Auto-Routing Tickets to Teams

Auto-routing automatically assigns tickets to the right team based on their tags. This ensures specialized issues go directly to the people best equipped to handle them, without manual triage.

How Auto-Routing Works

1. A ticket is created (from any channel)
2. A tag with auto-routing enabled is applied to the ticket
3. The ticket is automatically assigned to the team configured for that tag
4. Team members can then pick up the ticket from their team queue

Important: Auto-routing only occurs if the ticket doesn't already have a team assignment. Once a ticket is assigned to a team, adding more tags with routing won't change the team.

Setting Up Auto-Routing

Step 1: Create or Edit a Tag

1. Go to Settings > Tags
2. Click Create Tag or edit an existing tag
3. Name it descriptively (e.g., "Billing", "Technical")

Step 2: Configure Routing

1. Enable Auto-route to team
2. Select the target team from the dropdown
3. Click Save

Step 3: Test the Route

1. Create a test ticket
2. Add the tag
3. Verify the ticket routes to the correct team

Example Configuration

Tag	Routes To
Billing	Finance Team
Technical	Engineering Support
Account	Customer Success
Enterprise	Enterprise Team
Bug Report	Engineering Support
Feature Request	Product Team

When Routing Triggers

Tags can be applied (and trigger routing) in several ways:

At Ticket Creation

When a ticket is created with a tag that has routing configured, it automatically goes to the specified team.

Manual Tagging

When an agent adds an auto-routing tag to an existing unassigned ticket, it routes to the configured team.

Widget Submissions

If your widget includes category/tag selection, tickets route based on the customer's selection.

AI Escalation

When customers escalate from AI chat, the AI suggests tags based on the conversation. If those tags have auto-routing configured, the ticket routes automatically.

API Integration

When creating tickets via API with tags included, routing applies based on those tags.

Multiple Tags with Routing

If a ticket has multiple tags with different routing configurations:

• The first routing tag applied takes effect
• Subsequent tags don't change the team assignment
• You can manually reassign if needed

Best practice: Avoid applying multiple routing tags to a single ticket when possible.

Auto-Routing vs Manual Assignment

Scenario	Recommendation
General inquiries	Manual assignment or leave unassigned
Specialized topics (billing, technical)	Auto-route by tag
VIP customers	Manual assignment to dedicated rep
High volume, general support	Team assignment without routing

Pros of Auto-Routing

• Instant routing with no human bottleneck
• Consistent categorization
• Scales with ticket volume

Cons of Auto-Routing

• Depends on accurate tagging
• May need manual correction for edge cases

Hybrid Approach

Many teams use both methods:

• Auto-route when tags are clear
• Manual triage for untagged or ambiguous tickets
• Override auto-routing when needed

Best Practices

Define Clear Tag Responsibilities

Document what each tag means and when to use it:

Tag	Definition	When to Use
Billing	Payment, invoices, refunds	Money-related issues
Technical	Bugs, errors, crashes	Product malfunctions
How-To	Usage questions	Learning the product

Train Your Team

Ensure everyone understands:

• Which tags exist and what they mean
• When to apply each tag
• How routing works
• How to reassign if routing was incorrect

Review Routing Monthly

Periodically check:

• Are tickets reaching the right teams?
• Any tags routing to wrong teams?
• Do you need new tags or routing rules?

Handle Routing Misses

When tickets route incorrectly:

1. Reassign to the correct team
2. Note why the original routing was wrong
3. Consider if tag definitions need updating

Troubleshooting

Tickets Not Routing

Check:

• The tag has routing configured (team selected)
• The tag is actually being applied to the ticket
• The ticket didn't already have a team assignment

Wrong Team Receiving Tickets

Check:

• Tag routing configuration is correct
• Which tag is being applied
• If multiple tags, which was applied first

Routing Not Triggering

Check:

• Routing is enabled on the tag
• Target team exists and has members
• The ticket was unassigned when the tag was applied

Disabling Auto-Routing

To disable auto-routing for a tag:

1. Go to Settings > Tags
2. Edit the tag
3. Set Route to Team to "None"
4. Click Save

Existing tickets with that tag remain with their current assignment; only future tickets are affected.