Run rules after time passes
Use the Time passes trigger to act hours or days after a ticket was created, the customer's last message, the agent's last reply or the last message.
Last updated 2 min read
Some jobs depend on time: close a ticket when the customer goes quiet, remind the team when nobody has answered, or tag tickets that have been waiting too long. The Time passes trigger does these jobs.
Before you start
- Who can do this: owners and admins.
- Plan: all plans.
Step by step
- Create a rule and, under When, choose Time passes.
- Set How long: a number and a unit, hours or days.
- Set After what:
- the ticket was created;
- the customer's last message;
- the agent's last reply;
- the last message either way.
- Add conditions under If, such as Status is waiting on customer.
- Add actions under Then, such as Set status closed, Add internal note or Set priority.
- Check the test panel and press Save rule.
What happens next
About once a minute, Hushdesk looks for tickets whose moment has passed and runs the rule on each one. "Fires once per ticket for each such moment (checked every minute)." Each firing is recorded in the ticket's events.
Snoozed tickets wake up through the same check.
Useful time rules
| Goal | When | If | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close quiet tickets | 4 days after the agent's last reply | Status is waiting on customer | Set status closed |
| Nudge the team | 24 hours after the customer's last message | Status is open | Set priority High, add a note |
| Flag stale tickets | 7 days after the ticket was created | Status is open | Add tag "stale" |
Time rules and snooze
Snooze is for one ticket you are watching; a time rule is for every ticket in a situation. If your team often snoozes tickets for the same reason, a time rule may do the job for everyone.
Tips
- Always add a status condition, so a time rule does not act on closed tickets.
- Tell customers in your macros when you will close a quiet ticket, so it is not a surprise.
- Combine with a view for the tag the rule adds, so your team sees the result.
Troubleshooting
"Set how long to wait for the time trigger"
Set the number, the unit and the moment before saving.
"A time rule needs "after how long""
A saved time rule lost its timing. Open it and set How long again.
The rule did not fire
Check that the ticket matched the conditions at the time, and that the rule was on. Time rules do not catch up on moments before they were switched on.
Frequently asked questions
How often are time-based rules checked?
About once a minute. Hushdesk looks for tickets whose moment has passed and runs the rule on each once. The builder says it fires once per ticket for each such moment, checked every minute, so a rule set for 96 hours runs shortly after the 96 hours are up.
Will a time rule run again on the same ticket?
Only if the moment moves. A rule timed from the agent's last reply fires once for that reply. If the agent replies again, there is a new moment, and the rule can fire once more after that reply. It never repeats for the same moment.
Can a time rule close tickets that have required fields?
Yes. Time-based rules may close tickets even when required fields such as the outcome are empty, and the ticket is recorded as closed with no reply. Other rules need the required fields set in the rule itself before they can close a ticket.
What is the longest delay a time rule can use?
Up to 60 days, set in hours or days. Most stores use between one and seven days, for example closing waiting tickets after four days or adding a follow-up note after two days without an answer from your team.
Do time rules count business hours?
No. The delay runs on the clock, nights and weekends included, from the moment you choose. SLA policies can count business hours only, but time-based rules use plain hours and days. Choose a longer delay over weekends if that matters to you.
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Related articles
- Create a rule to automate ticketsBuild a When, If, Then rule that tags, assigns, prioritises, snoozes or answers tickets automatically, test it on recent tickets and switch it on.
- Start from a rule templateFive ready-made rules to start from, auto-assign new tickets, close after no reply, tag by keywords, prioritise urgent words and auto-merge follow-ups.
- Snooze a ticket until laterHide a ticket for an hour, a day or a week while you wait on a supplier or courier. It comes back on its own, or as soon as the customer writes.
- Set SLA targets for reply and resolution timesCreate SLA policies for first reply and resolution, by channel, priority, tag or queue, counted in business hours or around the clock, and see breaches.
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