How to Configure AI Agent Assignment Rules in BoldDesk
AI Agent Assignment in BoldDesk enables you to automatically assign AI agents to tickets based on predefined ticket events and conditions. It provides a dedicated framework for managing AI-powered ticket handling separately from ticket routing and human agent assignment, giving you greater control over when and how AI agents participate in support workflows.
Using AI Agent Assignment rules, you can:
- Assign a Response Agent to generate replies, drafts, public notes, or private notes.
- Assign a Background Agent to analyze ticket content and generate findings.
- Assign a Copilot Agent to assist support agents with ticket handling.
- Configure AI agent assignments without affecting existing ticket routing or human agent assignment workflows.
By assigning the appropriate AI agent when specific conditions are met, you can improve ticket-handling efficiency, maintain consistent support processes, and deliver more timely and relevant responses.
Prerequisites
Before creating an AI Agent Assignment rule, ensure that:
- BoldDesk AI features are enabled for your account.
- At least one AI Agent is configured in your BoldDesk account.
For AI setup instructions, explore How to Create and Manage AI 2.0 Agent in BoldDesk.
Create an AI Agent Assignment Rule
To create an AI Agent Assignment rule:
- Sign in to BoldDesk.
- Go to Admin > AI Automation > AI Agent Assignment.
- Click Add Rule.
- In Choose Condition, configure the ticket event and rule conditions.
- Click Next.
- In Assign AI Agents, select and configure one or more AI agent types:
- Response Agent
- Background Agent
- Copilot Agent
- Click Add to save the rule.
AI Agent Types and Settings
The following AI agent types can be assigned through an AI Agent Assignment rule.
| AI Agent Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Response Agent | Generates customer-facing replies, drafts, and notes directly within the ticket. |
| Background Agent | Analyzes ticket content and generates AI findings in the background. |
| Copilot Agent | Provides support agents with AI-powered summarize, ask, and draft assistance within the ticket. |
Response Agent
AI Agent generates AI-powered responses and notes within a ticket. These are the settings:
1. Choose AI Agent
Select the Response Agent to assign.
2. AI Response Type
Defines how the AI generates content.
| Response Type | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Reply | Responds to every customer message. |
| First Reply | Responds only to the customer’s first message. |
| Public Note | Adds a customer-visible note. |
| Private Note | Adds an internal note visible only to agents. |
| Draft | Creates a draft response for agent review. |
AI-generated responses may be sent directly to customers without human review. Carefully review the selected response type and disclaimer settings before enabling automatic responses.
3. AI Disclaimer
When enabled, additional text is included with AI-generated responses, such as:
This response was generated automatically by our AI Agent. If it doesn’t fully resolve your issue, reply here and a human support agent will help you.
Background Agent
A Background Agent analyzes ticket content without directly interacting with customers.
Common Uses
- Root cause analysis
- Sentiment analysis
- Ticket classification
- Content summarization
- Information extraction
- Workflow automation
Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Choose AI Agent | Select the Background Agent to assign. |
| Run Analysis When | Defines when analysis runs. |
| Findings Usage | Controls whether a Response Agent uses generated findings. |
Analysis Triggers
Analysis is done when the conditions are met for Ticket Created and Customer Reply Added.
Findings Usage Options
Choose how the assigned Response Agent uses analysis findings.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Skip findings | Respond using ticket content only. Analysis findings are ignored. This is labelled the fastest. |
| Use findings if ready | Respond immediately and include analysis findings when available. It is labelled balanced. |
| Wait for findings | Wait for analysis to complete before generating a response. This is labelled as the most complete. |
Use findings if ready is selected by default. Wait for findings is available only when a Response Agent is also configured.
Analysis findings are automatically added to the ticket as a private note.
Copilot Agent
A Copilot Agent provides AI assistance to support agents working on tickets.
Capabilities
- Summarize conversations
- Ask questions about ticket content
- Generate draft responses
- Assist with ticket handling using ticket context
Settings
Choose AI Agent for the Copilot Agent to assign. If no Copilot Agent is selected, BoldDesk automatically assigns the default Copilot Agent.
How Assignment Rules Behave
AI Agent Assignment rules are designed to add AI agents without disrupting existing assignments.
