How to use Reminder Agent
Reminder Agent: How It Works
What is the Reminder Agent?
The Reminder Agent is an automated feature that helps you follow up with customers who haven't responded to support tickets. Instead of manually tracking and sending follow-up messages, the Reminder Agent does this for you automatically.
How Does It Get Activated?
The Reminder Agent wakes up and starts working whenever aΒ ticket's status changes. Here's the step-by-step process:
1. Status Change Triggers the Check
When you (or anyone on your team) changes a ticket's status, the system asks:Β "Should the Reminder Agent handle this ticket?"
2. Eligibility Check
The system checks if the ticket meets ALL of these conditions:
Condition | What It Means |
Feature Enabled | Your company has the Reminder Agent feature turned on |
Ticket Not Closed | The ticket must still be open/active |
Customer Activated | The customer's company is on your "reminder list" (or you've set it to "all customers") |
Board Activated | The ticket is on a service board where reminders are enabled |
Source Activated | The ticket came from a channel (email, chat, etc.) where reminders are allowed |
Status Matches | The ticket's current status is one you've designated as a "reminder status" |
If any of these checks fail, the Reminder Agent stays quiet and does nothing.
3. Scheduling the Reminder
If the ticket passes all checks, the Reminder Agent calculatesΒ whenΒ to send the first reminder message.
β° Two Ways to Schedule Reminders
You can choose one of two scheduling methods. Each method handlesΒ timezonesΒ andΒ messenger working hoursΒ differently.
π Option A: Daily Reminders
Send reminders at theΒ same time every dayΒ β perfect for consistent, predictable follow-ups.
Setting | Description |
Reminder Time | The exact time to send reminders (e.g., 9:00 AM) |
Day Type | Choose betweenΒ Weekdays onlyΒ (Mon-Fri) orΒ Every dayΒ (7 days) |
Timezone | Uses yourΒ company's timezoneΒ from settings |
How Daily Scheduling Works
- When a ticket becomes eligible, the system looks for theΒ next occurrenceΒ of your reminder time
- If that time has already passed today, it schedules for tomorrow
- If "Weekdays only" is selected, weekends are automatically skipped
π Timezone Behavior
Daily reminders use yourΒ company's configured timezone:
- If your company is set to "America/New_York" and you set reminders for 9:00 AM
- The reminder fires at 9:00 AM Eastern Time, regardless of where the customer is located
β±οΈ Option B: Custom Delay
Send reminders after aΒ specific number of hoursΒ β perfect for urgent follow-ups or SLA-based timing.
Setting | Description |
Delay Hours | Number of hours to wait (1-100 hours) |
Timezone | Not timezone-dependent β simply adds hours from current time |
How Custom Delay Works
- When a ticket becomes eligible, the system takes theΒ current time
- Adds your configured number of hours
- That's when the reminder fires
π Timezone Behavior
Custom delay is timezone-agnostic β it simply adds hours to the current moment:
- If it's 2:00 PM anywhere and you have a 4-hour delay
- The reminder fires at 6:00 PM (in UTC internally, displayed in local time)
π’ Integration with Messenger Working Hours
When theΒ Working Hours featureΒ is enabled, the Reminder Agent respects your business schedule. This prevents reminders from being sent when your team isn't available.
How Working Hours Are Determined
Priority | Source | Timezone Used |
1st | Company's own Messenger Hours settings | Messenger Hours timezone |
2nd | Parent company's Messenger Hours (fallback) | Parent's Messenger Hours timezone |
Important:Β Working hours use theΒ Messenger Hours timezone, which may be different from your company timezone!
