Using Macros - Zoho Desk Knowledgebase

Creating and using Macros

Macros are a set of actions that can be executed on tickets. These sets of actions include sending emails, creating tasks, and updating a field in the tickets with a specified value. You may have a set of actions that you perform on a daily basis or frequently to some records. You can combine all these actions in a single macro that can be applied manually to tickets by agents. This saves you from having to take the extra effort of performing three different actions across the ticket interface. 

Take, for example, the following scenario and how using macro makes the job easier:
Scenario - You are customer support executive and receive a call from a customer reporting a bug in their application. After the conversation you raise a support request and perform the following set of actions:
  • Send an Acknowledgment email to the customer.
  • Update the Status field as 'Developer Ticket'.
  • Create a task for the other developers in your team to fix the bug.
In such a case, you can create one macro that includes all the actions as mentioned above.
Permission Required
- Users with Administrative profile who have the permission to manage Helpdesk Automation can create Macro rules.
- Agents who have the permission to update a ticket can access a Macro rule.
Check Feature Availability and Limits

Setting availability for Macro rules

Administrators can set the visibility of macro rules, allowing it to be displayed to all agents, certain agents, teams, roles, or subordinates, depending on their needs. Through visibility settings, administrators can effectively manage the list of macros that appear within a ticket.
For example, agents who are specialized in dealing with tickets related to software applications, can trigger some actions such as:
  1. Assigning a task to assess application feasibility and practicality to the Research and Development (R&D) team.
  2. Update the status of the "Request type" field as software requirement.
  3. Send an email notification to the product development team for design and implementation.
Likewise, the  R&D analyst would trigger a set of alerts to notify the product managers, technical experts,  and engineering team to initiate subsequent processes through another macro rule.
In the above case, the agents can be given access to the macro rule that is relevant to them and the R&D analyst can be given access only to the rule that concerns their set of activities.  

Note:
  1. Macro rules are department specific.
  2. In each macro rule, you can configure up to 10 emails, 10 tasks, and 10 field updates.
  3. You cannot define conditions in macro rules.
  4. A macro rule can be applied to a maximum of 50 tickets.

Creating a Macro

You can create macros that will be shared with the other agents in your help desk.
To create a macro
  1. Go to Setup > Automation > Macros.
  2. In the Macros List  page, click Create Rule in the upper-right area.
  3. In the New Macro  page, specify a Name and Description for the Macro.
  4. Select Availability for the macro rule, All Agents or Specific Agents.
  5. If you select Specific Agents, choose agents, teams, roles or roles and subordinates from the drop-down.   

  6. Click Next .

Sending Alerts

  1. Under  Actions , do the following:
    • Click the Add icon () and select New from the drop-down list corresponding to Alerts .
    • In the New Alert window, specify a Name for the Alert.
    • Choose an Email Template from the drop-down list.
      The selected email template will be used to send emails when the macro is run.
    • Specify who should be receiving this Alert. 
      You can choose between
      Groups , Roles , Roles and Subordinates or Agents .
    • Enable the following options if you will like to notify other users:
      • Record Owner: Owner of the ticket
      • Record Creator: User who created the ticket
      • Notify Contact:  Requestor who submitted the ticket
      • Additional Recipients: Enter the e-mail addresses, separated by a comma


  2. Click Save .
You can associate this alert with an existing or a new macro.

Creating Tasks

  1. Under  Actions , do the following:
    • Click the Add icon  )  and select New from the drop-down list corresponding to Tasks .
    • In the New Task  window, s pecify the task related details like Subject, Status, Priority, AssigneeDue Date, etc.
  2. Click Save .
The task will be assigned to the specified agent when the macro is run. You can also associate this task with an existing or a new macro.

Updating Fields

  1. Under  Actions , do the following:
    • Click the Add icon  )  and select  New  from the drop-down list corresponding to  Field Updates .
    • In the Create Assignment Value  window, specify a Name for the Assignment Value.
    • Choose a Field and specify a value for it.
      The field will be updated with the specified value when the macro is run.
  2. Click Save.
    Please remember to click Save  again, in the New Macro page to retain your settings.

Moving Tickets to a Department

In customer support and service management, handling tickets efficiently and ensuring they reach the appropriate team for resolution is crucial. Often, there might be situations when tickets need to be transferred between departments based on the issue type, complexity, or required expertise. 

While moving a ticket to another department, it's important that agents choose the right department and if the department has a layout even select an appropriate layout to ensure the ticket reaches the right team. To facilitate this, businesses can use macros. With macros, you can ensure that agents have access to move tickets only to the right department and layout. 

Note: Users with Help Desk Automation permission can create a move department action in macros and this action is available only for the Professional and Enterprise editions

Business Scenario

Consider a real estate firm; the property-related queries often require intervention from multiple departments. When a ticket is received in the Sales department that requires inputs from the Property Management department, using a macro the sales rep can move the ticket to the right department. 


Likewise, if a ticket needs to be moved to a layout that deals with commercial property then the rep can move it to the respective layout within the department. 


Likewise, if the ticket needs to be moved to a specific layout within the Commercial property department for enquiries about lease or valuation, the rep can move it to the right layout. 