Rule Evaluation
- Rules run only when configured conditions are met.
- Only the first matching rule is executed.
- Remaining matching rules are skipped.
Assignment Behavior
- Rules assign AI agents only to empty assignment slots.
- Existing AI assignments are never overwritten.
- Manual assignment changes remain intact.
- Automatic updates do not replace manual changes.
Example
If a ticket already has Response Agent A assigned and a rule attempts to assign Response Agent B, the existing assignment remains unchanged.
If the ticket does not have a Copilot Agent assigned, the configured Copilot Agent is added.
Ticket Limits
Each ticket can have a maximum of:
- One Response Agent
- One Background Agent
- One Copilot Agent
Updating Existing Rules
When modifying an AI Agent Assignment rule, you can choose:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Future Tickets Only | Applies changes only to future assignments. |
| Existing and Future Tickets | Updates eligible existing tickets and future assignments. |
Only tickets originally associated with the rule are eligible for updates.
Agent Availability and Failures
Assignment rules run only when the selected AI agent is active and available.
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| AI agent is inactive | Assignment or execution is skipped. |
| Assignment fails | The failure is logged. No retry occurs. |
| AI invocation fails | The failure is logged and ticket processing continues. |
| Existing assignment already exists | The existing assignment remains unchanged. |
Failure details are recorded for troubleshooting and auditing.
Rule Deletion
Deleting a rule affects only future executions.
- Existing AI assignments remain unchanged.
- Existing tickets continue using their assigned AI agents.
- The deleted rule no longer runs for future events.
Common Configurations
| Goal | Event | Conditions | AI Agent | Behavior | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send an automatic first reply | Ticket Created | Department = Support | Response Agent | First Reply | Customers receive an AI-generated initial response. |
| Provide AI assistance to agents | Any matching ticket | Department = Product Support | Copilot Agent | Default Copilot workflow | Agents receive Copilot assistance. |
| Analyze new tickets | Ticket Created | Any | Background Agent | Run analysis on ticket creation | Findings are generated automatically. |
| Use analysis before responding | Ticket Created | Priority = Critical | Background Agent + Response Agent | Wait for findings | Responses are generated using analysis results. |
| Analyze customer replies | Customer Reply Added | Any | Background Agent | Run analysis on reply | Findings are generated when customers respond. |
Troubleshooting AI Agent Assignment
A rule did not run for a ticket event
- Confirm the ticket event matches the rule event configuration in Choose Condition.
- Confirm the ticket meets the rule conditions at the time the event occurred.
- Confirm another rule did not match first, because BoldDesk executes only the first matching rule.
The AI agent was not assigned
- Confirm the ticket’s slot for that agent type is empty. AI Agent Assignment rules do not overwrite existing assignments.
- Confirm the selected AI agent is active and available. Inactive agents cause assignment or execution to be skipped.
- If assignment fails, review the failure log entry (failures are logged; no retry occurs).
“Wait for findings” is not available
Confirm the rule also configures a Response Agent. BoldDesk only enables Wait for findings when a Response Agent is configured.
Background Agent findings are not visible
- Confirm the Background Agent ran on Ticket Created or Customer Reply Added events.
- Confirm the ticket received a private note, because Background Agent findings are automatically written as a private note.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Can AI Agent Assignment overwrite an existing AI agent assignment on a ticket?
No. AI Agent Assignment rules fill only empty AI assignment slots and never replace an existing assigned AI agent. -
Can multiple AI Agent Assignment rules run for the same ticket event?
No. BoldDesk uses first-match execution. Once one rule matches and runs, remaining matching rules are skipped. -
How many AI agents can be assigned to a single ticket?
One Response Agent, one Background Agent, and one Copilot Agent per ticket. Multiple agents of the same type are not supported. -
What happens if the selected AI agent is inactive?
Assignment or execution is skipped. The event is logged for troubleshooting and auditing. -
Do AI Agent Assignment rules affect ticket routing or human agent assignment?
No. AI Agent Assignment provides a separate framework and does not change existing routing or human assignment workflows. -
What does “Use findings if ready” mean for Background Agent findings?
The AI Agent replies immediately in the ticket private note and incorporates Background Agent findings when available. This option is set as the default.