Working Hours + Daily Reminders
The systemΒ validatesΒ that your reminder time falls within working hours:
β Valid Configuration
- Working Hours: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Reminder Time: 9:00 AM
- β 9:00 AM is within working hours β reminder will fire
β Invalid Configuration
- Working Hours: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Reminder Time: 8:00 AM
- β 8:00 AM is BEFORE working hours start
- Result:Β Error message, reminder skipped
Working Hours + Custom Delay
The systemΒ adjustsΒ the calculated time to fit within working hours:
Calculated Time Falls... | What Happens |
Within working hours | Reminder fires at calculated time |
Before working hours start | Moves to start of working hours that day |
After working hours end | Moves to start of next working day |
On a non-working day | Moves to start of next working day |
β οΈ Edge Cases & Limits
Situation | Behavior |
No working hours configured | Error: "Messenger hours not configured" β reminder skipped |
Messenger Hours set to "Always Available" | Working hours check bypassed β reminder fires at calculated time |
No working hours found in 8 days | Error: "No available working hours" β reminder skipped |
Reminder time outside all working hours | Error with details β reminder skipped |
π Quick Comparison
Aspect | Daily Reminder | Custom Delay |
When it fires | Same time every day | X hours from now |
Timezone used | Company timezone | None (UTC internally) |
Working hours timezone | Messenger Hours timezone | Messenger Hours timezone |
Weekend handling | Optional skip (Weekdays setting) | Only with Working Hours enabled |
Best for | Consistent daily follow-ups | Urgent or SLA-based timing |
What Happens When a Reminder Fires?
When the scheduled time arrives:
- Final eligibility checkΒ - The system confirms the ticket is still eligible (customer hasn't replied, status hasn't changed, etc.)
- Message sentΒ - An AI-generated follow-up message is sent to the customer based on the instructions you've configured
- Next reminder scheduledΒ - If you have multiple reminders configured (up to 5), the next one gets scheduled
- Activity loggedΒ - An internal note is added to the ticket showing "Reminder Agent sent Reminder 1" (or 2, 3, etc.)
Multiple Reminders in Sequence
You can set up toΒ 5 reminder messages, each with its own custom instructions. They fire one after another:
Reminder 1 β (wait) β Reminder 2 β (wait) β Reminder 3 β ... β Final Action
Each reminder only fires if the customer still hasn't responded since the last one.
What Happens After the Last Reminder?
After all your configured reminders have been sent (and the customer still hasn't replied), the Reminder Agent can automatically:
- Change the ticket statusΒ to a status you've designated (e.g., "Waiting for Response")
- Close the ticketΒ if you've set the final status to a "closed" status
This is configured in yourΒ Status MappingΒ settings.
Summary Flow
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β TICKET STATUS CHANGES β
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β
βΌ
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β Is ticket eligible? (feature on, right board, status, etc.) β
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β
ββββββββββββββ΄βββββββββββββ
β β
YES NO
β β
βΌ βΌ
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β Calculate when to send β β Do nothing / Cancel existing β
β (daily time OR custom delay)β β reminders if any β
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β
βΌ
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β Adjust for working hours β
β (if feature enabled) β
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β
βΌ
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β Schedule reminder job β
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β
βΌ
(Time passes...)
β
βΌ
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β Re-check eligibility β
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β
βββββββββ΄ββββββββ
β β
YES NO
β β
βΌ βΌ
βββββββββββββββββββ βββββββββββββββββββ
β Send reminder β β Cancel reminder β
β to customer β β β
βββββββββββββββββββ βββββββββββββββββββ
β
βΌ
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β More reminders? YES β Schedule next NO β Apply final status β
βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
Configuration Checklist
To use the Reminder Agent, make sure you have configured:
- βΒ EnabledΒ the Reminder Agent for your company
- βΒ Selected customersΒ (all or specific ones)
- βΒ Selected boardsΒ where reminders should apply
- βΒ Selected sourcesΒ (email, chat, etc.)
- βΒ Mapped statusesΒ - which statuses trigger reminders and what status to apply at the end
- βΒ Set timingΒ - daily time OR custom delay hours
- βΒ Written reminder instructionsΒ - what the AI should say in each reminder message (up to 5)
- β Configured working hours if you want time-aware scheduling
FAQ
Q: What if a customer replies after the first reminder?
A: The next reminder is automatically cancelled. The ticket returns to normal handling.
Q: Can I see which tickets have active reminders?
A: Yes, the system logs "Reminder Agent is activated" as an internal note when reminders are scheduled.
Q: What timezone does the Reminder Agent use?
A: It uses your company's configured timezone for daily reminders, and your messenger's working hours timezone for working-hours adjustments.
Q: What if no working hours are configured?
A: If working hours feature is enabled but no hours are set up, you'll receive an error message and the reminder will be skipped.
