🧩 What Are Helpdesk Rules and Automations?
Rules and Automations let you automatically perform actions on customer messages based on conditions you define.
They work like “if this happens → do that” logic.
Example:
If a new message contains “refund” in the subject, then tag it as Returns and assign it to your refunds teammate.
Rules help you:
keep your inbox organized automatically
reduce manual sorting
make sure urgent requests are handled first
route tickets to the right person instantly
⭐ Why Use Rules and Automations?
Save hours weekly by eliminating repetitive ticket management
Catch urgent cases instantly, like chargebacks or complaints
Route messages to specialists by topic, marketplace, or status
Standardize support workflows even across large teams
Improve response time by prioritizing the right tickets first
🧭 Rules & Automations Page Overview
Open it from:
Helpdesk → Settings → Rules & Automations
You’ll see two tabs at the top:
➡️ Automations tab
This is your rules dashboard.
Main buttons
Filter – narrow your automations list (useful if you have many rules).
Bulk Actions – to delete created automations.
New Automation – create a new rule.
Suggest Automations – place where you can add suggestion of new automations to our Product Team.
Table columns
Automation Name – your rule name.
Trigger – what event starts the rule.
Descriptions – quick summary of actions + filters applied.
Notes – internal notes you add.
User – who created the automation.
Creation Date – when it was created.
Status (toggle) – on/off switch to activate or pause a rule.
Actions (icons) – edit or delete.
Quick tip: Use clear names like “Assign Refund Requests to Maria” so rules are easy to manage later.
➡️ Logs tab
The Logs tab shows a history of automation runs.
You’ll see:
Automation Date
Ticket ID
Automation Name
Trigger
Actions performed
Status (✅ means it ran successfully)
Use the search box (Type Ticket ID) to find automation history for a specific ticket.
➕ Creating a New Automation (Rule)
Click New Automation to open the Create Automation panel.
You’ll configure your rule in this order:
1. Name
Give the automation a descriptive name.
Required.
2. Notes (Optional)
Add internal notes like:
purpose of the rule
owner/team
when to revisit it
3. Trigger
Triggers define when the rule should run. Available triggers include:
Conversation Started
Runs when a new ticket/conversation is created.New Message Received
Runs whenever a new message arrives in an existing conversation.Conversation tag added
Runs when a specific tag is added to a ticket.Conversation tag removed
Runs when a tag is removed.
Choose the trigger that matches your scenario.
4. Filters / Conditions (The “When” section)
Conditions define which tickets qualify for the rule.
Click + Add new condition to build your logic.
Common condition fields available (from the dropdown)
Message Contents
From Name
From Email
From Username
Subject
Last Message Content
Buyer Reply / Seller Reply
Ticket Data
Ticket Type
Ticket Status
First Message Date / Last Message Date
Tags
Account & Team
Channel
Account Name
Assigned to
Order Details
Order ID
Order Status
Order Date
Shipping Date
State/Province
Country
Phone
Total orders from buyer
Item Details
Item ID
eBay Item Title
Item Title
SKU / Variation SKU
Operators
Depending on the field, you can use operators like:
contains / does not contain
equals / not equals
greater than / less than (for numeric/date fields)
Condition groups
You can combine conditions in two ways:
Same group = AND logic
All conditions in a group must match.New group = OR logic
Ticket can match either group to trigger the rule.
Click + Add new condition group to create OR logic.
5. Actions (The “Then” section)
Actions define what happens when conditions match.
Actions include:
✅ Set Ticket Status
Automatically moves tickets into a status such as:
New Ticket
To Do
Awaiting Reply
Snoozed
Resolved
Archived
Spam
(and other custom statuses your account has)
🏷 Set Ticket Type
Categorize by type, e.g.:
Shipping
Payment
Sales
Invoice Request
Cancellations
Lost Item
Defective Item
Returns
Request Discount
Refunds
Case
None
👤 Assign to teammate
Automatically routes tickets to a specific team member.
🔖 Add Tags
Adds one or multiple tags for tracking and filtering.
⭐ Read / Unread / Star
Options:
Star ticket
Mark as read
Mark as unread
Reordering actions
You can drag actions using the handle on the left to change execution order.
(Useful when you want tags added before re-routing, etc.)
6. Save Options
Bottom buttons:
Cancel – discard changes.
Save – saves as draft (not active).
Save and Activate – turns it on immediately.
Rules only run when activated.
🧪 Use Cases (Basic → Advanced)
Basic
1) Auto-tag returns
Trigger: New Message Received
Filters:
When: Subject contains “return” OR “send back”
Actions: Add tag Returns
✅ Result: Return tickets are easy to track and filter.
2) Escalate urgent keywords
Trigger: New Message Received
Filters:
When: Subject contains “chargeback” OR “fraud” OR “BBB”
Actions:
Star ticket
Set Ticket Status → Urgent
Assign to manager
Add tag Critical
✅ Result: High-risk cases surface immediately.
3) Auto-tag order cancellations
Trigger: New Message Received
Filters:
When: Subject OR Last Message Content contains:
“cancel order”
OR “cancel my order”
OR “wrong order”
Actions:
Add tag Cancellation Request
Set Ticket Status → Urgent
Assign to order management team
✅ Result: Cancellation requests are identified quickly before shipment.
4) Route international customers
Trigger: Conversation Started
Filters:
When: Country is NOT “United States”
Actions:
Assign to international support team
Add tag International Order
✅ Result: International customers are routed to the correct support team automatically.
