Issue Triggers
Trigger rules change an issue automatically when something happens to it. When an issue is created, updated, gets a new message from the customer, or has sat in a status for a set time, a trigger rule checks it against a filter and, if it matches, updates or locks it.
Use them to:
- set the priority or group of new issues based on their title
- reopen a resolved issue when the customer writes again
- close issues that have waited on the customer for too long
- lock resolved issues after 48 hours, so a new message starts a new issue
Create a trigger rule
- Open the Planner app and go to its Setup tab
- Expand Automation Rules, then Automatic Issue Triggers
- Click Add an Issue Trigger Rule
- Fill in the settings below and click Save
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Run When | On Create, On Update, On New Incoming Message or After Time in Status. |
| Issue Type | Required. The rule only applies to issues of this type. Changing it clears any status and custom field settings in the rule. |
| Channels | On New Incoming Message only. Run only for messages on these channels: Email, WhatsApp, In-App Chat or Call. Leave it empty for every channel. |
| Filter | The rule only runs on issues matching this filter. Leave it empty to run on every issue of the type. |
| Actions | What to change. Set at least one. |
Filter
Add a row for each condition. An issue must match every row.
| Field | Matches |
|---|---|
| Title, Description | Contains any of, Contains all of or Is the words you enter. Contains ignores case. |
| Priority, Status, Group, Requested By | Is any of the values you pick. |
| Assignee | Is any of the people you pick, or Unassigned. |
| Created At, Updated At | Falls within a date range. |
| Dropdown custom fields | Is any of the options you pick. |
The filter always looks at the issue. For On New Incoming Message, a condition like Title contains refund checks the issue's title, not the text of the message.
Actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Set Status | Move the issue to this status. |
| Assign to Group | Move the issue to this group. |
| Set Assignee | Assign the issue to a member or AI agent, or pick Unassign to clear the assignee and return the issue to automatic assignment. |
| Set Priority | Change the priority. |
| Set Issue Properties | Set custom field values. |
| Lock the issue? | Lock the issue. A locked issue is read-only until someone unlocks it, and a new message for it opens a new issue linked to it. |
Which events run a rule
| Run When | Runs |
|---|---|
| On Create | When an issue is created, before automatic assignment. An assignee set by the rule is kept. |
| On Update | After any update to the issue, including updates made by follow-ups and by After Time in Status rules. |
| On New Incoming Message | When the customer sends a message on the issue. Messages from your team, AI agents and the system don't count. |
| After Time in Status | When an issue has stayed in one of the chosen statuses for the chosen time. See Time-based rules. |
Trigger rules skip test issues and locked issues.
Rule order
Rules run top to bottom, and you can drag them to reorder. Every rule is checked against the issue as it was when the event happened, so one rule can't make another match. The matching rules then apply their actions in order, and when two rules set the same field, the last one wins.
A rule that changes nothing makes no update. The changes a rule makes appear on the issue's activity as made by the system.
Changes made by a trigger rule don't run trigger rules again, so two rules can't keep changing a field back and forth. They do run notification rules and automatic assignment.
Time-based rules
Choose After Time in Status to act on issues that have stayed in a status too long. The form changes to:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| When an Issue Enters | Required. The statuses to watch. |
| Wait | Required. How long the issue must stay in that status, from 1 minute to 365 days. |
| If It Is Still There and Matches | An optional filter, as above. |
| Then | Set Status, Lock the issue?, or both. |
A time-based rule can only close an issue or lock it. Set Status must be a status that closes the issue.
The wait starts again whenever the issue changes status. A rule acts at most once each time an issue enters the status, so if someone unlocks an issue that a rule locked, the rule doesn't lock it again. Planner checks for due issues every 30 seconds.
Examples
Prioritize refund requests
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Run When | On Create |
| Issue Type | Support Request |
| Filter | Title contains any of refund, chargeback |
| Set Priority | Urgent |
| Assign to Group | Billing |
Reopen when the customer writes back
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Run When | On New Incoming Message |
| Issue Type | Support Request |
| Channels | WhatsApp, Email |
| Filter | Status is Resolved |
| Set Status | Open |
| Set Assignee | Unassign |
The reopened issue goes back to its group's queue and is assigned to whoever has the most room.
Lock resolved issues after 48 hours
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Run When | After Time in Status |
| Issue Type | Support Request |
| When an Issue Enters | Resolved |
| Wait | 48 hours |
| Lock the issue? | On |
A customer who writes more than two days after their issue was resolved starts a new issue, linked to the old one.