 

The macro’s “move department” action ensures that the inquiry is not only transferred to the correct department but also directed to the layout best suited for its resolution. This approach enhances efficiency by providing the necessary fields and workflows tailored to the nature of the request, maintaining high service standards, and expediting the handling of complex property-related inquiries.


In addition, by using this move department action in a macro, an admin can define user permissions and ensure that agents are limited to moving tickets only to the Property Management department, thereby maintaining control over ticket routing and ensuring that each ticket is directed to the appropriate layout for efficient handling.


Let's consider another example with respect to the IT services sector:

Imagine an IT services team receiving a ticket regarding a complex software integration issue that needs immediate attention. After reviewing the ticket, the agent realizes the problem involves advanced system configurations. However, instead of allowing the agent to transfer the ticket to any department, the macro limits the transfer to the "Advanced Configurations" department. Additionally, the macro prompts the agent to assign the ticket to the "Complex Integrations Layout," ensuring the ticket is directed to the team specialized in handling intricate system setups. This controlled transfer, combined with the correct layout, ensures that the issue is managed by the right experts, leading to faster and more effective problem resolution, and ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction.



Points to remember

  1. Each macro rule can have only one move department action.
  2. The move department action is applicable only for the Tickets module.
  3. When a user selects a department while configuring a move action in a macro, the layout field behaves based on their permissions. If the user lacks permission for custom layouts in the chosen department, the layout field will be left blank. However, upon executing the move department action, the ticket will be moved to the default layout of the selected department. If the user has permission for custom layouts, all available layouts will be displayed in the layout field. For example, Admin A selects the Support department but doesn't have access to its custom layouts. The layout field remains blank, but the ticket moves to the default layout. Admin B, with permissions, sees and can select from custom layouts like Technical Support or Billing Support.
  4. If a user creates a move action in a macro and another user later edits the macro and changes the department or layout, no notification is sent to the original user.
  5. View and execute the macro - Agents assigned to the macro during its creation will be able to view and execute the macro from the ticket detail view. Additionally, macros can also be executed as mass actions from the ticket list view.
  6. Inactive department - If a department is marked as inactive, upon editing the move department action, the system will prompt to select another department. An error message will be displayed indicating the chosen department is inactive.
  7. Inactive or deleted layout - If a layout is deleted or marked inactive after the move department action is created, upon editing the macro, an error message will be displayed on the configuration page stating the selected layout is inactive. However, since the layout field is not mandatory, saving the action without the layout the ticket will be moved to the department's standard layout.
  8. The move department action is executed last in the macro rule sequence. After all other actions are completed, the move department action is performed. For example, a macro is set to first add a task, then update a field, and finally move the ticket to a different department. The task and field updates are completed first, followed by the move department action.
  9. An email or SMS notification can be sent to the agents of a department when a ticket is received from another department.

  10. When a ticket is moved to another layout all the standard and custom field values from the existing layout will be retained, except for the following standard fields: 
    • Ticket Owner
    • Status
    • Due Date
    • Skill
    • Team


System fields are organization-specific and available across all departments and layouts, so their values will be retained. For custom fields, values will be retained if the same fields exist in both the previous and current layouts, excluding the listed system fields.

To create a move department action in a macro

  1. Go to Setup > Automation > Macros > Rules.
  2. Select the desired Department.
  3. Click Create Rule.
    You can click on the rule to edit it.
  4. Enter the Rule Name, Mark it as Active, and provide the relevant Description.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Set the Macro Availability as: all agents or specific agents.
  7. Click Next.
  8. In the Actions section, select the Move Department action from the drop-down.
  9. In the Move Department window, do the following:
    • By default, the Tickets module is selected.
    • Choose the desired Department.
    • Select the desired Layout.
  10. Click Save.



 

To delete a move department action in a macro

  1. Go to Setup > Automation > Macros > Rules.
  2. Select the desired Department.
  3. Open the desired macro.
  4. In the Actions section, remove an existing Move Department action from the list of actions.
  5. Click Save.


Note: Deleting the move department action will not impact tickets that have already been moved.

Accessing the move department action via macro

The move department action can be accessed through the Apply Macro option available in the ticket's detail view.

To perform the move department action

  1. Open the desired ticket to be moved in its detail view.
  2. Select the Apply Macro option available.
  3. Choose the created Move Department action.


Deactivating a Macro

You can activate or deactivate the macros at any time. When you deactivate a macro, it will be removed from the Active macros list, making it unavailable to your agents. Macros can be reactivated, when needed.
To deactivate a macro
  1. Go to Setup > Automation > Macros.
  2. In the Macros List  page, click the Deactivate icon (   ) corresponding to the macro.
The macro will be deactivated instantly. You can head over to the Inactive List and click the Activate  icon (   ) to re-activate a macro.

Deleting a Macro

You can delete the macros when you no longer need them. When you delete a macro, it will be permanently removed from your help desk and cannot be recovered.
To delete a macro
  1. Go to Setup > Automation > Macros.
  2. In the Macros List  page, click the Delete icon  (  ) corresponding to the macro.
  3. Click OK.

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