Sending Request status updates

Notify Requesters about a status change and send a follow-up through linked Support conversations.

Written By Markus Palm

Last updated 4 days ago

Overview

Status updates tell customers what changed on a Request. After changing its status, choose how to follow up:

Default update - Send the standard portal notification to subscribed Requesters
Custom update - Write a message for the portal, linked Support conversations, or both

A status change adds an internal note to linked Support conversations. Sending a customer reply is a separate action.

Change the status and choose a follow-up

Open the Request
Choose its new status
Open the follow-up control beside the status
Choose 'Send default update' or 'Write custom update'

Manage the available Request statuses in your Workspace settings.

Send the default update

Choose 'Send default update' to send the standard status notification to the Request's portal Requesters without writing a message. It does not reply in linked Support conversations and does not change linked customer ticket statuses.

Note: If the Request is not available on your portal, for example because its category is private or the Request is hidden or held for review, the default update sends no customer message. Choose 'Write custom update' and select Conversations to reply through Support instead.

Write a custom update

Choose 'Write custom update' to explain the change in your own words. State what changed and what the customer needs to know or do next.

In the dashboard composer, open the audience selector and choose the destinations:

Portal - Publish the update on the Request and email its portal Requesters
Conversations - Send a reply in the linked customer conversations

Select both destinations when you want to publish on the Request and reply in linked conversations.

To send the update:

Review the message and the selected destinations
Check any conversation actions and customer ticket status changes
Click 'Send update'

Tip: Review the audience counts before sending. A person who is a Requester on the portal and has a linked conversation can be reached through both paths.

Follow up in linked Support conversations

Linked conversations hold the customer context behind the Request. Every status change adds an internal note there so your Support team can see the progress.

To message those customers, select Conversations in a custom update. Review any additional conversation actions, such as closing or assigning conversations, before sending.

If linked customer tickets have suggested status changes, open Customer tickets in the composer. Check the proposed status for each ticket and choose No change where needed. These changes apply when you send the update.

Check the result

Open the Request to check its published update, and open linked conversations to check the replies.

Note: Audience counts describe the selected recipients. They are not email delivery confirmations.

FAQs

Can I send an update from the portal or a Macro?

From the customer-facing portal, write a status-update comment on the Request. The Conversations destination is available only in the dashboard update composer. A Macro that changes the status also prepares a status-update comment.

Can I use variables in an update?

Yes. Insert variables into the message. Customer variables use their fallback text in the portal version, which has no single customer identity. Request and Workspace variables still resolve.

What if only part of an update succeeds?

Read the error and retry from the same open composer. It remembers the destinations that already accepted the update and retries the remaining part without sending accepted replies again.

Why did a customer not receive an update?

Check the path you used first. The default update sends the portal notification only, and a Support reply requires the Conversations destination in a drafted update.

For portal emails, check that the customer is a Requester, has an email address, and has not opted out of Request emails.

Does the default update reply in linked Support conversations?

No. It sends only the standard portal notification. Linked conversations receive the internal note that every status change adds, and linked customer ticket statuses do not change. To reply in those conversations, choose 'Write custom update' and select Conversations.

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