Threads enable agents to have focused discussions around a specific topic inside the ticket on a chat-like interface without clogging up the main conversation pane. You can create threads on Private notes, Forward emails, agent and customer replies, or start a Discussion Thread to collaborate on a ticket.
Earlier, when you wanted to collaborate on a Private note, each response from another agent would create a separate private note, making it harder to collaborate or track responses of a specific Private Note.
If you are an existing Freshdesk customer, you can enable threads by navigating to Admin > Agent Productivity > Threads > Enable.
Note: Once you enable Threads on your Freshdesk account, you can choose to disable it within 30 days from the day of activation.
Different types of Threads in Freshdesk:
Here are the different types of threads you can use as an agent to effortlessly collaborate with multiple stakeholders within the ticket:
- Discussion Threads: Discussion Threads let you start a discussion inside a ticket on the issue or a topic related to the issue. It allows you to invite internal or external (using Collaborators - available on Pro & Enterprise plans) stakeholders into the ticket giving them complete context to collaborate and offer help in a chat-like interface.
- Forward Threads: Whenever you forward a ticket/response/private note to an external stakeholder, you can use Forward Threads to keep track of the subsequent responses organized without polluting the main conversation pane.
- Private Threads: Freshdesk lets you add Private Threads to a private note on your ticket, only visible to agents logged in to your support portal. You can create threads on a private note instead of adding a new note in response. These threads organize your communications in a chat-like interface, enabling efficient collaboration with support and field agents. You can even notify specific agents about the comments you just added.
You can use ‘@’ followed by the agent email ID to notify specific Freshdesk agents to notify and tag them to the Discussion Thread. If the agent is not a part of Freshdesk, you can add them to the conversation by ‘@’mentioning their email ID and adding them as a Collaborator (available on Pro & Enterprise plans).
Modifying the sorting order of Thread conversations:
You can decide how Threads are arranged within the ticket. Choose between "Date created" or "Last updated" to pick how you want the threads to appear in the Threads panel.
To modify the sorting of Thread conversations for both ticket replies and thread conversations,
- Click on the profile icon in the top right corner and select Profile Settings. (as marked on the above screenshot)
- Click on the 'Sort conversations' dropdown to modify the sorting order of conversations.
Please note that modifying the sorting order of Thread conversations will also modify the sorting order of your ticket replies.
Threads on Freshdesk mobile app:
All the above Threads' capabilities (except for creating a new Discussion Thread) are available on the latest versions of the Freshdesk iOS and Android mobile app.
Read more about Threads on Freshdesk mobile in this article.
Notifications on Private Threads:
Here are some new tools that come along with Threads to make your collaboration easier
Threads Button: The Threads button gives you single-click access to all discussion, forward, and private note threads in one place. The ‘+’ icon beside Threads will allow you to create Discussion or Forward Threads quickly.
Auto Refresh: Freshdesk notifies the agent about any update in the assigned ticket. In case of any message on the thread or a forward, Freshdesk notifies the agent by
- The bell icon on the top right shows a red dot for new notifications
- The ‘Update” floater button appears on the ticket list screen, notifying the agent of the number of updates
- An email notification is sent out to the agent
Secondary view:
Threads will now have an option for the users to switch to a secondary display mode that will expand the entire threads panel thus increasing the content readability and better reply formation.
Tickets Search:
You can search for particular thread messages along with searching for tickets. You can use the search bar on the top right corner to search for specific messages on any thread, tickets, contacts, solution articles, etc.
You can click the settings icon on the Search bar to further filter your search for messages on Threads by only enabling the 'Notes & replies' toggle. (Available only on Freshdesk web)
Ticket Activities: You can now see customer, agent, and system activities by clicking on ‘Show Activities’ on the top right section of a particular ticket screen. You can now see the system details, sources, contacts, etc., for any ticket you choose. (Available only for web)
Configuring Automations on Thread updates on a ticket
You can configure automation rules to trigger specific actions on a ticket based on Thread activities. By setting up Automation on Threads, you, as an Admin, support manager, or supervisor, can ensure that the right action gets triggered when a Thread is created or updated or if the number of Threads on a Ticket exceeds a certain limit.
For example, when agents create too many Threads on an open ticket, the ticket is too complex for the agents collaborating on the ticket, or the right stakeholder is not even looped in. In such cases, it is ideal for a Support manager or a Supervisor to step in to loop in the right folks to resolve the ticket.
With Automation on Threads, you can set up a rule to notify or escalate the ticket to the manager when the number of Threads on an Open ticket exceeds a certain number.
Impact on existing Automations
Soon after you enable Threads, please ensure to make the following changes to your Automation where Private notes and Forwards are involved:
- Go to Admin and select Automations under Workflows.
- Select Tickets and then click on Ticket Updates.
- Now, select any of your existing automation rules that have an action dependent on a Private Note or a Forward.
- Action needed on Private Note Automations: On the selected rule, if the Event has ‘Note is added (Private),’ you need to add a new condition, ‘Thread is updated’ and select the type ‘Private note’ on top of the existing rule.
- Action needed on Forward Automations:
- If your selected Automation has an event ‘Mail sent to cc or forward address failed’, you need to add a new condition, ‘Mail sent from Forward threads failed’, on top of the existing rule.
- If your selected Automation has an event, ‘Mail sent to requester address failed’, add a new condition, ‘Mail sent from forward threads failed’ on top of the existing rule.
Please reach out to support@freshdesk.com if you have any questions.