Enhancing Automation with Our New Engine

Discover how our new automation engine is revolutionizing ticket management by allowing offering event-based rules, and providing advanced configurations.

20 Mar 2025 By Jonathan Lapinsky

In this guide, we'll learn how to navigate and set up the new automation engine that is replacing the existing ticket automation system. For early adopters, this update allows you to run both the old and new automation simultaneously, providing flexibility during the transition. We'll cover how to manage rules to avoid conflicts, utilize the run once feature, and understand the different event types that trigger actions. This guide will help you smoothly transition your rules from the old system to the new one, ensuring efficient ticket management.

Let's get started

Here's a quick update on our automation engine, which is replacing our existing ticket automation. To get started, go to the admin tab and click on automation. You should know that you can run both the old and new ticket automation simultaneously. This means you can have a rule running in both systems. When setting this up, especially for a beta test, ensure you don't have conflicting rules or duplicate rules running.

We recommend that if you want to replace an existing ticket automation rule with a new one, you should first disable the old rule. Then, activate the new rule and test it. If it works, you can gradually transfer your rules, one by one, from the old system. You can always disable the new rule if necessary. When you access the new automation, the first page will display your automation rules. This page lists all the rules you have set up. Clicking on a rule provides a quick preview in a flyout panel, showing how the rule is configured.

Step #1: Click Automation in the Admin Section. Notice the rules main page. — Click Automation in the Admin Section. Notice the rules main page.

Step #2: Click on a rule name to view a preview of it's configuration — Click on a rule name to view a preview of it's configuration

On the home page, you can edit basic rule configuration options. You also have the option to run the rule once, which we will cover. Additionally, there are some basic administrative functions.

When adding a rule, there are four common elements in rules engines. First, you have the details, which serve as the administrative part. Next is the trigger, the event that initiates the automation to evaluate conditions. Next you have conditions. Finally, you have the actions.

Step #3: Click "Add Rule". You will see the 4 key elements of a rule. — Click "Add Rule". You will see the 4 key elements of a rule.

Step #4: Click on "EDIT" under details to get started — Click on "EDIT" under details to get started

Step #5: Click on "Enter the rule name" — Click on "Enter the rule name"

One of the main features on the details step is the "Run Once" option.

The new automation is event-based, meaning it runs whenever a ticket meets the criteria of a specific rule. When a ticket and event match the conditions, and you select this option, your actions will only run once. They will not run again. If you turn this option off, the actions will run multiple times whenever the conditions are met. There are different use cases for both options, but if you want it to run only once, you can toggle this setting on this screen.

Step #6: Click Update and Continue — Click Update and Continue

Step #7: You can now edit the trigger section — You can now edit the trigger section

First you select the object. Currently, we are focused on the Ticket Object. In the future, we will also include customers and products and additional objects in the platform.

Step #8: Select the Ticket Object. — Select the Ticket Object.

Next is the events. Here's a brief explanation of events.

Step #9: Click on "Select a trigger event" — Click on "Select a trigger event"

Create Event

The "create" event monitors whenever a new ticket is created. When a new ticket is created, if the ticket meets any conditions set by your rules it will fire the corresponding actions. "Create" simply refers to the creation of a ticket.

Update Event

The "update" event happens whenever a ticket is updated. This includes any field changes, comments or meta data updates. When an update occurs to a ticket, the rules engine checks the conditions you've set in your rules. If a ticket has been recently updated, and it matches these conditions, it triggers the corresponding actions.

Time Based Event

Time based. The best way to describe this is as "time elapsed". For example, if a customer has not responded to a ticket in five days and certain conditions are met on the ticket, an action is performed. This applies to other scenarios such as days since the first response. Whenever you are waiting for a specific time period to pass for a rule to trigger, it is considered a time-based event.

Let's use for update this example.

Here are your conditions. This basic rule states that anytime a ticket is updated and matches either all or any of these conditions, specific actions should be triggered.

Step #10: Click on "ADD CONDITION" — Click on "ADD CONDITION"

We are focusing on tickets. If a ticket is updated, you can choose any of the ticket fields as conditions. If these field conditions match, then the rules will fire.

Step #11: Select Severity from the Field Selection Options — Select Severity from the Field Selection Options

Step #12: Click on "Select a function". This is the conditional logic. — Click on "Select a function". This is the conditional logic.

Let's say the severity is high. You set Severity in the first field, then set the function to "Equal To".

Step #13: Click on "Equal To" — Click on "Equal To"

Step #14: Click on "VALUE . Value what you want the field to be set at in order to fire the actions for this rule. — Click on "VALUE . Value what you want the field to be set at in order to fire the actions for this rule.

Step #15: In this example, you can say, severity should be "high" — In this example, you can say, severity should be "high"

In this example, whenever a ticket is updated that has a severity of high, then any actions you've defined in this rule will fire off on that ticket.

Note that this will fire on any tickets that have a severity of high. If you want the rule to run only on tickets where the severity has changed from one status to another, you will want to use the "changed" function when setting up conditions.

Step #16: Click on "UPDATE AND CONTINUE" — Click on "UPDATE AND CONTINUE"

Step #17: Click on "ADD ACTION" — Click on "ADD ACTION"

These actions align with the current TeamSupport ticket automation. In this example you can simply notify the assigned user.

Step #19: Select the user you want to notify — Select the user you want to notify

After you've configured your triggers, conditions and actions, you just save and enable your rule. In the future we will be allowing multiple conditions and actions blocks, if then statement, new action types and AI powered workflows into the engine!