How to Use Global Search in the Agent Portal
Using Global Search effectively in BoldDesk can significantly enhance agent productivity and accuracy by enabling quick access to tickets, users, contact groups, knowledge base articles, and activities all from the top navigation bar.
How to Access Global Search
To make the most of this feature, follow the step-by-step instructions outlined in this article.
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Open the Agent Portal and click the Search option at the top.
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In the global search tool popup used for searching, the following modules are displayed:
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Ticket
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Activity
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Users
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Contact Groups
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Knowledge Base
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Chat
- When multiple words are entered in BoldDesk’s global search, the system performs a broad match that behaves like an OR search, returning results containing any of the keywords across searchable fields.
- BoldDesk Global Search matches keywords across multiple ticket fields, including Subject, Description, Public Messages, Private Messages, and Attachments. As a result, search suggestions and results may include tickets where the keyword appears in any of these fields. When a specific search criterion is selected (such as Subject), matching tickets are returned based on that field, and the displayed results reflect the expected search behavior.
Global Search for Tickets
To use the global search for tickets, type the ticket ID or any search text in the search tab.
Check out this video for more details.
Global search for tickets provides an option to filter based on brand, category, and status. You can also search by subject, private message, and public message. You cannot search by ticket ID if a private/public message is selected.
| Search In | Description |
|---|---|
| Subject | Results will display subjects containing the search key. |
| Private Message | Results will display the private messages containing the search key. |
| Public Message | Results will display the public messages containing the search key. |
Applying Filter Based on Brand, Category and Status
To apply filters based on brand, category, and status, follow the given steps:
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Select multiple brands for filtering by clicking on the dropdown menu. Also, you can search for a specific brand from the list of available options.
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Select multiple categories for filtering by clicking on the dropdown menu. Also, you can search for the required category from the list of available options.
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Select multiple statuses for filtering by clicking on the dropdown menu. Also, you can search for the required status from the list of available options.
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After selecting the required filter, the filtered tickets will be displayed below the filter in the popup.
You can clear the applied filter by clicking the Clear button as illustrated below.
Global Search for Users
Similar to a ticket search, you can search by using either the user ID or the user’s name.
Agents and contacts can be displayed with pictures. Agents will have the brand logo as their display picture, while contacts will have alphabetic characters as their display pictures. You can separate them by selecting either the Contacts or Agents tab, or view all results together by clicking the All tab.
Similar to ticket search, you can search contact groups by using either the contact group ID or the group name.
Global Search for Knowledge Base
To find a Knowledge Base article, use the global search and select the Knowledge Base tab.
Global search for the Knowledge Base provides the option to filter articles based on brand and category. You can also search using the title, description, or both. Additionally, if multilingual support is enabled and the article is available in that language, you can filter results based on language.
Global Search for Activities
The activities can also be searched by using the type or status.
Advanced Search
If the global search does not yield the desired result, you have the option to view a complete list of the data.
Click the View all results option or press Enter to display all the search results.
| Module | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets in the Global Search Page | Similar to global search, you can filter the tickets based on brand, category, and status. You can also search for a subject, private message, and public message. | |
| Users on the Global Search Page | Similar to searching for a ticket, you have the option to search for a user by using the user ID or name. Search results for both agents and contacts will be displayed. The brand logo will appear next to the agent’s name initials, while only the contact’s initials will be shown for the contact results. | |
| Contact Groups on the Global Search Page | Also, you have the option to search for contact groups using the contact group ID or group name. | |
| Knowledge Base on the Global Search Page | You can filter the knowledge base based on brand and category. You can also search using the title, description, or both. | |
Accessing Global Search from More > Search
You can access Global Search (with paging) by selecting More > Search.
Use the module dropdown at the top-left of the Search page to switch what you are searching for. The available modules are:
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Tickets
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Activity
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Users
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Contact Group
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Knowledge Base
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Chat
What You See for Each Module
| Module Selection | Description |
|---|---|
| Tickets | The Search page shows ticket-specific search controls, including: • Search Tickets field (top-left) • Search Preferences dropdown to control which ticket content is searched (Subject, Description, Attachments, Public Message, Private Message, and Select All) • Include Archived Tickets checkbox • Brand filter (for example, All Brands) • Filters (funnel icon) for narrowing results |
| Activity | The Search page switches to Activity search: • Search Activity field (top-left). • An Activities scope dropdown (for example, All Activities). • Filters (funnel icon). |
| Users | The Search page switches to user search: • Search Users field (top-left). • A quick selector to filter user type: All, Contacts, or Visitors. • Filters (funnel icon). |
| Contact Group | The Search page switches to contact group search: • Search Contact Groups field (top-left). • Filters (funnel icon). |
| When Knowledge Base is selected | The Search page switches to KB article search: • Search Articles field (top-left). • Brand filter (for example, All Brands). • Filters (funnel icon). |
| Chat | The Search page switches to chat search: • Search chats field (top-left). • Brand filter (for example, All Brands). • Filters (funnel icon). |
Default Sorting and Advanced Search Behavior
When you perform a search in BoldDesk, the system uses relevance-based sorting by default. This means tickets that most closely match your search term and context appear at the top of the results list. Relevance is determined by factors such as keyword frequency, position in the ticket subject or description, and recent activity.
How Relevance Works
- Tickets with the keyword in the subject line or title rank higher than those with the keyword only in the description or messages.
- Recent updates or newly created tickets with strong keyword matches are prioritized over older tickets with minimal changes.
Example: If you search for “ticket”:
- A newly created ticket that strongly matches the keyword will appear first.
- An older ticket with minor changes will appear later.
You can also sort results by:
- Created Date (newest first)
- Modified Date (recently updated first)
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I search multiple modules at once in the Global Search popup?
No. The Global Search popup requires selecting one module at a time. -
Why does BoldDesk Global Search return results that match only one word of my query?
BoldDesk Global Search treats multiple words as a broad match similar to an OR search, so results can match any keyword. -
Which ticket content does Ticket Global Search search by default?
Ticket Global Search matches keywords across Subject, Description, Public Messages, Private Messages, and Attachments. -
Why can’t I search by Ticket ID when searching by message content?
Ticket ID search is disabled when the agent selects Private Message or Public Message as the search criterion. -
How do I filter Ticket Global Search results by Brand, Category, or Status?
In the Ticket module, use the Brand, Category, and Status dropdown filters. Select one or more values in each dropdown to narrow results. -
How do I clear filters in the Ticket Global Search popup?
Select Clear in the Global Search popup. -
How do I search for Knowledge Base articles in a specific language?
In the Knowledge Base module, use the Language filter when multilingual support is enabled and the article exists in that language. -
What does pressing Enter do in the Global Search bar?
Pressing Enter opens the full Search page and displays all results for the selected module.
