How to schedule a follow-up ticket in Zendesk for a later date
By Jake Marsh · Updated
To schedule a follow-up ticket in Zendesk, install Rousewell, open the original ticket, even a solved or closed one, and click Schedule a follow-up ticket in the Rousewell sidebar. Pick the date, check the Subject, Assignee and Group, write the internal note the new ticket opens with, and click Create follow-up ticket. It waits On-hold until that date, then opens.
Steps
- Open the original ticket. Scheduling works on any ticket, including solved and closed ones.
- Click Schedule a follow-up ticket.
- Pick the date under When, from the quick picks or Pick a date, up to a year ahead.
- Check Subject, Assignee and Group. The subject starts as "Follow-up:" plus the original subject, the assignee as you and the group as the original ticket's group. Change them if someone else should pick it up.
- Write the Internal note on the new ticket, such as "30-day check-in: confirm the integration is still syncing".
- Choose While it waits: On-hold or Pending (waiting on the customer).
- Tick Copy this ticket's tags if the follow-up should carry them, and Email the ticket's assignee when it is due if the assignee should get an email.
- Click Create follow-up ticket.
What gets created, and when
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Now | A new ticket with the same requester and your subject, created On-hold (or Pending) with an internal note, so nobody is emailed |
| Now | The original ticket gets an internal note with the new ticket's number, if Note on the original ticket is on in the settings |
| On the date | The follow-up ticket is set to Open, and the assignee is emailed if you ticked it |
| Any time before | Release now on the follow-up ticket opens it early |
Follow-up tickets carry the tags rousewell_followup and rousewell_from_<original number>, so views and reports can find them. The view "Rousewell: scheduled follow-up tickets" lists the ones still waiting.
Settings that change the defaults
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Note on the original ticket | Adds an internal note with the new number to the ticket you scheduled from |
| Copy tags to follow-up tickets by default | Pre-ticks Copy this ticket's tags |
| Email the assignee by default | Pre-ticks the assignee email |
| Start of the working day | The time used by quick picks such as Tomorrow 9:00, default 09:00 |
Follow-up ticket, reminder or snooze?
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| The same ticket back in front of you later | A reminder, or a snooze |
| A ticket that is closed, or soon will be, to lead to new work later | A scheduled follow-up ticket |
| A fresh ticket for a different assignee or group on a date | A scheduled follow-up ticket |
A closed ticket can't be changed in Zendesk, so it can't hold reminders or snoozes. A follow-up ticket is how you plan work after a ticket closes.
Reporting note
Follow-up tickets exist from the moment you schedule them, so Zendesk counts them as created on that day in reports, not on the day they open.
What it costs
Rousewell is $4 per agent per month on the Standard plan, with every feature: scheduled follow-up tickets (also from closed tickets), reminders, snoozes, the top-bar inbox and pop-ups. It has a 14-day free trial; Zendesk asks for a card at install and bills monthly. The full reference is in the Rousewell documentation.
Rousewell
Follow-up reminders, snoozes and scheduled follow-up tickets, with an inbox of what is due. $4 a month per agent.
Questions
Can I create a follow-up for a closed ticket in Zendesk that opens later?
Yes. Schedule a follow-up ticket works on closed tickets. The new ticket waits until its date and then opens.
Does the customer get an email when the follow-up is created?
No. It's created On-hold or Pending with an internal note, so nobody is emailed.
Can I open a ticket later that I write today?
Yes. Write the subject and internal note now, pick the date, and the ticket waits until then.
Can follow-up tickets repeat every week?
No. Each one is a single scheduled ticket. Schedule another from it when it comes due.
How do I see every follow-up ticket still waiting?
Open the view "Rousewell: scheduled follow-up tickets".
More Rousewell guides
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