Merging Duplicate Tickets Automatically in Zendesk

The guide below will help users seamlessly merge duplicated tickets in Zendesk by identifying identical custom ticket fields. This process uses the "Ticket Parser" app by Knots.

Here is a full walkthrough video, or feel free to read the documentation found below.

Prerequisites:

1. Ensure the ticket fields you're comparing are custom fields.
2. Utilize the ticket parser to identify and extract specific patterns from the ticket or its attachments, storing the results in the chosen custom ticket field.

1. Installing the Ticket Parser App

• How to Install:
  1. Go to the Zendesk marketplace and look up "Ticket Parser by Knots." Alternatively, you can use this link.
  2. Click on the 'install' button located on the right side.
  3. Choose the Zendesk instance where you want to install the app.
  4. Follow the redirection to your Zendesk Admin space. (Ensure you have admin rights.)
  5. Here, you can rename the app, but by default, it's labeled as "Ticket Parser by Knots." Decide if you'd like to enable role or group restrictions.
  6. Finally, hit the 'install' button.

2. Accessing the App

• Navigate to your agent workspace. This can be done by clicking on the icon with four squares located at the top-right corner, then choosing "Support."
• In the Support workspace, spot the Ticket Parser icon  on the left after the settings symbol. 
• Note: If you have numerous apps installed, it might be hidden under the three dots at the lower left part of your screen. Click on this icon to proceed.

3. Creating an Account with Knots

For New Users:

1. Access one of the Knots Apps or go to https://app.knots.io/
2. Click on 'create an account.'
3. Fill in your email, set a password, and choose a team name.
4. After logging in, set up a connector. This usually gets suggested based on your current Zendesk instance.
5. Under the module management page, pick the "Ticket Parser." Click 'add' and then choose your billing entity along with the connector. Ensure you agree with the terms and conditions before hitting 'buy.'

Good to Know: First-time users of Knots will receive a 14-day free trial without requiring any credit card or billing details.

4. Setting Up Ticket Parsing Triggers and Automatic Ticket Merging

• Steps:
  1. On the main page of the app, hit the 'create a trigger' button.

1. 1. Create a trigger name
   2. Choose the source containing the required information. Zendesk placeholder documentation can be accessed here.
      • Here are some common placeholders
        • {{ticket.title}} = Find information in the subject line of the email/ticket
        • {{ticket.description}} = Find information in the body of the email/ticket
          
        • {{ticket.latest_comment}} = commonly used along with our OCR reader to pull information after PDF/images/pngs are converted from image to text. Find information in the ticket comment

1. 1. For 'search type,' pick "Text pattern search."

1. 1. Specify the destination field to store the extracted results and add a tag for when the pattern is found.
      
   2. In the "Search for pattern (regular expression)" field, input the regex pattern you aim to detect. If regex is unfamiliar territory for you, this website is an excellent resource, or reach out to regex@knots.io for assistance.
      

      

      
      
      • Example
   3. At the bottom, check the "Merge a ticket with the patterns found" option, and then click 'create.'

5. Adding Conditions Before Merging Tickets in Zendesk

Before finalizing the merge, certain conditions can be established to ensure accuracy.

• Recommendation: At a minimum, it's advisable to include the "Requester" as a condition to avoid merging unrelated tickets from different requesters.

• Example Scenario: If you're trying to merge tickets that have the identical order ID of 1234 and are from the same requester.

• Further Customization:

  1. You can combine multiple fields. An instance might be merging tickets only if they share the same order ID, are from the same requester, and have the same contact reason.
  2. You can specify the ticket's status. By default, the status is set to "less than closed."
  3. At the top of the page, there's a specific icon that allows you to access the trigger in the admin center. This grants flexibility, like choosing if the search should occur when the ticket is either created or updated or if it's associated with a particular brand. More details can be found here.

We hope this detailed guide assists you in efficiently merging duplicate tickets in Zendesk. Remember, consistency in data leads to better support experiences!