How to create custom ticket statuses and add them to a form

Understanding and Using Custom Ticket Statuses in Zendesk

Custom ticket statuses allow you to create additional, more specific ticket statuses beyond the standard ones provided by Zendesk. These statuses can be tailored to reflect your business needs and improve workflow management.

Key Functionality

• Relevance: Associating ticket statuses with specific ticket forms ensures agents only see relevant statuses, streamlining their workflow.
• Customisation: Custom statuses can provide a more meaningful indication of a ticket's status to both agents and end-users.
• Reporting: Custom ticket status attributes can be used in reporting to gain insights into ticket handling.
• Status Categories: Custom ticket statuses are created within status categories (New, Open, Pending, On-hold, Solved). A status category is a logical grouping of similar ticket statuses and includes at least one default ticket status and can contain multiple ticket statuses.
• Ticket State Control: The status category to which a new ticket status is assigned controls the state of the ticket and is dependent on the system ticket rules.

Creating Custom Ticket Statuses

Before creating custom ticket statuses, ensure that Agent Workspace is activated. If your Zendesk account was created after January 17, 2023, custom ticket statuses are activated by default.

Here's a step-by-step guide to creating a custom ticket status:

1. In Admin Center, click Objects and rules in the sidebar, then select Tickets > Ticket statuses.
2. Click Create ticket status.
3. Configure the basics for your new status:
   • Category: Assign the ticket status to a status category (New, Open, Pending, On-hold, or Solved). Note that you can't assign a ticket status to the New or Closed categories.
   • Name (agent view): Specify the name of the ticket status that agents will see (48 character limit). For example, "Refund issued" or "Training in process".
   • Description (agent view): Add a description that agents will see for the ticket status.
   • Show end users a different view: Choose whether to display a different name/description to end users.
   • Name (end user view): If the above is selected, enter the name of the ticket status for end users.
   • Description (end user view): If the above is selected, enter the description of the ticket status for end users.
   • Set as active: Activate the ticket status.
4. Click Next.
5. Add the status to one or more ticket forms:
   • To add the status to all ticket forms, select All forms.
   • Alternatively, choose specific ticket forms from the Select where to add this ticket status drop-down.
6. Click Create ticket status.

Editing Custom Ticket Statuses

Admins can edit any ticket status, including standard and custom ones. When a ticket status name is edited, the change is reflected in reports.

To edit a ticket status:

1. In Admin Center, click Objects and rules in the sidebar, then select Tickets > Ticket statuses.
2. Move the cursor over a ticket status, then click the options menu icon ( ).
3. Click Edit. The Edit ticket status page displays.
4. Configure the options for the status. Note that you can edit nearly all of the configuration options on this page; however, you can't move an existing ticket status to a different status category.
5. Click Save.

Default Ticket Statuses

Zendesk provides a set of standard ticket statuses: New, Open, Pending, On-hold (if activated), Solved, and Closed. These are automatically associated with every form. If you change your default ticket status names, then those statuses appear on your forms.

The standard ticket statuses become status categories when you activate custom ticket statuses.

Custom Ticket Status Examples

• Open - New customer or Open - Existing customer: Custom statuses in the Open category can describe why a ticket is open.
• Refund issued: A custom status for a Customer Returns ticket form.
• Training in process: A custom status for an internal Agent Onboarding ticket form.