Intermediate
5) Route by marketplace
Trigger: Conversation Started
When: Channel equals eBay
Action: Assign to eBay specialist
✅ Result: Tickets reach the right person automatically.
6) Prioritize VIP buyers
Trigger: New Message Received
When: From Email equals your VIP list
Actions:
Add tag VIP
Star ticket
Set status → Priority
✅ Result: High-value customers get faster attention.
7) “Where is my order?” automation
Trigger: New Message Received
Filters:
When: Subject OR Last Message Content contains:
“where is my order”
OR “tracking”
OR “package”
OR “shipment”
Actions:
Add tag WISMO
Assign to shipping support queue
✅ Result: Shipping-related tickets are identified and handled faster.
8) Refund request workflow
Trigger: New Message Received
Filters:
When: Subject OR Last Message Content contains:
“refund”
OR “return”
OR “money back”
Actions:
Add tag Refund Request
Assign to returns team
Set Ticket Status → Medium
✅ Result: Refund requests are routed consistently and answered faster.
9) SKU-based routing
Trigger: Conversation Started
Filters:
When: SKU contains “PREORDER”
Actions:
Assign to Teammate > Preorder Specialist
Add tag "Preorder Support"
✅ Result: Preorder-related tickets are routed automatically to the correct team.
Advanced
10) Frustrated customer escalation
Trigger: New Message Received
Filters:
When: Last Message Content contains:
“angry”
OR “terrible”
OR “bad service”
OR “unacceptable”
Actions:
⭐ Star ticket
Set Ticket Status → Priority
Assign to Teammate > Manager
Add tag "Escalated Customer"
✅ Result: Frustrated customers are escalated before situations worsen.
11) High-value buyer escalation
Trigger: Conversation Started
Filters:
When:
Total orders from buyer is greater than 50
AND
Channel equals eBay
Actions:
⭐ Star ticket
Set Ticket Status → High
Assign to VIP support queue
Add tag "High Value Buyer"
✅ Result: Important marketplace buyers receive priority support handling.
12) Multi-tier triage system
Create three rules in order:
Rule A — Critical
When: Subject or Last Message Content contains “PayPal dispute” OR “A-to-Z claim”
Actions: Star + Urgent + Assign manager + Tag Critical
Rule B — High Priority
When: Subject or Last Message Content contains “refund” OR “damaged”
Actions: Assign senior agent + Tag High-Priority
Rule C — General
When: no special match needed (leave conditions empty, or use a broad condition like Subject contains “ ”)
Actions: Assign support queue + Tag General
✅ Result: Your inbox self-prioritizes every day.
✅ Best Practices
Use clear rule names
Create descriptive names like:
“Refund Requests”
“VIP Buyer Escalation”
“WISMO Auto Reply”
This makes automations easier to manage as your workflow grows.
Keep conditions focused
Avoid overly broad keywords that may trigger unrelated tickets.
For example:
Better: “refund request”
Avoid: “money”
Precise conditions reduce false matches and unwanted automations.
Use tags strategically
Tags help organize workflows and prevent duplicate handling.
Examples:
VIP
Refund Request
WISMO
Critical
You can also use tags inside conditions to avoid repeated actions.
Understand Ticket Types vs Ticket Statuses
3Dsellers Helpdesk includes native Ticket Types and Ticket Statuses.
Ticket Types are predefined system types and cannot be customized.
Ticket Statuses can be fully customized to match your workflow.
Examples of custom statuses:
Urgent
Priority
Pending Refund
Escalated
Closed
You can learn how to create custom statuses here:
Tour of Left Menu Filters for Customer Service Helpdesk
Using consistent statuses helps automations work more effectively across teams.
Test automations before scaling
Before enabling complex rules for all tickets:
test with a few conversations
verify conditions match correctly
confirm assignments and tags behave as expected
Small tests help prevent workflow conflicts.
Avoid overlapping rules
If multiple automations use similar keywords or conditions, tickets may receive duplicate actions.
For example:
two auto replies
multiple assignments
conflicting statuses
Use tags and more specific conditions to keep workflows organized.
Build workflows gradually
Start with:
tagging
routing
prioritization
Then move into:
escalations
multi-tier triage
advanced support routing
Simple workflows are easier to maintain and troubleshoot.
❓ FAQs
Q: Do rules apply to old tickets?
No. Automations run only when the trigger happens (new conversation, new message, tag added/removed).
Q: Can multiple rules run on the same ticket?
Yes. If a ticket matches multiple rules, all matching actions apply in sequence.
Q: What happens if rules conflict?
If more than one rule matches the same ticket, the most specific rule runs first. In other words, rules with more filters/conditions take priority over broader rules. This ensures detailed, highly targeted automations apply before any general catch-all rules.
Q: How do I confirm a rule is working?
Check the Logs tab. A ✅ status means it ran successfully.
Q: Can I pause a rule without deleting it?
Yes. Use the Status toggle to disable/enable anytime.
Q: Can rules send automatic replies?
Not from this screen. For auto-replies, use Auto Responders in Helpdesk settings.
Check this quick guide to know how it works: Autoresponder eCommerce Helpdesk
🔗 See Also
Tour of left menu filters for Customer Service Helpdesk — where to create custom Status
Helpdesk Auto Responder — send auto replies to buyers
Helpdesk Settings — everything you need to know about Helpdesk settings
Teammates vs Agents — what is the difference?
🙋 Need Help?
If you’d like help building rules for your workflow, we’re here:
Use Contact Support inside your dashboard for guided setup.
If something isn’t working, open a ticket and include:
the automation name
your trigger + conditions
a screenshot of the Actions section
That helps us troubleshoot faster.