Trigger-based automation
Assign, tag, notify, and escalate tickets automatically based on conditions you define.
Support automation
Automate repetitive support work Rules, macros, and workflows
Build support automation with triggers, SLA policies, macros, and approval workflows so agents focus on complex customer issues.
Last updated on 2026-07-08
Written by Malik S
Reviewed by Gandral V
Macros and canned responses
Speed up replies with reusable templates and multi-action macros.
Service catalog approvals
Route service requests through approval chains before fulfillment.
Overview
Automation should remove decisions, not hide them. Helpefi rules handle assignment, tagging, and status changes that nobody enjoys doing by hand, while macros package several reply actions into one click. Every automated change is written to the ticket history, so a rule that misfires can be found and fixed instead of blamed on the queue.
Triggers versus macros
A trigger reacts to a ticket event. A macro is a set of actions an agent applies on purpose. Triggers suit assignment, tagging, and priority; macros suit replies that need a human moment first. Confusing the two produces a system that either replies to customers without review or leaves agents doing mechanical work. A useful starting pair is a trigger that routes billing questions and a macro that acknowledges a refund request.
Multi-step workflows
A workflow chains conditions and actions with a small amount of branching. A VIP ticket might assign to a senior agent, raise priority, and notify a channel; a delivery question might tag, reply with a status template, and set a follow-up date. Steps run in order and record what happened. Keep workflows short enough to debug from the ticket history. Five clear steps that work beat twenty clever ones nobody can explain on a Monday.
Automation that protects SLAs
Rules can act on time rather than content. A ticket close to its first-response target can bump priority, notify a lead, or reassign to whoever is available. A ticket that sits in pending for a week can prompt a follow-up. The point is to make the timer useful before it expires. Pair these rules with a policy you can actually meet, otherwise automation simply escalates unmeetable promises to more people.
Approvals and the service catalog
Some requests need a decision before work starts: a refund above a threshold, a software licence, a hardware purchase. The service catalog models these as request types with an approval chain, so the request, the approver, and the outcome stay on one record. Approvals can be sequential or parallel. This is where automation meets governance, and it is why internal IT requests fit the same platform as customer tickets instead of a separate spreadsheet.
Testing before you switch it on
Every rule can run in a preview against recent tickets before it goes live, which shows how many tickets it would have touched. Start with a narrow condition and a visible action, watch it for a week, then widen it. Disable rather than delete when a rule stops being useful, so the history stays readable. A rule library reviewed quarterly is far healthier than one that grows until nobody dares change an assignment flow.
Use case: A growing team
Tagging and routing rules keep triage consistent as headcount grows, so new agents inherit the same queue logic.
Use case: Refund and access approvals
Requests above a threshold route to an approver, and the decision stays attached to the ticket for audit.
Use case: Seasonal spikes
Temporary rules tag and route peak-period traffic to seasonal staff, then switch off when normal volume returns.
Use case: IT change management
Incident classification and change approvals follow ITIL-style steps without a separate process tracker.
Use case: Per-client agency rules
Each client gets its own routing and notification rules, so agents do not have to remember per-client exceptions.
Remove the mechanical work
Automate routing and tagging first, add macros for the replies you write daily, then consider approvals. Preview every rule, keep the library short, and review it each quarter.
Frequently asked questions
- Do we need developers to automate?
- No. Rules are configured in the workspace with conditions and actions. The API is available when you want to connect a system outside the workspace.
- How do triggers and macros differ?
- Triggers run automatically on ticket events. Macros are applied deliberately by an agent, usually to send a reply and update the ticket at once.
- Can automation work with SLA policies?
- Yes. Rules can act on time remaining, so escalation and reassignment happen before the target is missed.
- Can we test a rule before enabling it?
- Yes. Preview mode shows which recent tickets a rule would affect, so you can check the logic before it changes live traffic.
- How do approval workflows work?
- A request type defines who approves and in what order. Sequential and parallel chains are supported, and the outcome is recorded on the ticket.
- Can automation run on every channel?
- Yes. Rules apply to email, chat, SMS, and portal submissions, with channel available as a condition.
- Which plans include automation?
- Automation is available on every plan with monthly run limits. Professional includes 5,000 automation runs a month.
References & sources
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