Ticket statuses show the current progress of support requests and help agents organize tickets throughout their lifecycle. BoldDesk includes default system statuses and allows you to create custom statuses for additional workflow stages.

Each status belongs to a fixed status category that controls the SLA timer. You can edit status labels, configure end-user reply behaviour, reorder statuses, and delete custom statuses. However, default system statuses and status categories cannot be deleted.

This article explains how ticket status categories work and how to create, edit, reorder, and delete ticket statuses.

Prerequisites

Before managing ticket statuses, ensure that:

• Your assigned role includes the Manage fields and forms permission.
• You understand the SLA behaviour required for the status.
• You have identified how end-user replies should affect tickets in the status.
• You have reviewed any automations, SLAs, reports, views, or integrations that use the status.

Understand Ticket Status Categories

Every ticket status belongs to one of the following system-defined categories:

The status categories are fixed and cannot be deleted, renamed, or replaced. You also cannot change the SLA timer behaviour associated with a category.

For example:

• A status in the Pending category keeps the SLA timer active.
• A status in the Hold category pauses the SLA timer.
• A status in the Closed category stops the SLA timer.

Watch the following video for an overview of ticket status customisation:

Understand the Default System Statuses

BoldDesk includes the following default system statuses:

The default system statuses cannot be deleted:

• New
• Open
• On Hold
• Waiting for Customer
• Solved
• Closed

You can edit the available labels and settings of default statuses where supported, but the underlying system status and category remain unchanged.

Configure End-User Reply Behaviour for a Closed Ticket

Use the On End User Reply setting to control what happens when an end user replies to a ticket in the system Closed status.

The following options are available:

Automatically Change the Ticket Status to Open

Select this option when an end-user reply should reopen the original ticket.

When the end user replies through email or the Customer Portal:

• BoldDesk changes the ticket status to Open.
• The reply is added to the original ticket.
• Agents can continue handling the original ticket.

Create a New Follow-Up Ticket

Select this option when the original ticket must remain closed and a new ticket should be created for the end-user reply.

When this option is selected:

• An end user cannot update the closed ticket through the Customer Portal.
• A reply received through email creates a new follow-up ticket.
• The original ticket remains closed.

Do Not Perform Any Action on the Ticket State

Select this option when an end-user reply should not change the ticket’s status.

The reply can be added through email or the Customer Portal, but the ticket remains in its current status.

Create a Ticket with a Closed Status

You can make the Status field available in the Agent Portal ticket-creation form. This allows agents to create a ticket directly with an applicable Closed-category status.

Create a Custom Ticket Status

Create a custom status when the default statuses do not fully represent your ticket-handling process.

Custom statuses can be created under the following categories:

• Pending
• Hold

You cannot create a new custom status directly under the Closed category.

Create a Pending or Hold Status

To create a custom status:

1. Go to Admin > Fields & Forms > Ticket Fields.

2. Open the Status field.

   

3. Click Create Status.

   

4. Configure the required settings.

5. Click Create.

Configure the Custom Status Settings

Configure the following settings:

Represent Another Workflow Under the Closed Category

BoldDesk does not support creating an additional custom status directly under the Closed category.

Use one of the following approaches when another Closed-category label or workflow is required.

Rename Solved or Closed

Rename the agent-facing or end-user-facing label of the existing Solved or Closed status.

For example, you can rename Closed to Cancelled.

To rename the status:

1. Go to Admin > Fields & Forms > Ticket Fields.
2. Open the Status field.
3. Locate Solved or Closed.
4. Click More options, and then select Edit.
5. Update Label for Agent or Label for End User.
6. Click Update.

Use a Hold Status with an Automation Rule

Create a custom status under the Hold category and use an Update Ticket Trigger to move the ticket to Closed when the custom status is selected.

For example:

Custom status: Cancelled
Status category: Hold

Configure the trigger as follows:

Event: Status changed
New status: Cancelled

Configure the action as:

Set Status: Closed

Use this approach only when the temporary Hold-category status and automatic transition meet your workflow requirements.

Edit a Ticket Status

Edit a status to update its supported labels and settings.

To edit a status:

1. Go to Admin > Fields & Forms > Ticket Fields.

2. Open the Status field.

3. Locate the required status.

4. Click More options, and then select Edit.

   

5. Update the applicable settings.

6. Click Update.

   
   
   

To change how the status appears:

• Update Label for Agent to change the name displayed in the Agent Portal.
• Update Label for End User to change the name displayed in the Customer Portal.

Reorder Ticket Statuses

To change the order in which statuses appear:

1. Go to Admin > Fields & Forms > Ticket Fields.

2. Open the Status field.

3. Drag the required status to the preferred position.

4. Confirm that the statuses appear in the required order.

   
   
   

Delete a Custom Ticket Status

You can delete a custom ticket status when it is no longer required. Default system statuses cannot be deleted.

Before deleting a custom status, select another status from the same category for the tickets currently associated with it.

To delete a custom status:

1. Go to Admin > Fields & Forms > Ticket Fields.

2. Open the Status field.

3. Locate the custom status you want to delete.

4. Click More options, and then select Delete.

5. Select another status from the same category for the affected tickets.

6. Confirm the deletion.

   
   
   

Permission Required to Manage Ticket Statuses

Agents must have the Manage fields and forms permission to create, edit, reorder, or delete ticket statuses.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I delete a default system status?
   No. The default system statuses cannot be deleted. Only custom statuses can be deleted.

2. Can I create a custom status under the Closed category?
   No. New custom statuses can be created only under the Pending and Hold categories.

3. Can I rename Solved or Closed?
   Yes. You can update the applicable agent-facing or end-user-facing label. The status remains in the Closed category, and its SLA timer remains off.

4. Can I change the category of an existing status?
   The status category determines core SLA behavior. Create another custom status under the required supported category when a different category is needed.

5. What happens to tickets when I delete a custom status?
   During deletion, select another status from the same category. BoldDesk moves the affected tickets to the selected replacement status.

6. What happens when an end user replies to a closed ticket?
   The result depends on the configured On End User Reply behavior. BoldDesk can reopen the original ticket, create a follow-up ticket, or leave the ticket state unchanged.

7. Can I prevent a ticket from changing to Open after an end-user reply?
   Yes. Disable the automatic-reopen behavior for a supported status. For the system Closed status, select Do not perform any action on the ticket state.

8. Does renaming a status change its SLA behavior?
   No. Renaming a label does not change the underlying status category or its SLA timer behavior.

9. Which permission is required to manage ticket statuses?
   The assigned role must include the Manage fields and forms permission.