Power of Automation:: Automating SLA Timelines for First Response & Resolution for Issues module.

Power of Automation:: Automating SLA Timelines for First Response & Resolution for Issues module.

Hello Everyone,
 
Ever wished SLAs could update automatically based on issue severity i.e no manual tracking, no missed timelines? That is exactly what one of our customers, Alex, wanted to achieve in the Issues module. So, we have setup a simple automation that handles both First Response and Resolution SLA using Custom function along with Business rules

Prerequisites:

Below are the list of custom fields created in Issue layout. 

Custom Field Label
Field Type
Purpose
First Response SLA Deadline
Date/Time
Target deadline to acknowledge issue
Resolution SLA Deadline
Date/Time
Target deadline to resolve issue
First Response Time
Date/Time
When issue first changed to Acknowledged
Resolution Time
Date/Time
When issue first changed to Resolved

 
Custom statuses to be created :

Acknowledged
Resolved
 
Upon Issue creation above fields should be updated automatically based on the severity set in the Issue. Below is the Severity and SLA Policy Matrix. 

SLA Policy Matrix:

Severity
SLA for First Response
SLA for Resolution
Critical
2 business hours
4 business hours
High
4 business hours
8 business hours
Medium
8 business hours
16 business hours
Low
16 business hours
24 business hours

 
Once an issue is created, the SLA deadlines are automatically calculated based on the selected severity.

For example, if an Issue is created as Network Block at 12 PM IST and Severity is Critical then First Response SLA Deadline should be set as 2 PM IST (2 business hours from creation). 

Once the Issue status is updated as Acknowledged, that specific timestamp will be updated as First Response time and the Resolution SLA deadline field will be updated accordingly. 

For example, if the status of the issue is updated as Acknowledged at 1 PM IST, then the Resolution SLA deadline should be updated as 5 PM IST (4 hours from the time of acknowledgement). 

Finally when the status of the Issue is updated as Resolved, that timestamp would be captured in the Resolution time.
 
I have attached the sample custom functions along with the parameters to be mapped for reference. Custom function should be triggered using Business Rule feature under Issue Tracker module. 

With this automation, Alex’s team no longer needs to manually calculate or update SLA deadlines. Everything is handled instantly ensuring quicker acknowledgements, faster resolutions, and improved overall productivity.

We hope you found this post useful. If you have any questions, feel free to share them in the comments below.

    • Sticky Posts

    • Automate Timesheet Approvals with Multi-level Approval Rules

      Introducing Approval Rules for Timesheets in Zoho Projects. With this automation, teams can manage how timesheets are reviewed and approved by setting up rules with criteria and assigning approvers to handle submissions. Timesheet, when associated to
    • Accessibility Spotlight Series - 1

      Every user interacts with products differently, what feels intuitive to one may be challenging for another. Addressing this, accessibility is built into Zoho Project's design philosophy. This helps users navigate and perform actions with ease irrespective
    • Customize User Invites with Invitation Templates

      Invitation Templates help streamline the invitation process by allowing users to create customized email formats instead of sending a one-size-fits-all email. Different invitation templates can be created for portal users and client users to align with
    • Zoho Projects - Q3 Updates | 2025

      Hello Users, The final quarter of the year 2025 has begun, and we at Zoho Projects are all set with a plan. New targets to achieve and new milestones to reach, influenced by the lasting imprint of the past quarter. 2025's Q3 saw some new features and
    • Introducing Version-3 APIs - Explore New APIs & Enhancements

      Happy to announce the release of Version 3 (V3) APIs with an easy to use interface, new APIs, and more examples to help you understand and access the APIs better. V3 APIs can be accessed through our new link, where you can explore our complete documentation,
    • Recent Topics

    • Work Orders / Bundle Requests

      Zoho Inventory needs a work order / bundle request system. This record would be analogous to a purchase order in the purchasing workflow or a sales order in the sales cycle. It would be non-journaling, but it would reserve the appropriate inventory of
    • Narrative 1 - The significance of a business account

      Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system - BTS Series Narrative 1 - The significance of a business account Setting up a proper business account is a crucial step that is often overlooked when launching a ticketing system for your service company,
    • Changed hosting for domain, Zoho mail stopped working.

