With Auto Merge App by Playlist, you can automatically merge duplicate tickets from the same requester in Zendesk. Set up rules to merge incoming tickets in real time, schedule batch jobs to clean up your backlog, and customize exactly what gets added to tickets when a merge occurs. No dev work or consultants required.
How it works
When a new ticket is created, a Zendesk trigger sends the ticket ID to Auto Merge. The app searches the requester's 100 most recent tickets for a duplicate and merges it automatically if one is found.
Example: Your team uses a Shopify order ID custom field and wants to automatically merge duplicate tickets for the same order.
- A requester submits a new ticket with Shopify order ID = 1002. The trigger notifies the Auto Merge webhook.
- Auto Merge searches the requester's recent tickets for a matching Shopify order ID.
- If a match is found, the new ticket is merged into the most recent ticket with Shopify order ID = 1002.
Setup
1. Install from Zendesk Marketplace
Install Auto Merge App directly from the Zendesk Marketplace. Use code TRIALWOCC at checkout to start a 14-day free trial without entering a credit card.
2. Authorize API access
- In Zendesk, click the lightning icon in the main navigation bar. If you don't see it, refresh the page.
- Click Authorize.
- You'll be redirected to setup. An Auto Merge Webhook will be created automatically for you.
3. Set your merge window
Enter how far back (in hours) Auto Merge should look for a duplicate. If left blank, Auto Merge searches the requester's 100 most recent tickets with no time limit.
4. Set matching criteria
Choose which ticket fields must match for two tickets to be considered duplicates. Auto Merge searches the requester's 100 most recent tickets and merges the new ticket into the first match. If no match is found, the ticket is left untouched.
Supported field types: standard ticket fields, drop-down, text, numeric, decimal, date, and regex.
Enable Match blank fields to treat two tickets with a blank field as a match.
Note: To merge all tickets from the same requester regardless of ticket content, leave matching criteria blank.
5. Set conditions
Use conditions to filter which existing tickets are eligible for merging into. Only tickets meeting all conditions will be considered.
- If you are merging into the older ticket, this is a filter for the older ticket (target ticket)
- If you are merging into the new ticket, this is a filter for the newer ticket (source ticket)
Available fields: brand, form, status, group, tags, and custom dropdown fields.
Tip: To control which incoming tickets enter the merging process at all, set conditions on your Auto Merge Trigger (step 7) instead.
6. Customize merge comments
Set what gets added to each ticket when a merge occurs. Separate templates are available for the source ticket (the one being closed) and the target ticket (the one being merged into). Use special placeholders to include the ticket ID, subject, or last comment dynamically. Enable Requester can see this comment to make a comment public and notify the requester.
7. Create your Auto Merge trigger
When you authorized the app in step 2, an Auto Merge Webhook was created automatically. Now create a Zendesk trigger to notify it when new tickets arrive.
Trigger name: Auto Merge Trigger
Conditions (Meet ALL):
- Ticket > Is > Created
Actions:
- Notify active webhook > Auto Merge Webhook
- URL parameters
- key:
merge_rule_id - value:
{YOUR RULE ID}
- key:
- URL parameters
Rule ID
Find your Rule ID at the top of your merge rule's detail page.
Avoiding recursive trigger loops
Important: Only fire this trigger on ticket creation (Ticket > Is > Created) to avoid recursive trigger loops.
What's next
Merge your backlog (optional)
Use scheduled jobs to catch duplicates that existed before you set up Auto Merge, or to periodically catch any your trigger may have missed.
Step 1: Create a batch merge rule
Go to Auto Merge > Merge Rules > Add rule. Enter a name, select Batch for Type, and save.
Step 2: Create a Zendesk view
Create a view containing the tickets you want to merge. Auto Merge processes up to 9,000 tickets per view per job.
Note: Merges cannot be undone in Zendesk.
Step 3: Create a scheduled job
Go to Auto Merge > Scheduled Jobs > Add job. Select your merge rule and view, choose a frequency, and save. Auto Merge will run automatically on your schedule.