How to Automatically Add Ticket Reply Using Triggers
You can set up automatic replies using the Ticket Created and Ticket Updated triggers. This helps you respond instantly to common requests like password resets, account activations, or maintenance questions by automatically adding a reply when a ticket is created or updated.
These automated replies are treated as formal responses and therefore affect SLA.
- BoldDesk does not support sending emails to contact groups using the “Send email to group” action in ticket automations. Notifications can only be sent to users within the selected agent group.
- Replies added through automation cannot be scheduled or undone.
- Draft replies are not supported; replies are applied immediately when conditions are met.
- Ensure agents have the required “Reply via agent portal” permission enabled to manage automation replies.
Why Use Add Reply in Automation Rules?
- Save time by eliminating manual replies for common scenarios.
- Ensure consistency in responses across all tickets.
- Improve accuracy with predefined, approved messages.
- Personalize replies using dynamic placeholders.
Configuring Auto Reply Action
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Go to Admin > Ticket Automation section.
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Select the trigger: Create Ticket Trigger or Update Ticket Trigger.
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Select Add Rule and provide the Rule name and Description.
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Define Conditions that must be met for the rule to apply.
- For example: Subject → contains → Password Reset, Forgot Password
- For more details on Condition Fields in BoldDesk Filter and Automation, learn more on Condition Fields in BoldDesk Filter and Automation.
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Click Next and select Add Reply in the action section from the dropdown menu, and provide a predefined message/canned response in the description.
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Click Add to activate the rule.
When configuring the Add Reply action, you can further customize how the reply behaves:
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Post Reply on Behalf of Agent
- Enabled → The reply is posted as an agent update. If no agent is assigned, it appears as a System Automation Update.
- Disabled → The reply follows the default automation behavior.
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Exclude ‘on behalf of agent’ text
Removes the phrase from the ticket message and email notifications. -
Do Not Send Notification
- Logs the reply in the ticket without sending a notification to the requester.
- Enables the option to suppress survey emails.
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Don’t Send Survey Notifications
Prevents survey emails from being triggered after the automated reply.
Configuring Auto Reply During Non-Business Hours Using Update Triggers
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Go to Admin > Ticket Automation section.
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Select the trigger: Update Ticket Trigger.
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Select Add Rule and provide the Rule name and Description.
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Define Conditions that must be met for the rule to apply: event type = reply added, and event performer type = requester
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Configure the action to send an email to user (requester).
This ensures customers are automatically informed that your team is currently unavailable, providing a consistent response even outside working hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is an automatically added ticket reply in BoldDesk?
An automatically added ticket reply is a ticket response created by an automation rule when a ticket is created or updated. It is used to respond instantly to common requests. -
Do replies added through triggers affect SLA calculations?
Yes. Replies created using Add Reply are treated as formal responses and count toward SLA. -
Which triggers support auto replies?
Auto replies can be configured with Create Ticket Trigger and Update Ticket Trigger. -
Can I control when the auto reply is sent?
Yes. The automation rule runs only when the configured Conditions match (for example, subject keyword matching). -
How do I configure keyword matching for an auto reply?
Add a condition such as Subject → contains → {keyword} in the rule conditions. -
Can BoldDesk detect keywords in incoming emails?
Yes. Keyword detection is performed through automation conditions, commonly using Subject contains checks. -
Can I send an automatic email reply outside business hours?
Yes. Use an Update Ticket Trigger with conditions for outside business hours, event type = reply added, and event performer = requester, then configure an email-to-requester action. -
Why do trigger replies fail during setup?
Trigger replies may fail validation if they include unsupported placeholders (for example, placeholders copied from email templates). -
How do I identify supported placeholders?
Use the Insert Placeholders option in the trigger editor and only select placeholders available there.