      I have changed hosting fro my domain and from that time my zoho email stopped working
    • we need to add a Customer Number field to the PDF document templates

      Hello everyone. We are currently using Zoho Inventory for our small business operations and have found it to be a valuable tool. However, we’ve encountered a specific requirement: we need to add a Customer Number field to the PDF document templates (such
    • Joining Two Reports

      Hello Guys, I have three modules: - Orders - Custom module - Clients - Contacts - Basic Pay I am using the order module to store the revenue share amount for each order which will be paid a sales rep The Orders are child or clients so I am pulling a report
    • Power of Automation :: Notify users Automatically when @Mentioned in Tasks Description

      Hello Everyone, A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate
    • Recording a payment in foreign currency not allowed

      Hi, my base currency is CHF. I made an invoice in EUR, which have been paid with an extra amount (which are the fees I guess). When I record that payment from the invoice page, I can select the EUR bank account. But the amount received is above the invoice
    • Introducing WhatsApp integration and quick editing capabilities in Zoho Sign

      Hi there, Zoho Sign already helps users collect signatures via email and SMS, and we're happy to announce that you can now send documents and authenticate recipients right through WhatsApp. Some of the key benefits include: Communication with recipients
    • Order Wise Expense Tracking and Reporting Possible?

      Hi, We are a manufacturing firm and take up several orders at the same time. Each order will be associated with a single sales order and then once completed to a single invoice. When recording expenses, is it possible to associate each expense with a
    • Layout Rule Fields Appear in "Verify Details" Pop-up — Confirmed Working

      Hey everyone — just wanted to share a quick discovery. I created a Layout Rule in the Deals module that makes two fields show up (and required) when the stage is set to Closed Won or Closed Lost — one pick list and one text field. To my surprise, those
    • Can you please let us know how we can use Zoho for multi store?

      Hello Team, Can you please let us know how we can use Zoho for multi store because when we connect our plugin to Zoho and we create a product and then on another store when we create product with same name then product already exist error occurs, so how
    • Zoho One Home Dashboard - My Tasks (Projects) & My Overdue Work Items (Projects) have no data.

      The title basically covers the situation. I've set up the dashboard cards, and for a while, they were showing data. Now, they are both blank. Is anyone else experiencing this, or has anyone else experienced this, and if so, is there a fix?
    • Zakya - Release in North America?

      At Zoholics it was pitched like Zakya was already released in North America. However, when looking for it I couldnt find it. There isnt an integrated app available in Zoho. I figured maybe it was being released at Zoholics. Now over a month later, its
    • Custom Field Mapping in Outlook

      I have 10 custom fields in Zoho is there a way to create and map them to the outlook contact?
    • Custom module - change from autonumber to name

      I fear I know the answer to this already, but thought I'd ask the question. I created a custom module and instead of having a name as being the primary field, I changed it to an auto-number. I didn't realise that all searches would only show this reference.
    • Enhanced Zoho CRM and Office 365 calendar synchronization features!

      Dear customers, We're excited to share some significant improvements to our Office 365 calendar synchronization features, aimed at providing you with more control and a more personalized experience. What’s new Choose your Office 365 calendar: During the
    • Problemas de usarmos no Brasil

      Somos usuários a exatamente um ano do Zoho Recruit, agora migramos para o Zoho One. Temos enfrentado por diversas vezes problemas da ferramenta não estar realmente preparada para funcionar corretamente na lingua portuguesa. Problema esse não específico
    • CERTIFICADO DIGITAL - BRASIL

      Olá, Temos o ZOHO ONE e no Sign vemos de forma simples a assinatura digital, temos nos BRASIL certificado digital, de no CERTISIGN homologado pelo GOVERNO do BRASIL, há possibilidade de gerar a assinatura diante deste certificado?
    • Zoho Duplicate Reference Numbers

      I have 2 accounts through zoho. On one account if I enter a bill with the same number as a previous bill I get a warning message saying that there is already a bill with this number. However on the other account I do not get this message. How do I turn
    • integration between Zoho Site and Zoho Learn

      integration between Zoho Site and Zoho Learn so that when a user registers on the Zoho Site, their account is automatically created in Zoho Learn!! the use case i have pro plan in zoho site and zoho learn and i have puted the zoho learn domain in zoho
    • Automation #6 - Prevent Re-opening of Closed Tickets

