BoldDesk ticket triggers allow you to send customized email notifications when tickets meet specific conditions. You can define the recipients, personalize the email content, and control when the notification is sent.

Use trigger-based email notifications when the standard email-notification events do not meet a specific workflow requirement.

This article explains how to configure a trigger-based email notification and how the selected trigger recipients differ from recipients configured under Admin > Email Notifications.

Prerequisites

Before configuring the trigger, ensure that:

• Your assigned role includes permission to manage the applicable ticket trigger.
• You have identified the event or conditions that should send the email.
• You have identified the required recipients.
• You have prepared the email subject and message.
• Any placeholders required in the message are available for the applicable trigger.
• The email notification does not require attachments.

Choose the Applicable Trigger

Select the trigger based on when the email should be sent:

Configure the Trigger Conditions

Configure conditions that identify the tickets for which the email notification should be sent.

For example, you can configure the trigger to send an email when:

• A ticket is created during non-business hours.
• A ticket remains unassigned for a specified period.
• A ticket is assigned to an agent.
• A ticket status changes.
• A ticket approaches or exceeds a due date.
• A ticket matches a specific brand, category, priority, or custom field value.

Ensure that the conditions are specific enough to prevent unintended or duplicate email notifications.

Configure the Send Email To User Action

To configure the email action:

1. Open the applicable Create Ticket Trigger, Update Ticket Trigger, or Time Trigger.

2. Configure the required conditions.

3. Proceed to the trigger actions.

4. Select Send Email To User.

5. Select the required recipients.

   

6. Enter the email subject and message.

7. Insert the required placeholders.

8. Save and activate the trigger.

9. Test the rule using a suitable ticket.

The Send Email To User action can send email to applicable recipients such as:

• Creator
• Previously Assigned Agent
• Assigned agent
• Requester
• CC Users
• Selected contacts
• Selected agents

Understand Creator and Requester Recipients

The Creator and Requester are separate ticket roles:

• Creator: Records who originally created or submitted the ticket.
• Requester: Identifies the person associated with the request. An authorized agent can change the Requester after ticket creation.

The same person may be both the Creator and Requester. The roles may also belong to different people, such as when an agent creates a ticket on behalf of a customer.

For example:

Creator: Agent who created the ticket
Requester: Customer for whom the ticket was created

If the same person is both Creator and Requester, clearing Creator does not necessarily prevent that person from receiving the trigger-generated email. The person may still receive it through the Requester recipient selection.

Understand Trigger Emails and Standard Email Notifications

Trigger-generated emails and standard email notifications are managed separately.

For example, a Create Ticket Trigger may have Creator cleared. However, the ticket Requester may still receive the standard New Ticket Created contact notification when that event is enabled for the ticket’s brand.

To troubleshoot an unexpected email, review:

1. The recipients selected in the trigger.
2. The applicable event under Admin > Email Notifications.
3. Whether the event is enabled for the ticket’s brand.
4. The template assigned to that brand.
5. Whether the person holds more than one ticket role, such as Creator and Requester.

Customize the Email Content

Use Insert Placeholders to include ticket information dynamically in the subject or message.

Placeholders can be used to insert information such as:

• Ticket ID
• Ticket subject
• Requester details
• Assigned agent
• Ticket status
• Priority
• Category
• Due dates
• Supported custom-field values

For the available placeholders, learn more on What Are the Available Placeholders in Email Templates.

Troubleshooting

An Unselected Person Still Receives an Email

The person may have received:

• The email through another selected role, such as Requester.
• A standard email notification configured under Admin > Email Notifications.
• A separate notification from another trigger.
• An email because the person is a CC recipient, watcher, selected agent, or member of a selected group.

Review all applicable recipient roles and notification configurations.

The Creator Still Receives an Email After Creator Is Cleared

Confirm whether the Creator is also:

• The Requester
• A CC recipient
• A watcher
• The assigned agent
• A member of a selected group

Also review whether a standard email-notification event sent the email independently of the trigger.

The Requester Does Not Receive the Email

Confirm that:

• Requester is selected in the Send Email To User action.
• The ticket has a valid Requester.
• The Requester has a valid email address.
• The trigger conditions matched.
• The recipient address is not blocked or suppressed.
• Another configuration did not intentionally suppress the email.

The Email Contains Missing Information

Confirm that:

• The required placeholders are supported by the trigger.
• The corresponding ticket fields contain values.
• The placeholders are entered correctly.
• The trigger is using the expected ticket information.

Duplicate Emails Are Sent

Confirm that:

• Another trigger is not sending a similar email.
• A standard notification event is not sending a separate email for the same ticket action.
• The same person is not selected through multiple applicable recipient roles.
• The trigger is not executing repeatedly because of additional ticket updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can ticket triggers send customized email notifications?
   Yes. Use the Send Email To User action in a Create Ticket Trigger, Update Ticket Trigger, or Time Trigger.

2. Who can receive a trigger-generated email?
   Depending on the trigger, recipients can include the Creator, Requester, assigned agent, CC recipients, selected contacts, selected agents, or selected groups.

3. What happens when I clear Creator from the recipient list?
   The trigger does not send its custom email to the Creator in that role. However, the same person may still receive the email through another selected role, such as Requester.

4. Does clearing Creator disable standard email notifications for that person?
   No. Standard email notifications are configured separately under Admin > Email Notifications.

5. Can the Creator and Requester be different people?
   Yes. For example, an agent can create a ticket on behalf of a customer. The agent is the Creator, while the customer is the Requester.

6. Can the Creator and Requester be the same person?
   Yes. This commonly occurs when a customer submits a ticket directly.

7. Why did the Requester receive a New Ticket Created email when Creator was cleared in the trigger?
   The standard New Ticket Created contact notification is separate from the trigger-generated email. If the event is enabled for the ticket’s brand, the Requester may receive it independently.

Related Articles

1. How to Send a Ticket Reminder Using a Trigger
2. Notifying Users About Ticket Creation During Holidays or Non-Business Hours
3. Sending Email Notifications for Unassigned Tickets
4. How to Notify a Requester When a Ticket Is Assigned to an Agent
5. Notifying the User When the Status Changes to Open Without Posting a Response
6. How to Notify an Agent When a New Ticket Is Created
7. What Are the Available Placeholders in Email Templates