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Solution home Workflows and Automations Create Automation Rules

Setting up automation rules to run on Ticket Creation

Modified on: Thu, 9 Jul, 2026 at 2:57 PM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Automation rules that run on ticket creation let you automate actions on newly created tickets. For example, you can send an email notification to the billing team, if you receive a ticket with the word ‘Billing’ mentioned in the subject or body of the ticket. In this article, you’ll learn an overview of how these rules work and how to set them up. Click here to learn more examples and use cases for creating automation rules on ticket creation.

Understanding how automation rules on ticket creation work

Automation rules run on every incoming ticket; you can perform actions based on predefined conditions. These rules let you automate actions such as:

  • Assigning tickets to the right groups and/or agents
  • Setting ticket properties like status, priority, and type
  • Triggering email notifications to agents and requesters
  • Deleting tickets or marking them as spam

These actions can be performed on a ticket based on the following parameters: 


Automation rules can also be used to automatically set ticket priority based on conditions such as ticket subject, requester, source, or custom fields. Freshdesk can automatically categorize tickets based on predefined conditions, such as keywords in the ticket subject or description, using automation rules.They also work together with webhooks and APIs to update contact information automatically when ticket fields are populated during ticket creation.


How are rules executed?

Rules that run on ticket creation can either run on every rule or just the first matching rule. The rules are set to work by default based on the first matching rule.



Here's how the triggers work when you execute based on the first matching rule.  The order of the rules is very important because only the first matching rule will be executed. If you have straightforward workflows, we recommend choosing this option. 

Important considerations

  • You can also view the list of impacted tickets against each rule name in the past 7 days. However, it is not possible to view the corresponding ticket IDs. Alternatively, you can add actions to each automation rule to get the list of impacted tickets by filtering based on tags.
    Here's how the rules work when they run on every matching rule. If you'd like all matching rules to be executed on your tickets, click on the gear button above the rules list and then choose 'Execute all matching rules'. Click Save.
  • Automation rules on ticket creation are triggered immediately when a ticket is created. It is not possible to delay ticket creation or the execution of these rules.
  • If you want to delay sending an auto-reply email, you can configure a custom dropdown field and set up a ticket update automation rule. The auto-reply can then be triggered only after an agent updates this field.
  • The language of a contact is automatically determined based on the language of the first ticket they create. For example, if a contact sends their first email in Spanish, their language will be set to Spanish in Freshdesk.
  • Ticket Creation Source & API Tickets: Ticket Creation automations trigger strictly at the moment of ticket generation and cannot be manually executed against existing tickets. For tickets created via APIs (e.g., custom CTA in-app ticket creations), ensure the ticket is created using the endpoint rather than outbound endpoints. This ensures that Ticket Creation rules and webhooks are triggered correctly.
  • Single Notification Threading Rule: Ticket Creation rules only run once when a new ticket is generated. Subsequent agent or customer replies within the same email thread do not trigger the creation rules again; they are threaded automatically to prevent duplicate notification loops.


A quick guide for creating an automation rule to run on ticket creation

  1. Login as an admin
  2. Navigation:
  • Go to Admin > Workflows > Automations
  • Click on New Rule from the Ticket Creation tab.
  • Give your rule a name.
  • Set up Conditions that act as a trigger for this particular rule.
    1. Choose the type of field using the dropdown (ticket, contacts, or company).
    2. Select the field you want from the dropdown list.
    3. Specify whether ALL conditions need to be matched to trigger the rule, or just one (ANY).
    4. Add multiple conditions by clicking the Add new condition button and use the Trash icon to remove the condition.
  • Based on your use case, make use of the AND/OR operators on ticket matching:
  • Any of the conditions
  • All of the conditions
  • All of condition block 1 AND any from condition block 2
  • All of condition block 1 OR any from condition block 2
  • Any of condition block 1 OR all from condition block 2
  • Any of condition block 1 AND all from condition block 2
  1. Configure the actions to be executed on the ticket once the conditions you set are met. If you'd like to send a notification email, you can use placeholders to help frame the content. Add multiple actions by clicking on the Add new action button. You can use the Trash icon to remove the action.
  2. Once you've finished setting up all the conditions and actions, click Preview and Save.
  3. For every rule you create, a summary will be auto-generated while the rule is being setup. This will be the description for that rule and can be edited, if need be.
  4. Click on 'Save and Enable' to save and enable this rule on your Freshdesk.