      This is a monthly series where we pick some common use cases that have been either discussed or most asked about in our community and explain how they can be achieved using one of the automation capabilities in Zoho Desk. Typically when a customer submits
    • Not able to list or add contacts

      I am not able to get a list of contacts via api request. Tickets for example are listed via api even without orgId, so it shoud be similar. What is missing to reach the requirement. My aim ist to add a contact via API and then add a ticket with the contact
    • See contrat information from an account under the ticket

      Hi there, How can I program something to display created and selected contract on the ticket itself so my agents see it and can support correctly according to the contract and SLA ? Thank you :)
    • Weekly time log view

      The Weekly Time Log view is pretty nice. My users really like it when I show it to them. They like being able to pin ongoing tasks. Anyway, it's sort of hard to find. It is grouped with the Add Time Log button as a pull down. In my opinion, it should
    • Any Impact of Amazon Listings API on E-commerce Integration?

      Amazon sent the following message about changes to their APIs. Our only Amazon app / integration is Zoho Inventory's eCommerce for Amazon US, so the message below in bold gives us concerns about if Amazon's warning is referencing Zoho's Amazon US integration.
    • Working with Products that are non-tangible

      How does one create a 'service' in products? Is there a way to disable inventory functions for things like Sofware as a service? The services module doesn't look to be much help either. Not sure how to do this in CRM
    • ePOD Devices

      Has anyone tried and tested and devices that deliver ePOD (electronic proof of delivery)? We would like our drivers to use an ePOD device to get the customer signature The app should then be capable of updating the sales order to show delivery.
    • API Integration

      Why are we unable to do API Integration for Job borads
    • Remind/Recall Document API

      When I recall a document through the Sign API, I would like to be able to specify the reason that gets sent in the user notification email. Same with including a unique message when sending a document reminder through the API. Is there a way to include
    • Zoho Books API Creating Invoice and Address API

      I'm trying to create an invoice with zoho books api and i get the following error: Error creating invoice in Zoho Books: { message: 'Request failed with status code 400', details: { code: 15, message: 'Please ensure that the "billing_address" has less
    • Convert Multiple PO in 1 Bill

      Does anyone know how to convert multiple POs in 1 Bill? Thank you
    • merge the Multiple POs to single PO if Vendor of PO"s --in Zoho Inventory

      HI Merge the Multiple POs to single PO if Vendor of PO"s are Same ----in Zoho inventory Please provide any work around to achive this .
    • How to add categories to community

      In my Community, I would like to add several Categories but I don't readily see how this is accomplished. Currently, I have one category in my community with several forums. But I would like to add more categories. Thanks.
    • Knowledgeable Image Quality is very poor, any recommendations how to improve this?

      Hi All, We are looking at migrating our current knowledge base to Zoho so it can be kept in one location. Our current KB utilises a lot of images to try and make it easier for users and less wordy. Unfortunately, when I upload an image within an article,
    • Assistance Required: Displaying Dynamic HTML Table in Zoho Creator Dashboard Page

      I am currently stuck while creating a custom dashboard page in Zoho Creator. I want to display a designed HTML table showing Teacher Registration data with this condition: If Total Allowed Leaves < 10, display those teachers in the table. Page Scripts
    • Visibility of Custom Questions in the Question Pool

      A colleague is adding our own questions in the question pool for our Employee Engagement survey, but I can't see the questions she has entered, even after refreshing the webpage. Are the custom questions in the question pool only visible to the one who
    • campaigns contact lists not exporting

      I'm trying to export a specific lead source from my contract list in 'campaigns'. Every time I have to do this the contacts won't export. I have done a search and selected the specific contacts I want to export. The box appears to choose the file type,
    • Recipient Field on replies doesn't update with Contact change

      Some emails that come into our system come from an online form and the sender address is a noreply@whateverthedomainis.org So in order to reply to the original sender, we need to update/change the contact for the tickets. However, after we change the
    • Multicolumns fields for native forms

      It would be nice to be able to create forms with multiple columns. Currently, each field occupies a single column, which makes a fairly complex form seem too long.
    • Assign values to hidden fields in native forms

      It would be great to be able to assign values (static or dynamic) to hidden fields in a form. Currently, I can only assign a value via the URL. I currently have a form integrated with a webhook, but I don't have a way to send useful form data as parameters,
    • Next Page