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Zoho Desk

Workflow Trigger (Desk)

A workflow trigger in Zoho Desk is the event that starts an automation, such as ticket creation, a field update, or a time-elapsed condition.

A workflow trigger in Zoho Desk is the event or condition that starts a workflow automation. Common triggers include ticket creation, ticket update, field value changes, and time-elapsed conditions.

Types of Workflow Triggers

Zoho Desk supports four main trigger types: On Ticket Creation (fires when a new ticket is submitted), On Ticket Update (fires when any ticket field changes), On Field Update (fires only when a specific field changes), and Time-Based (fires after a specified duration from ticket creation or last update).

Combining Triggers with Conditions

Triggers determine when a workflow runs, while conditions determine which tickets qualify. A workflow triggered On Ticket Creation with the condition ‘Department = Billing’ only runs for new billing tickets, not for all new tickets.

Time-Based Triggers for Follow-Ups

Time-based triggers are useful for follow-up automations. For example, if a ticket has been On Hold for 3 days without a customer reply, a time-based trigger can automatically send a follow-up email to the customer and update the ticket status.

Example: An e-commerce company sets a time-based workflow trigger: if a ticket’s status remains ‘Pending Customer Response’ for 48 hours, send the customer a reminder email and update the ticket status to ‘Awaiting Response’.
What is a Workflow Trigger in Zoho Desk?

A workflow trigger is the event that activates a workflow automation. It can be ticket creation, an update to any ticket field, a change to a specific field, or a time-based condition like a ticket being inactive for a set period.

Can a workflow in Zoho Desk trigger on a specific field change?

Yes. The On Field Update trigger fires only when a designated field changes value, such as when ticket status changes from Open to On Hold. This allows targeted automations that only run for relevant ticket transitions.

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