Pre-configured Rule

You can also use the sample automation rule that helps you route refund and return tickets automatically to the billing team. You can edit this rule to create an automation rule that aligns with your business.


Say you want all tickets of type 'return', 'refund', or 'replacement' to be assigned to the Returns & Refunds group, you can edit the rule as shown below:


To assign tickets to a group, select Assign to group from the first dropdown, and the name of the group in the next one. Add the tasks you'd like to perform by selecting an action from the dropdown list (click Add a new action to add more if required).


You can also use the options in the dropdown list to set up a combination of AND and OR conditions as rules. This can be very useful while checking for multiple values within a single condition - for example, here's a rule that sends a notification to an assigned agent when the ticket priority is Urgent OR High, the ticket type is a Query OR Problem, AND the source is Email.


Click here to read about other examples of automation rules for ticket creation.


Skip new ticket email notification

The Skip new ticket email notification option under Actions will come in handy when the 'New ticket created' email notification is not required to be sent for certain situations when specific conditions match.

For example, in case you receive multiple tickets that are ads or brochures from no-reply email addresses, you'll want to close them and mark as spam automatically, while also making sure that your agents aren't spammed with the notification email indicating that a new ticket has been created. In this case, you can use the configuration shown below:


Refer to this article to understand how to set up Ticket creation automation rules on Custom Objects.

Note:

The email responses sent out by an automation rule will not be exported when a ticket export is triggered. However, you can use the Show Activities option on the Tickets page to view all the email conversations sent triggered through automation for each ticket.


Cloning rules

If you want to reuse an existing rule but just modify a few conditions or actions, you can avoid creating a rule from scratch and instead clone an existing rule.

To clone a rule:

  1. Hover over an existing rule, click on the three dots next to the rule name, and select Clone.
  2. Make the required changes and save the rule.

Automatically update the contact on a ticket

You can use a Ticket Creation automation to automatically update the contact associated with a ticket based on ticket form or custom field values.

For example, if tickets created using a specific form or custom field value should be associated with a different contact, you can configure an automation rule to update the contact automatically.

To configure the automation:

  1. Go to Admin > Automations > Ticket Creation.
  2. Create a new automation rule.
  3. Set the trigger to Ticket is created.
  4. Add conditions based on the required ticket form or custom field values.
  5. Under Perform these actions, select Update Contact and specify the contact or email address.
  6. Save and enable the rule.

Test Automation Rules

After creating an automation rule, use a test ticket to verify that it behaves as expected.

To troubleshoot a Ticket Creation automation:

  1. Create a test ticket that matches the conditions configured in the automation rule.
  2. Open the test ticket and click Activities on the top.
  3. Review the ticket activities to verify whether the automation was executed.

If the automation does not appear in the activity log, verify that:

  • The ticket matches all the configured conditions.
  • The automation rule is enabled.
  • No conflicting conditions prevent the rule from running.

Note: Ticket Creation automations cannot be manually executed against an existing ticket. To test a rule, create a new ticket that satisfies the configured conditions.

