Configuring and Managing Automatic Timers in BoldDesk

BoldDesk provides two timer options for tracking the time agents spend on tickets:

1. Automatic Mode – Automatically creates worklogs based on agent actions.
2. Manual Mode (Timer-Based Manual Tracking) – Provides an automatic timer widget that agents manually start, pause, and stop.

This article explains how to configure both modes, how the timer behaves on the ticket details page, and how agents manage worklogs.

Prerequisites

• You must be an agent with a role that can Manage Settings (Admin > Roles and Permissions).
• Time tracking is configured per Agent Portal and applies to Tickets.
• (Optional) Agents need permissions to Add, Edit, and Delete worklogs.

Use Cases & Benefits

Use Cases

• Track effort for billable and non‑billable activities on tickets.
• Enforce time entry during Replies or Notes to ensure complete records.
• Automate worklog creation on key actions (e.g., Reply, Note, Approvals) to reduce manual effort.

Benefits

• Accurate time capture for reporting and invoicing.
• Policy compliance with mandatory worklog preferences.
• Operational visibility via the Worklog tab on each ticket and worklog reports.

How to configure Time Tracking

1. Go to Admin → Agent Portal Settings → Worklog.

2. (Optional) In Ticket worklog preferences, set policies:

   • Mandatory to add time spent while adding replies
   • Mandatory to add time spent while adding notes
   • Mandatory to add description while adding or editing worklog
   • Default worklog type set as billable

3. In Time Tracking – Tickets, choose one mode:

   • Manual — agents control the timer and save it as a worklog.
   • Automatic — worklogs are created based on selected agent actions.

4. (Optional) In Idle handling, enable Automatically pause all active sessions after inactivity and select a duration (for example, 30 sec).

5. Click Update.
   

   

Manual Mode

The Manual mode lets agents control a timer on the ticket details page and convert the tracked time into a worklog. The timer widget shows Start, Pause/Resume, Stop and save timer, and Reset controls.

How to Configure

• Go to Admin → Agent Portal Settings → Worklog.

• Enable the Time Tracking – Tickets, then select Manual.

• Click Update.
  

  
  
  

How to Manage

1. Start the timer

   • Open Tickets Module → select your desired ticket.
   • On the header, click Start to begin tracking.
     
     

2. Pause/Resume during work

   • Click Pause to stop counting temporarily; click Resume to continue.
     
     

3. Stop and Save as a worklog

   • Click Stop and save timer.
     
     

• You are redirected to Add Worklog. Review the fields:

  • Date and Time (prefilled)

  • Time Spent (prefilled from the timer; editable)

  • Billable (checkbox)

  • Worklog Description (Optional)
    

    

  • Click Save Timer & Log Work to create the entry.

4. Review or edit the entry

   • Open the ticket’s Worklog tab to view and edit.

5. Monitor Active Timer

   • Click the worklog time icon or worklog tab to view running timers for the ticket.
     
     

Automatic Mode

In Automatic mode, BoldDesk creates worklogs automatically when agents perform selected actions—no timer controls are required on the ticket header.

How to Configure

1. Go to Admin → Agent Portal Settings → Worklog.

2. In Time Tracking – Tickets, select Automatic.

3. In the mode switch alert:

   • Choose Discard to switch without saving partial time.
   • Choose Log to preserve any active timing as worklogs.
   • Confirm Yes, Enable (or Cancel to stay in Manual).

4. Under Choose actions to track, select one or more:

   • Replies (selected by default)
   • Notes
   • Resolution Due
   • Response Due
   • Approvals

5. (Optional) In Idle handling, enable Automatically pause all active sessions after inactivity and choose a duration.

6. Click Update.
   

   

How to Manage

1. Work as usual

   • Perform any of the configured actions (for example, send a Reply, add Notes).

2. Automatic creation

   • BoldDesk creates a worklog for the ticket based on the action—no need to start/stop a timer.

3. Review or edit

   • Open the ticket’s Worklog tab to review and (with permission) adjust the saved entry.

4. Tracking visibility

   • Timer controls on the header are not required in Automatic mode; use the Worklog tab for verification.

Roles and Permissions

1. Only agents with the Admins role with permission to manage settings can configure time tracking settings.
   

   

2. Agents require permission to:
   

   

Permissions are managed in: Admin → Roles and Permissions → Select Role to manage

FAQs

1. Can Manual and Automatic modes run at the same time?
   No. Choose either Manual or Automatic in Admin → Agent Portal Settings → Worklog. Only the selected mode applies.

2. Do mode changes alter existing worklogs?
   No. Switching modes affects future tracking only. Previously saved worklogs remain unchanged.

3. Can I create custom automatic triggers beyond the listed actions?
   No. Automatic tracking supports only Replies, Notes, Resolution Due, Response Due, and Approvals.

4. Does idle handling pause timing in both modes?
   No. It works in Automatic Mode; when enabled in Worklog settings, idle handling pauses active sessions after the selected inactivity period in either mode.

5. What happens to the automatic timer if I refresh the page or navigate to another ticket in the same tab?
   When using Automatic Mode, the timer data is not preserved if you refresh the page or open another ticket in the same browser tab. If you return to the original ticket, the timer resets and starts again from zero.

Related Articles

1. Overview about Worklog Report
2. Worklog Webhook