Ticket Automation Workflows
You can automate actions on your ad tickets based on actions by users or contacts. Each action can trigger an event on the ticket. You can also use delays and inactivity on ticket to keep your team on track.
To create ticket workflows, go to Production > Automation Workflows. You can click the + icon in the upper right corner to create a new workflow, or if you already have some created, you can use the ellipses icon in the table to edit an existing workflow.
In the Add Workflow popup, you’ll be able to choose which type of workflow you want to create. Under the Type dropdown, you can choose from Ad Tickets, Digital Media Tickets, Event Tickets, Service Tickets, and Support Tickets (dependent on which modules you have enabled in your site).
Note
The Service Item Reminder workflows work a bit differently than the other ticket automation workflow types. Please reference the Service Item Reminder Workflows help center document for more information about that automation type.
Once you’ve chosen the type, pick your execution times. You can choose from either every day, or Monday through Friday if you only want the automation to run during the work week. You can also set a start and end time if you wish.
Next, you’ll see a checkbox to determine if you want your workflow to be an ‘Inactivity Workflow’. This document will walk you through normal (non-inactivity) ticket workflows. For more information about inactivity ticket workflows, please reference the Ticket Inactivity Workflows help center page.
Depending on which ticket type you selected for your workflow, the information required for the next section of the workflow will vary.
Ad Tickets
For ad ticket workflows, you will be required to choose if your workflow will be for print or digital publications. You cannot have both in a single workflow. Once you choose print or digital, choose the publications you wish the workflow to apply to. If you wish to get even more granular, you can choose specific ad sizes as well. Ad sizes are not a required field to create your workflow.
Digital Media Tickets
Choose your inventory type. You can only have one inventory type per workflow. For example, you may have one workflow for Impression products, and another for Slot. Once you choose your inventory type, you will be required to select both the product category and products that the workflow will be applied to. If you want to have a more granular workflow, you also have the option of choosing specific publications. The publication list is populated after you’ve chosen your products.
Event Tickets
For event ticket workflows, you are required to choose an event, and the products from the event you wish the workflow to apply to. You’ll notice that only Booth/Sponsorship products show up as options here, which is because ticket sales do not create service tickets in Ad Orbit.
Service Tickets
Service ticket workflows require you to choose a product category, and the products the workflow will apply to.
Once you’ve created your workflow, the next step is to add triggers and actions. To do this, either click on the workflow name in the table, or use the ellipses icon on the right side and click Edit Workflow.
Every ticket workflow starts with an if/then branch; you can not remove this step. Start by selecting what condition will trigger the workflow. The system will find any ticket that satisfies the condition and place it in the workflow.
If/Then Branches
For If/Then Branch actions, you must choose a condition that will trigger the action. The following are the available conditions for If/Then Branches, and you may or may not see all of these options depending on which type of workflow you are working with. Tickets that meet the criteria set up in the branch will flow down the Yes branch, and tickets that don’t meet the conditions will be sent down the No branch.
Current Ticket Status: Unlike the ‘Ticket Status Changed’ condition, this condition will find all tickets with a current status, regardless of if the status was changed from something else. For example, if you have a default ticket status set up for when tickets are initially created, the ‘Current Ticket Status’ condition will capture those tickets, whereas the ‘Ticket Status Changed’ condition will not.
Is Performed By User: Fields can be uploaded by contacts or users. If you want to differentiate the two processes but want to use the file upload trigger, make sure to add this condition as well. Otherwise, you may have contacts affecting your internal workflows.
Is Performed By Contact: This condition is only useful for client center and the upload process. A contact can upload new assets from withing client center and if you want special notifications based on the pub or ticket status, you can use this action.
Ticket Created: Any time a system creations a ticket, you can start a new workflow. You may want to use this to set an initial ticket status based on publication. Or you may want to assign users leveraging automation. Or you can alert a slack channel instead of getting email.
