How to Automatically Assign Tickets in BoldDesk
An Auto-Assignment Rule automatically routes incoming support tickets to a specific team or group within the organization based on predefined ticket attributes. It uses Round-Robin logic to distribute tickets evenly among agents or based on workload.
Please refer to the video below for more insights on auto assignment:
Key Benefits of Auto-Assignment
- Time Savings: Automatically assigns tickets to agents, reducing manual effort for supervisors.
- Agent Availability Check: Ensures tickets are not assigned to unavailable agents.
- Balanced Workload: Distributes tickets evenly to prevent agent overload.
- Prevents Cherry-Picking: Stops agents from selectively choosing tickets.
- Faster Customer Response: Reduces waiting time for customers.
Types of Assignment Modes
- Round Robin (Even Distribution): Assigns tickets equally among all available agents.
- Round Robin (Load-Based): Assigns tickets based on current agent workload.
Plan Availability and Rule Limits
- Enterprise: Auto Assignments available, up to 200 rules
- Momentum (Legacy): Auto Assignments available, up to 50 rules
- Scale (Legacy): not available
In BoldDesk, only one agent or group works on a ticket at a time. To create a sequential workflow, use ticket statuses and update rules to control the handover. When Agent A completes their task and changes the ticket status, it can automatically assign the ticket to Agent B or the next group. For better scalability and easier SLA management, it is recommended to use group-based assignment, ensuring a smooth and maintainable sequential workflow.
Steps to Create an Auto-Assignment Rule
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Navigate to Admin → Automation → Ticket Automation → Auto Assignments.
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Click Add Rule.
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Enter:
- Rule Name (mandatory)
- Description (optional)
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Define conditions:
- Select fields to determine which tickets the rule applies to.
- Click Add New Condition for multiple conditions.
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Click Next.
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Under Associate Agent, select the assignment mode:
- Round Robin (Even Distribution)
- Round Robin (Load-Based)
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Choose the Group to route tickets to. A maximum of 48 users can be added as watchers (optional).
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Click Add to save the rule.
- The rule will be applied when a ticket is either created or updated.
- For assignment, one active and available agent from the specified group will be selected. The rule will not activate if the ticket already has a group or agent assigned.
- The first rule that matches will be applied to the ticket, and you may rearrange the order of the rules as needed.
- Contacts are unable to select the assignee for their tickets. When the assignee field is enabled for the customer portal, it will be displayed to them in a read-only format.
Troubleshooting (Common Causes)
The rule is not applying to new tickets
- Confirm the ticket matches the rule conditions.
- Confirm the ticket does not already have a group or agent assigned.
- Confirm the rule is placed above other rules that might also match (first match wins).
Behavior of Auto‑Assignment Rules When Agents Are Unavailable
Overview
Auto-assignment in BoldDesk ensures tickets are assigned only to agents who are active and available within the designated group. If no eligible agent is available, the system leaves the ticket unassigned to an agent, but it remains assigned to the group.
Key Behaviors
No fallback to other rules:
Auto-assignment does not revert to additional rules if the initially selected agent is unavailable.
Eligibility:
Tickets are assigned exclusively to agents who are both active and available in the specified group.
When no agents are available:
The ticket stays unassigned to any agent but is still assigned to the relevant group for follow-up.
First match applied:
Only the first matching auto-assignment rule is executed; other potential rules are disregarded.
Optional: Notify the requester
If a ticket remains unassigned because no agent is available and the requester replies, you can configure the system to email the requester accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I create multiple Auto-Assignment Rules?
Yes. You can create multiple rules, but rule limits depend on your plan (Enterprise: 200, Momentum (Legacy): 50). -
What happens if no agent is available?
- In an even distribution, the ticket is assigned to the group, and an email notification is sent to all agents within the group according to the email notification configuration.
- In load-based assignment, the ticket stays assigned to the group until an agent becomes available.
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Can customers change the assigned agent?
No. The assignee field is read-only for customers. -
When exactly does auto-assignment run?
Auto-assignment runs when the rule conditions are met upon ticket creation or update. -
What if multiple rules match the same ticket?
Only the first matching rule is applied. Reorder rules to control which rule wins. -
Does auto-assignment assign both a group and an agent?
Auto-assignment routes tickets via the selected group and assigns one eligible agent from that group. -
Can I build a step-by-step handoff workflow with auto-assignment?
Yes, utilise ticket statuses and update rules to reassign tickets upon changes in their status.
