Imagine a printer stops working and multiple users report the same issue, creating separate tickets that get assigned to different technicians. This action helps you identify when incoming tickets are part of a recurring issue, preventing duplicate work and ensuring coordinated responses.
How it works
When a new ticket arrives, this action:- Searches recent history - looks back through tickets from the specified timeframe
- Compares similarities - analyzes ticket content, affected users, and company context
- Identifies patterns - determines if the new ticket matches recent issues
- Provides reasoning - explains why tickets are considered related or unique
- Enables coordination - helps you group related tickets and assign to the same technician
Setup
Ticket to analyze: The action works with new tickets from your workflow trigger to check for recurring patterns. Comparison scope: Choose how broadly to search for similar tickets:- Same user only: Only compare with tickets from the same user at the same company
- Company-wide: Compare with all tickets from the same company
- All companies: Compare across all companies (useful for widespread technical issues)
- Set how many days of ticket history to search (10 days by default)
- Choose maximum number of recent tickets to analyze (10 by default - higher numbers provide more thorough analysis but consume more credits)
What you get
After running, you’ll have detailed analysis including whether the ticket is recurring and the reasoning behind the determination, summary information for your Event History, and tag updates ready to apply (when auto-tagging is enabled and a recurring issue is detected).Quick start
1
Add to intake workflow
Add this action right after ticket creation to catch recurring issues immediately.
2
Configure comparison scope
Choose how broadly to look for similar tickets:
- Same user only:
same_company_same_contact - Company-wide:
same_company_all_contacts - Across all clients:
all_companies
3
Set search parameters
Start with conservative settings: 10 days back, 10 tickets maximum.
4
Enable auto-tagging (optional)
Turn on
add_tag_if_recurring to automatically tag repeat issues.5
Add follow-up actions
Use the analysis results to notify teams, assign tickets, or add documentation.
6
Test and refine
Review results in Event History and adjust settings based on your environment.
Common use cases
Infrastructure issue coordination
Detect when multiple users report the same infrastructure problem:1
Broad comparison
Set
comparison_scope to same_company_all_contacts to catch company-wide issues.2
Quick detection
Use shorter lookback periods (3-5 days) for infrastructure issues that need immediate coordination.
3
Auto-assign
When recurring issues are detected, use “Assign Ticket to Technician” to route to the same engineer handling the original issue.
User training opportunities
Identify when the same user repeatedly encounters similar issues:1
User-focused analysis
Set
comparison_scope to same_company_same_contact to focus on individual user patterns.2
Longer timeframes
Use 30-60 day lookback periods to identify training opportunities.
3
Proactive outreach
When patterns emerge, trigger workflows to schedule user training or create knowledge base articles.
Vendor issue tracking
Spot widespread problems with specific products or services:1
Cross-company analysis
Set
comparison_scope to all_companies to detect vendor-wide issues.2
Product-specific instructions
Use custom instructions to identify patterns specific to your technology stack.
3
Vendor coordination
Create workflows to automatically notify vendors when widespread issues are detected.
Best practices
Start simple and refine
Begin with conservative settings and adjust based on results:- Initial Settings
- After Testing
Use effective custom instructions
Tailor the analysis to your specific technology stack and common issues:Design comprehensive follow-up workflows
Turn recurring issue detection into actionable coordination:Team Notification
Use “Notify Internal Team” to alert the original technician or team lead about related tickets.
Documentation
Use “Add Ticket Note” to cross-reference related tickets and document the pattern.
Assignment
Use “Assign Ticket to Technician” to route recurring issues to the same engineer.
Tagging
Use “Update Ticket Fields” to apply consistent tags for reporting and filtering.
Optimize for different issue types
Adjust settings based on the types of recurring issues you want to catch:Infrastructure outages
Infrastructure outages
- Shorter lookback (3-5 days)
- Company-wide comparison scope
- Higher ticket comparison limits
- Immediate notification workflows
User behavior patterns
User behavior patterns
- Longer lookback (30-60 days)
- Same user comparison scope
- Focus on training opportunities
- Proactive education workflows
Vendor/product issues
Vendor/product issues
- Medium lookback (10-14 days)
- Cross-company comparison scope
- Product-specific custom instructions
- Vendor notification workflows
Monitor and adjust effectiveness
Regularly review the action’s performance and adjust settings:1
Review Event History
Check the reasoning provided for recurring issue determinations.
2
Validate accuracy
Confirm that identified recurring issues are actually related.
3
Check for missed patterns
Look for obvious recurring issues that weren’t detected and adjust settings.
4
Optimize credit usage
Balance thoroughness with credit consumption by adjusting comparison limits.
Be careful with the
all_companies comparison scope as it can consume more credits and may identify false positives across unrelated organizations. Start with company-specific scopes and expand gradually.