Create and manage ticket fields
Add dropdown ticket fields such as Outcome or Contact reason, make them required before closing and archive them later without losing report data.
Last updated 2 min read
Ticket fields capture the same facts on every ticket: why the customer wrote, what the outcome was, which product was affected. They make reports meaningful and closing deliberate.
Before you start
- Who can do this: owners and admins.
- Plan: all plans.
- Time: a couple of minutes per field.
Step by step
- Open Workflows > Ticket fields ("Shown in the ticket sidebar. Required fields must be filled before a ticket can close, so reports stay complete.").
- Press Create field.
- Type a Name, such as "Contact reason". The field is "A dropdown agents fill in on each ticket."
- Under Choices, type each choice and press Enter.
- Switch on Required to close if agents must pick a value before closing ("Agents must pick a value before closing.").
- Press Save field. A message confirms Field created.
To change a field, press Edit, update it and press Save field. To retire it, press Archive and confirm.
What happens next
The field appears under Ticket details in every ticket's sidebar. Required fields show Required before closing. Rules can check and set the field, macros can set it, and the Fields report breaks tickets down by its values. See Fields report.
"Removing a choice keeps it on tickets that already have it."
Archiving: "It disappears from the sidebar and stops being required. Values already on tickets are kept for reports."
Fields worth having
| Field | Example choices | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Answered, Refund issued, Replacement sent, No reply | Yes |
| Contact reason | Where is my order, Return, Sizing, Product question | Optional |
| Product line | Your main collections | Optional |
Tips
- Keep required fields to one or two; every required field adds a click to every close.
- Set fields from macros, so the right value is chosen when the answer is sent.
- Use a rule to fill a field from keywords, such as Contact reason "Return" when the message mentions a return.
Troubleshooting
"Name the field"
Type a name.
"Add at least one choice"
A dropdown needs at least one choice.
"Keep at least one choice"
You tried to remove every choice. Keep one, or archive the field.
"Fill in the required fields before closing."
An agent tried to close a ticket with a required field empty.
"Only admins can change workflows"
Ask an owner or admin.
Frequently asked questions
What are ticket fields used for?
They record facts about each ticket in a consistent way, such as why the customer wrote or how it was resolved. Agents pick a value in the ticket sidebar, rules and macros can set them, views and reports can use them, and required fields keep your outcome reports complete.
What types of ticket field can I create?
Dropdowns. Each ticket field is a list of choices that agents pick from, up to 100 choices of up to 80 characters each. Dropdowns keep reports clean, because everyone picks from the same list instead of typing their own wording for the same thing.
What does Required to close do?
Agents must pick a value before the ticket can close. If it is empty, the Before you close dialog asks for it. Bulk closes skip tickets missing it and say how many. Time-based rules can still close tickets without it, recording them as closed with no reply.
What happens when I archive a ticket field?
It disappears from the sidebar and stops being required. Values already on tickets are kept for reports, so last month's outcome numbers stay correct. Archiving is the safe way to retire a field you no longer need, because nothing your team recorded is lost.
What happens if I remove a choice from a field?
The choice is no longer offered for new tickets, but tickets that already have it keep it. That way old reports still add up. If you only want to rename a choice, add the new wording first, then remove the old one when nobody needs it.
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Related articles
- Close, reopen and set a ticket's outcomeClose a ticket when it is done, fill in required fields such as the outcome in the Before you close dialog, and reopen it if the customer needs more.
- Use the customer and ticket details sidebarThe sidebar beside every ticket shows the customer, their note and phone, orders, tags, queue and ticket fields. Here is what each part does.
- Break down tickets by ticket fieldThe Ticket fields report counts tickets created in the period by the value of a dropdown field, such as Outcome or Contact reason, with trends.
- Rule triggers, conditions and actions referenceEvery trigger, condition field, comparison and action available in the Hushdesk rule builder, with what each one does and an example of when to use it.
Still stuck?
Chat with the Hushdesk team. A person answers on every plan.