Ticket File Deleted: There are permission for deleting files. If you want to have a ticket status immediately updated, or alert a user of a file delete, you can use this trigger.
Ticket File Uploaded: You may want to pair this with is performed by user or is performed by contact. Contacts or users can upload files to client center. depending on who does it may want you to trigger a different workflow. Or maybe you want to alert staff when new files are made available on a ticket.
Ticket Modified: Any time a part of the ticket changes, you can update a status or notified a user.
Ticket Status Changed: You have to choose what status will trigger the workflows. Once a ticket status is updated to the selected status, the system will start the new workflows.
Ticket Owner Changed: When a ticket wonder is changed, it will trigger the system to update the ticket status to assigned. You can use this trigger to change that status or alert someone else.
Note
Depending on the condition you choose, you may be required to enter more specifics. For example, for the Ticket Status Changed condition, you will also be required to choose which ticket status to use.
You can make the branch more specific by using the AND and OR buttons to add another condition. For example, you could create a branch that routes all tickets down the Yes path if either a ticket file is uploaded, or the ticket status is changed to ‘Ad Arrived’.
Add Automation Action
Once you’ve set up the workflow’s initial If/Then Branch, you can begin adding additional actions to your workflow. Use the + icon to add new actions, and set the action types and conditions in the popup. You can always edit existing actions by using the pencil icon, or remove an action by using the trash can. The following are the available actions for ticket workflows, and you may or may not see all of these options depending on which type of workflow you are working with.
Mark Ticket as Done: Set the ticket status to Done.
Mark Upload as Final: Marks the upload as final once complete.
Set Ticket Owner: Assigns a specific user to the ticket.
Update Ticket Status: Change the ticket status based on the previous trigger.
If/Then Branch: Create another triggering action.
Send Slack/Microsoft Teams Message: Send a message to a Slack or Microsoft Teams Channel to Direct Message to alert someone of a ticket update.
Send Internal Email: Send an email to a user to alert them of a ticket update.
Delay: Have the system wait before moving to the next step. For example, you may want to wait a few days after a ticket status is changed and then send a reminder if the status is the same.
Depending on the action you choose, you may be required to enter more specifics. For example, when using the Send Internal Email action, you will also be required to choose which user the email will be sent to (order rep, ticket owner, etc.) as well as set a subject line and body for the email that will be sent.
Note
Anywhere there is an exclamation icon means that the workflow is incomplete, and you need to add another action by clicking on the + icon. You will not be able to publish the workflow until this is resolved.
Publishing the Workflow
When you are finished creating your workflow, the next step is to publish the workflow so that your tickets can begin flowing through it. You can click Publish on the page where you add the actions, or by using the ellipses icon and clicking the Publish button on the main ticket automation page.
On the page where you set up the workflow actions, you can view information about the items that are going through the published workflow.
Click on the details icon in the upper right corner of each action to see the action and the conditions. You will not be able to edit the action when the workflow is published.
There will be numbers in the actions that show how many tickets are currently being processed at that stage of the workflow. You are able to click on these numbers, and they will take you to different pages depending on the action and the color. All of the pages will give you more information about the tickets that are at that particular stage.
At the very top of the workflow is a grayed-out box that may also have numbers in it. If you click on these numbers, if will take you to the Queued Processes page. On this page, you can see more detailed information about the tickets that are about to go through the workflow. You are able to delete queued processes from this page if you would like, on an individual or a bulk basis.
For the rest of the workflow, if you see a number that is orange, it means the status for the action is ‘pending’. This will be very common especially for Delay actions. If you see a green number, it means the status for the action is ‘success’. If the number is red, it means a status of ‘failed’, and the item did not pass through that stage of the workflow. Clicking on any of the numbers will take you to the Automation Workflow Executions page which displays information about the action and status.
At the top of an If/Then Branch, you can see how many tickets went in each direction, and you can use the process IDs as reference to track the specific item throughout the workflow.
Updated 6/28/2024