Troubleshooting

  1. Why is my automation rule not working even though the conditions are satisfied?
    When it comes to automation rules that run on ticket creation, the order in which the rules are listed under Admin > Workflows > Automations > Ticket Creation tab is crucial. A new incoming ticket will trigger the first rule in the list whose conditions are met. Once a ticket satisfies the conditions of one rule, the conditions of the subsequent rules will not be checked. Ensure that the rule that isn't working for you is positioned on top in the list. Additionally, click on 'Show Activities' on the ticket details page to see which rule was executed. Based on this information, you can reorder the rules under the Ticket Creation tab. Ideally, you should place rules with specific conditions at the top and more generic rules lower down in the list. Also ensure that the rule is enabled, the ticket matches the configured conditions, and no higher-priority rules conflict with the automation execution order.
  2. Do Ticket Creation automations run for outbound email tickets created using the API?
    Ticket Creation automations do not run for outbound email tickets created using the outbound email API endpoint.
    If you want a Ticket Creation automation to run:
    • Create the ticket using the /api/v2/tickets endpoint.
    • Use a Ticket Creation automation to send the outbound email if required.
  3. How can I create a CTA in our app that creates a ticket and automates properties/replies?
    • Ticket Generation: Use Freshdesk's API (/api/v2/tickets) to programmatically create the ticket with any required fields and attachments.
    • Automated Response: Configure a Ticket Creation rule with conditions matching the API ticket properties (e.g., custom source or ticket type) and set the action to Send email to requester with your email template and attachment.
    • Update Properties: Add actions under the same rule to automatically set status, priority, and assign to a specific group or agent.
  4. How can I ensure customer tickets route correctly if language/timezone is misidentified?
    1. Verify if the labguage (eg.:Turkish) is enabled under your helpdesk's supported languages.
    2. Check if Ticket Creation rules are configured to route tickets based on "Requester Language" and "Timezone".
    3. If misidentified at creation (e.g., picked up as Arabic), test using sample tickets and review the "Show Activities" log. If required, add a temporary occasional admin agent with Global Scope to analyze the metadata.
  5. How can I identify and audit changes made to automation rules that broke group emails?
    1. Go to Admin > Workflows > Automations > Ticket Creation and review rule configurations.
    2. Go to Admin > Account > Audit Log (or Admin Settings > Data and Security > Ticket Audit Logs and use "View Changes" to see the original rule setup side-by-side with the modified setup.
    3. Check Admin > Business Hours to ensure time setups are correct.
    4. Open the affected ticket and click Activities to review the execution history.
  6. Is there a simpler way to remove SLA policies from specific/older tickets?
    Yes. Create a custom status with no SLA targets configured (Admin > Team > Agent Statuses > New Agent Status). Then, create a Ticket Creation rule with conditions matching the target tickets, and set the action to update their status to this custom status.
  7. What should I do if the rule editor freezes or I cannot add conditions?
    This is typically caused by local browser caching issues. Perform a hard refresh of your webpage (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R) or attempt the configuration in an incognito window.
  8. Why are tickets from mailboxes routing incorrectly or showing blank groups?
    1. Navigate to Admin Settings > Email and locate the specific address. Click Edit.
    2. Check the group assigned to the mailbox. If it is blank, assign the correct group (e.g., IR Team) to ensure default routing works.
    3. Verify that your automation rules are set to Execute all matching rules instead of "Execute first matching rule" to ensure no intermediate rule is intercepting and stopping assignments.
  9. Why are automatic ticket assignments failing despite rules being configured?
    1. Verify that automatic agent assignment (Round Robin / Load Balanced) is enabled in Admin > Team > Groups for the specific group.
    2. Check if group agents are marked online and available in their Freshdesk utility bar. Round robin will bypass agents who are offline or marked as OOO.
    3. Ensure your rules use Execute all matching rules to avoid execution halts.
  10. Why can't I see the 'Business' group or other groups on the assignment list?
    Ensure the target agent is actively assigned to the group. If the group is still missing, open the settings for that group and verify that automatic ticket assignment is enabled. Refresh the page to reload active lists.
  11. Why did the ticket template fail to create child tickets when a parent was created?
    Review the ticket template configuration. If debugging requires support assistance, add an occasional agent with Global ticket scope and Administrator role (dummy@acme.com) to allow support to analyze your templates. Day passes are added automatically with no extra charge.
  12. Why does child ticket status vary (Open vs. Resolved) when parent tickets are closed?
    This depends on account-specific automations. Check for active rules under Admin > Automations to ensure there are no conflicting rules overriding the child ticket's status on creation. You can configure a custom rule to enforce inheritance if desired.
  13. Why is auto-assignment for the Support-Telephony group intermittently failing?
    Check the ticket activity logs under Show Activities. Ensure Support-Telephony agents are active, online, and marked available in the Freshdesk interface. If the issue persists, provide temporary occasional agent admin access (dummy_email@acme.com) to check telephony configurations.
  14. Why do my Ticket Creation rules work on the website but fail on the mobile app?
    Open a ticket created via the mobile app and check the parsed fields under Show Activities. Ensure your rules do not contain restrictive conditions like "Source is Portal" if the mobile app parses the source differently, and set the execution type to Execute all matching rules.
  15. Why is a customer unable to submit/raise a ticket via portal or email replies?
    1. Verify portal submission settings under Admin > Portals > Manage sections to ensure client ticket creation is enabled.
    2. If it is an email reply, check threading criteria: replies will only append to an existing ticket if the sender's address matches the requester's email, an associated agent's email, or is listed in the original ticket's CC field.
  16. Why did a specific single ticket fail to assign while other identical tickets succeeded?
    Review the Show Activities or Activities log of that specific ticket to check which rules ran. It is highly likely that an overlapping condition or a rule higher in the execution order matched and halted subsequent assignments.