Skip to main content

Automations

Updated

Overview

Automation rules let PSA take action automatically when a ticket is created or updated — routing tickets to the right queue, changing statuses, sending notifications, or setting fields based on conditions you define. Admins configure rules once and they run silently in the background on every qualifying ticket.

How Automation Rules Work

Each rule has three parts:

  1. Trigger — when the rule runs (ticket created or ticket updated).
  2. Conditions — criteria the ticket must meet for the rule to fire (all conditions must match).
  3. Actions — what happens when the rule fires (assign to a technician, change status, add a tag, send a notification).

Rules are evaluated in priority order (lower number runs first). Multiple rules can fire on the same ticket.

Creating an Automation Rule

  1. Go to Settings > Automations.
  2. Click New Rule.
  3. Enter a name and optional description.
  4. Choose the trigger:
    • Ticket Created — fires once when the ticket is first saved.
    • Ticket Updated — fires whenever any ticket field changes.
  5. Add conditions. Each condition checks a ticket field against a value. Examples:
    • Priority is Urgent
    • Company is Acme Corp
    • Status changes to Waiting on Customer
    • Queue is unassigned
  6. Add actions to perform when conditions match. Examples:
    • Assign to a specific technician
    • Move to a queue
    • Change priority
    • Add a tag
    • Send a notification
  7. Set the priority (order among all rules — lower number runs first).
  8. Toggle the rule Active.
  9. Click Save.

Common Automation Patterns

Route urgent tickets to a senior tech:

  • Trigger: Ticket Created
  • Condition: Priority = Urgent
  • Action: Assign to [Senior Tech Name]

Notify a team lead when a ticket breaches SLA:

  • Trigger: Ticket Updated
  • Condition: SLA Status = Breached
  • Action: Send notification to [Team Lead]

Auto-tag tickets from a specific client:

  • Trigger: Ticket Created
  • Condition: Company = [Client Name]
  • Action: Add tag "VIP"

Move a ticket to a specific queue by issue type:

  • Trigger: Ticket Created
  • Condition: Issue Type = Network
  • Action: Set Queue = Network Team

Troubleshooting Rules

If a rule does not fire as expected:

  • Check that the rule is Active.
  • Confirm the trigger matches (created vs. updated).
  • Review every condition — all conditions must be true at the same time for the rule to fire. A single false condition prevents the rule from running.
  • Check the priority — a higher-priority rule may have already changed the ticket before this rule evaluated it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a rule trigger another rule?

All active rules for the same trigger event evaluate against the same ticket state at the time of the trigger. Rules that change the ticket do not re-trigger further rules in the same pass.

Is there a limit on the number of rules?

There is no hard limit, but rules run in sequence on every matching ticket event. Keep your rule list manageable to avoid unexpected interactions.

Can I use automations to send emails to clients?

Automations can send internal notifications to technicians. For client-facing communication, use public notes (which email the contact) or configure your email processor settings.

Related