Skip to main content

Acknowledge Issue

The Acknowledge Issue action uses AI to generate a user-friendly message to acknowledge a customer's ticket. This action helps in providing timely and empathetic first responses, improving customer satisfaction and ensuring that users feel heard.

Why is it useful?

Automating the initial acknowledgment ensures consistent communication, meets response SLAs, and frees up technicians to focus on resolving issues rather than crafting initial replies.

info

This action is available only as a Triggered action in a workflow. Let us know if you'd like to use it as a Scheduled one.

What It Does​

  • Generates Empathetic Responses: Creates a message based on the ticket's content (title and notes).
  • Handles Various Scenarios:
    • If a user asks for help, it acknowledges the issue and assures them it's being looked into.
    • If a user requests an action, it confirms the action is in progress.
    • If a user asks for information, it acknowledges the request and states the team will follow up.
  • Avoids Jargon: Prefers "thank you" or similar empathetic phrases over directly stating the ticket is "acknowledged."
  • Personalizes Greetings:
    • If a contact name is available, it starts with "Hi [Customer First Name]," (this does not apply to Autotask, which uses notification templates with pre-filled names).
    • If no contact name is available, it starts with "Hi,".
    • Messages typically end with "Best Regards," or a similar closing.
  • Utilizes Custom Instructions: Allows for general and company-specific instructions to tailor the tone, style, and content of the generated message.

How It Works​

1. Input Data​

The action begins by receiving a PSA ticket, typically provided as the default_data input from a preceding workflow step or trigger.

2. Message Generation​

For the ticket, NeoAgent's AI performs the following steps to create an acknowledgment:

  • It reviews the ticket's title, existing notes, and contact information to understand the context.
  • Based on this context (e.g., whether the user is asking for help, requesting a specific action, or seeking information), the AI generates an empathetic acknowledgment message.
  • If custom_instructions are provided in the action's configuration, these are used to guide the AI in crafting the specific tone and content of the message.
  • If the include_company_custom_instructions option is enabled, any relevant company-level custom instructions (set up in the 'Companies' tab within NeoAgent) are also incorporated to further tailor the response.

3. Output Structure​

The action then makes the generated messages available through a SimpleNotificationOutput object. This output is structured to provide:

  • default_messages_for_msp: Messages suitable for your internal team's use, such as internal notes or Teams messages.
  • default_messages_for_end_client: The polished acknowledgment messages ready to be sent to the customer.
  • default_messages_for_dashboard: Concise summary messages for display in the NeoAgent Event History.

Configuration Fields​

When you add the "Acknowledge Issue" action to a workflow, you'll configure the following:

default_data​

The PSA ticket to process and generate an acknowledgment for. This is typically the output from a workflow trigger or a Find Entities action that is configured to return a single ticket.

use_custom_instructions​

(default: False) Set to True to provide specific instructions to the AI for generating the acknowledgment, overriding or supplementing the default behavior.

custom_instructions​

(optional) If use_custom_instructions is true, provide text here to guide the AI. These instructions will be used to shape the tone, content, or specific phrasing of the acknowledgment message. This field is dependent on use_custom_instructions being True.

include_company_custom_instructions​

(default: False) Set to True to include company-level custom instructions (which can be added on the 'Companies' tab on the left in NeoAgent). These are appended to any custom_instructions provided at the action level.

Output Fields​

This action makes the following information available to subsequent actions in the workflow:

default_messages_for_dashboard​

Result messages for Neo Dashboard. This is what will be shown on Neo Dashboard -> Event History. It should be the most detailed message (e.g., "Suggested Response to User: [Generated Message]").

default_messages_for_msp​

Result messages for MSP internal use. This is what will be added as an Internal Ticket Note or Teams/Email message (e.g., a message containing "Suggested Response to User: [Generated Message]"). Each message group is linked to a ticket ID.

default_messages_for_end_client​

Result messages intended for the end client. This is what will be sent to the end client via email or other notification channels. Each message group is linked to a ticket ID and contains the generated acknowledgment message.

credits_consumed​

The number of AI credits consumed by the action.

Use Cases​

Automated First Response​

Automatically send an acknowledgment to customers as soon as a new ticket is created.

  1. Trigger workflow on new ticket creation.
  2. Use Acknowledge Issue to generate the message.
  3. Use Notify Ticket's Contact to send the default_messages_for_end_client to the customer.

Consistent Communication​

Ensure all initial customer interactions are handled with a consistent tone and level of empathy, regardless of which technician might eventually handle the ticket.

Meeting Response SLAs​

Help meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for initial ticket response times by automating the acknowledgment process.

Best Practices​

  • Refine with Custom Instructions: While the default acknowledgment is designed to be broadly applicable, use the custom_instructions field to tailor messages to your MSP's specific voice, or to include particular information (e.g., expected response times, links to a self-service portal).
  • Leverage Company-Specific Instructions: For clients with unique communication requirements, use the include_company_custom_instructions option and configure these at the company level in NeoAgent.
  • Combine with Notification Actions: The Acknowledge Issue action generates the message content. To actually send it, pair this action with a notification action like Notify Ticket's Contact.
  • Review and Iterate: Check the messages generated by this action in the Event History. If the acknowledgments aren't quite right, adjust your custom instructions and test again.
  • Consider the Channel: Remember that if you're using Autotask with notification templates for customer replies, the greeting ("Hi [Customer Name],") might be handled by the Autotask template itself. The AI is instructed not to add this for Autotask to avoid duplication.