On Hold state - Use cases and Behavior
Zoho Desk allows you to pause SLA timers on tickets when you are waiting for an event to happen. You can do this by selecting a status that is mapped to the On Hold state. However, it is important that you understand the functionality and which parts of your help desk are being affected without too many surprises. This document walks you through the most common use cases and conventions, so you know what to expect the next time you hit pause on that timer.
On Hold Methodology
Certain actions take place when you assign and unassign a ticket with an On Hold status. Let's look at them briefly:
On assigning the On Hold status:
- The SLA timers will freeze, and the ticket will not display the response and the resolution times determined previously.
- The ticket is removed from automation rules, custom views and reports that comprises of Response or Resolution due as a criterion.
- Since the timers aren't running, there will be no response or resolution due emails sent to agents.
On resuming to Open status:
- The SLA timers will return, and the ticket will display the recalculated response and the resolution times. The new 'due time' is calculated based on the ticket's old due time, the amount of time the ticket was on On Hold and the business hour configuration on its associated SLA.
- Response and resolution escalations will be rescheduled based on the new due times.
On closing from On Hold status:
- The old response and resolution due times will be restored on the ticket.
How is due time recalculated?
When you unpause SLAs, the tickets will have their new due times recalculated. Although this is automated there are a few factors that can impact the calculation of new response and resolution times.
For instance, if an SLA sets the Resolution Due Time of a ticket, the recalculation happens as per the working hours configured in the SLA. This can be either calendar hours or business hours. However, once a manual change is made to the Resolution Due Time, the recalculation happens as per the calendar hours regardless of the SLA configuration.
In the case of Response Due Time, the recalculation always happens based on the working hours configured in the SLA. Again this can be either calendar hours or business hours.
When is due time recalculated?
Due times are recalculated when a ticket goes from an "On Hold" state to an "Open" state. Typically, this can take place in one of the following ways:
- When the status is manually updated using the options available on the interface.
- When the status is set via an automation rule, say, Workflow.
- When customers reply to On Hold tickets. In this case, the ticket falls back to the Open status that is set as default.
- When customers leave a feedback rating for an On Hold ticket. This might happen if you've chosen to reopen tickets on receiving a rating.
Note:
- Spam tickets will also have their due times recalculated.
- Resolution times set by automation rules—on ticket update—will overwrite the recalculated due time on resuming a ticket from On Hold to Open.
Adding an On Hold Status
Zoho Desk provides a default status called "On Hold" that comes pre-mapped with the On Hold state. You can also add custom statuses to track who has the responsibility for a ticket accurately. All you need to do is select the status type as "ON HOLD" while adding a new status. Here are some points to keep in mind while adding an On Hold status:
- The On Hold status is optional.
- You cannot set an On Hold status as a default status. So the "Set as default" option will not be available for On Hold statuses.
- On Hold tickets will fall back to the default status on receiving a reply from their requestor. So you cannot deselect the "Fall-back to default" option for On Hold statuses.
On Hold and Overdue Tickets
Overdue tickets moved to an On Hold state will not be considered as overdue from there on. Also, the On Hold overdue tickets when moved back to an Open state will not have their due times recalculated. This behavior has the following implications that you need to keep in mind:
- Predefined ticket Views for overdue tickets—Overdue Tickets, My Overdue Tickets, Response Overdue Tickets and My Response Overdue Tickets—will not include tickets in the On Hold state.
- The filter criteria—namely, Is overdue and Is Response Overdue will not refer to On Hold tickets in custom views, reports, advanced search, and automation (includes SLAs, Workflows, Assignment and Supervise Rules).
Tracking On Hold Tickets
Zoho Desk provides you with two predefined views for On Hold Tickets—namely, On Hold Tickets and My On Hold Tickets. These views allow you to filter out and view a list of On Hold tickets under the Tickets tab.
- On Hold Tickets: The view consists of tickets whose status is mapped to the On Hold state.
- My On Hold Tickets: The view consists of tickets whose status is mapped to the On Hold state and owned by you.
The tickets in these views are by default sorted based on their "Customer Response Time."
On Hold Tickets in the Work Modes
You can view the On Hold tickets in the work modes — namely, Countdown, Status, Priority and Handshake. Let us see what is new in each of these modes.
Countdown Mode
A new column called "On Hold" has been introduced to track tickets in the On Hold state. The On Hold tickets are listed only here and not under any other columns. Also, the tickets in this column are sorted by their Customer Responded Time (latest to oldest). Plus, you can configure up to seven columns in the Countdown mode.
Status Mode
The Status mode allows you to add columns for On Hold mapped statuses. The tickets in such columns will be sorted by their Customer Responded Time with the latest ones at the top. The "Other Status" column that houses tickets from statuses besides those added will consist of both Open and On Hold tickets.
Priority and Handshake Modes
Both Priority and Handshake modes will list the tickets mapped to the On Hold state. The columns will display the tickets in the Open state followed by those in the On Hold state. Also, tickets that are set to On Hold will display their current Status along with the date and time they were placed On Hold.
As a side note to this information, both Agent Queues and Team Queues will also display the On Hold tickets.
Using On Hold Status in Filters
The filter criteria allow you to track tickets that are On Hold. They are especially helpful when you want to filter tickets to apply automation, create custom ticket views, generate reports, or perform an advanced search. All you need to do is select On Hold as the value of the Status condition. You can further refine the results by using the Hours since On Hold and Ticket On Hold Time conditions.
Please note that these filter criteria are not available for use with SLA and Round Robin rules since they are not applicable for tickets in the On Hold state.
Also Read: Understanding the On Hold State
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