Smarter Week

How to automate it

How to automate “send status updates to customers waiting on a fix”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today.

15 min
typically, every day
70%
of the time can be automated
Some setup
to set up

Fix 1 of 2

AutomationBest fix

Update waiting customers automatically when the issue changes

When the linked Jira or Linear issue moves to fixed, a trigger notifies every linked ticket. A status page covers outages so you are not answering one by one.

Typically saves about 60% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Link tickets to issues using your helpdesk's Jira or Linear integration.
  2. 2Add a trigger: when the linked issue is resolved, send a macro and set the ticket to pending.
  3. 3Use a status page (Atlassian Statuspage, Instatus, Better Stack) for incidents.
  4. 4Send a bulk update to all linked tickets during an incident instead of individual replies.

Tools: Zendesk or Intercom triggers · Jira or Linear integration · Atlassian Statuspage · Instatus

Fix 2 of 2

Software feature

Turn your most-typed answers into macros

Macros (saved replies) fill in the answer, set the tags and change the status in one click. Most helpdesks can now suggest the right macro too.

Typically saves about 35% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Pull a report of your top 15 ticket reasons.
  2. 2Write one macro for each, with placeholders for the customer's name and details.
  3. 3Have each macro also set tags and status.
  4. 4Turn on macro suggestions if your helpdesk has them, and review macros quarterly.

Tools: Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Help Scout, HubSpot Service Hub or Salesforce Service Cloud

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Do you use macros that fill in the answer and set the tags in one click?
A macro is a saved reply that also updates the ticket fields. Setting up your top 15 can save several minutes on each common ticket.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

HourLeak · the 8-minute work audit

How many hours does this cost you?

The free 8-minute check works out where your week goes and gives you your top fixes. The team scan does the same for everyone and adds it up, so you know which leaks to fix first.

Answers are anonymous. Leaders only see team totals.

Other common tasks for Customer Support Agents