on the Topics
list to specify a condition. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9488234915610" target="_blank">Accessing and viewing intelligent triage topics</a>.</p>
<p class="p">For
example:</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">Topic | Is | Account::Account activation</strong></p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_usd_cfy_j2c__image_mtt_ryy_j2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ai_gs_intent_trigger_condition.png" width="500"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">In trigger <strong class="ph b">Actions</strong>, add the actions you want to perform when the condition
applies.<p class="p">For example:</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">Ticket &gt; Group | Account services</strong></p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_usd_cfy_j2c__image_rlm_syy_j2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ai_gs_intent_trigger_action.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p">For more information on trigger conditions and actions, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408893545882" target="_blank">Ticket trigger conditions and actions reference</a> and <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408842880282" target="_blank">Zendesk chat and messaging triggers conditions and actions
reference</a>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Create trigger</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<div class="note tip">
<span class="tiptitle">Tip:</span> You can incorporate intelligent triage classifications
into your omnichannel routing workflow for email and messaging tickets. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4766535251610" target="_blank">this article</a> for details.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_gdf_x5y_j2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Step 3: Track your progress with the Intelligent triage dashboard</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Zendesk Explore includes an <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7934127855002" target="_blank">Intelligent triage dashboard</a> you can use to extract valuable
insights into your tickets. Use these insights to improve your workflows and determine how
effective your support is.</p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To open the Intelligent triage dashboard</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_gdf_x5y_j2c__ol_dw4_svy_j2c">
<li class="li">Open the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838272410" target="_blank">product menu</a> and select <strong class="ph b">Analytics</strong>.<p class="p">A list of Explore dashboards appears.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">From the list of dashboards, click the <strong class="ph b">Zendesk Copilot: Intelligent triage</strong>
dashboard.<p class="p" dir="ltr">As you drive more volume of tickets, the
intelligent triage dashboard will help you understand your service operations and
provide insights to identify opportunities to improve.</p>
<div class="note tip">
<span class="tiptitle">Tip:</span> You can also view suggestions for improvements in the
<strong class="ph b">Recommendations</strong> section of the Overview: Copilot page.</div>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<script id="docs-schema-markup" type="application/ld+json">{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "TechArticle",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8903424797722",
"url": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8903424797722",
"headline": "Setting up intelligent triage topics",
"description": "You can set up and manage intelligent triage topics to classify tickets, create triggers for automated workflows based on these topics, and track performance using an analytics dashboard.",
"articleSection": "Using Intelligent triage ticket predictions",
"datePublished": "2025-02-16T19:55:58+00:00",
"dateModified": "2026-06-10T21:44:07.578895+00:00",
"inLanguage": "en",
"mainEntityOfPage": {
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8903424797722"
},
"author": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "WebSite",
"name": "Zendesk Help",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/"
},
"about": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com",
"softwareAddOn": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Support",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/4405303717658"
}
}
}</script>
</body>