Creating Tickets

Tickets can be created automatically from customer messages or manually by your team. This guide covers both methods.

Automatic Ticket Creation

Most tickets are created automatically when customers reach out through connected channels.

From Email

When a customer emails your support address:

1. Email received by Relay
2. Customer matched (or created)
3. Ticket created with:
   • Subject from email subject
   • Description from email body
   • Attachments preserved
   • Channel set to "Email"

Thread handling: Replies to existing tickets update the original ticket instead of creating new ones.

From Widget

When a customer uses your embedded chat widget:

1. Customer enters their message
2. Pre-chat form data captured (if configured)
3. Ticket created with:
   • Subject auto-generated or from form
   • Description from first message
   • Channel set to "Widget"

From SMS

When a customer texts your Twilio number:

1. SMS received
2. Customer matched by phone number
3. Ticket created or existing ticket updated

From Other Channels

Each channel creates tickets with appropriate metadata:

• Slack: Message content becomes ticket
• WhatsApp: Message and media preserved
• Messenger: Facebook messages converted

Manual Ticket Creation

Create tickets manually for phone calls, walk-ins, or proactive outreach.

Creating a New Ticket

Method 1: Quick Create

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + K to open command palette
2. Type "new ticket"
3. Press Enter

Method 2: From Inbox

1. Click the + New Ticket button in the top right
2. Or use the keyboard shortcut C

Method 3: From Customer Profile

1. Navigate to the customer's profile
2. Click Create Ticket
3. Ticket is automatically linked to that customer

Ticket Creation Form

Fill in the following fields:

Selecting a Customer

When creating a ticket, you can:

Find existing customer:

1. Start typing name or email
2. Select from autocomplete suggestions
3. Customer's history is linked

Create new customer:

1. Click "Create new customer"
2. Enter name and email (minimum)
3. Customer profile is created

Quick create:

1. Just type an email address
2. If no match, Relay creates the customer automatically

Adding Rich Content

The description field supports:

• Formatting: Bold, italic, underline
• Lists: Bullet and numbered
• Links: Clickable URLs
• Code: Inline and blocks
• Attachments: Drag and drop files

Creating Tickets on Behalf of Customers

When a customer calls or walks in, create a ticket for them:

1. Click + New Ticket
2. Search for or create the customer
3. Fill in the issue details
4. Optionally add an internal note about how they contacted you
5. Respond or resolve as needed

Tip: Add a note like "Customer called about this issue" to provide context.

Creating Tickets from Other Tickets

Sometimes you need to split an issue or create a follow-up.

Split a Ticket

When a ticket contains multiple unrelated issues:

1. Open the original ticket
2. Click Actions → Split Ticket
3. Select which conversations to move
4. New ticket is created and linked

Create Follow-up

When you need to track a related but separate issue:

1. Open the original ticket
2. Click Actions → Create Follow-up
3. New ticket is pre-filled with context
4. Tickets are linked for reference

Ticket Defaults

Configure defaults to speed up ticket creation.

Organization Defaults

In Settings → Tickets, configure:

• Default priority: New tickets' priority
• Default type: New tickets' type
• Default tags: Auto-applied tags
• Auto-assignment rules: Who gets new tickets

Per-Channel Defaults

Each channel can have its own defaults:

• Widget tickets → Priority: Normal, Tag: "widget"
• Email tickets → Priority: Based on keywords
• SMS tickets → Priority: High (urgent channel)

Tips for Manual Ticket Creation

1. Always link to customer: Even for quick issues, create proper customer records

2. Be descriptive: Future you (or teammates) will thank you

3. Use appropriate priority: Reserve "Urgent" for true emergencies

4. Add context: Note how the customer reached out (phone, walk-in, etc.)

5. Don't duplicate: Search first to avoid creating duplicate tickets

Troubleshooting

"Customer not found"

• Check email spelling
• Try searching by name
• Create a new customer if needed

"Tickets created but no AI analysis"

• AI runs asynchronously, wait a moment
• Very short descriptions may skip analysis
• Check AI settings are enabled

"Duplicate tickets being created"

• Check email threading is working (same subject line)
• Verify customer matching is correct
• Review automation rules for duplicates

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