Hey there and welcome to the January edition of our monthly update blog. Step into our virtual update room where we’ve lined up an array of new features and improvements, each more exciting than the last. This month’s updates come with advancements that are all about elevating your day-to-day operations. Let’s dive right in!

Revamped SLA functionality: Enhanced efficiency unlocked

Guess what? We’ve finally crossed the finish line with the SLA refactoring! We’ve cut through the clutter and brought in some clear, easy-to-understand logic. Now, tickets without an SLA level automatically get a 7-day background timer to keep things ticking along nicely and avoid them gathering at the bottom of the Tickets list.

We’ve also refined the ordering of tickets in the Tickets list by Importance, and improved the distribution for the To solve function. Additionally, the SLA log got some enhancements, now showing only closed records and removing pending records to avoid misunderstandings and report changes over time.

Just a quick reminder: adjusting your SLA times won’t recalculate the SLA times of existing tickets, but will be applied only to the new ones coming in.

And because we love going the extra mile right after implementing something new, there’s already a feature to tweak the default SLA level on the way soon!

SLA log in Customer support software - LiveAgent

The lowdown on the ‘Closed’ ticket status

Remember the new ‘Closed’ ticket status we mentioned? It’s the ultimate full stop for tickets – no turning back once a ticket is marked Closed. For now, closing tickets is a manual affair to avoid accidental mass closures using mass actions or rules. But don’t fret, we’re brewing up some enhancements to make this process of closing tickets quick yet foolproof.

Also, there’s more and we consider this a cherry on top – we are introducing a new custom role permission for closing tickets, as well as a new SLA type coming soon to store the final time stamp of when the ticket is closed.

Just a heads-up: the Deleted status has evolved. With the introduction of the “Closed” status in version 5.44, only ‘Closed’ tickets can now be deleted. This change means that tickets must first be resolved—either manually, via mass action, or automatically through rules—before they can be closed. Tickets with any other status than Resolved cannot be closed.

Closing a ticket is a manual step to ensure safety, as this action is irreversible. Once a ticket is closed, then, and only then, can it be deleted, whether manually, via mass action, or automatically. This approach is designed to prevent accidentally closing tickets for good and make ticket management more logical and workflow-friendly. The reason behind not allowing tickets to be closed via mass actions or rules is to maintain control and avoid irreversible actions without explicit confirmation, ensuring a smoother and safer ticket management process.

Furthermore, we’re aware of the importance of streamlining this process and are considering suggestions for improvements to our development team to enhance user experience and efficiency.

Shortcut bonanza for chats and calls

Shortcuts are like secret weapons for efficiency, right? The more shortcuts, the better, so we’ve added several new ones for handling chats and calls faster than ever. Double-tap Control or go for Control + ⇧ Shift + ? to check them out.

Screenshot showing an array of keyboard shortcuts for ticket management in LiveAgent's help desk software

Merge & Split functions: Smooth sailing ahead

Good news about the Merge and Split functions! We understand how essential they are for your workflow, and offer our apologies for the recent errors you may have encountered. Fortunately, we’ve rolled out a fix in version 5.44 so that accessing tickets with merged or split messages is a breeze, regardless of incorrectly required department access.

Outro

After jazzing up our ticket control buttons, we’re not stopping there. Thanks to all the amazing feedback and suggestions, we’re brainstorming further design improvements for even more user-friendly buttons. Here’s an early glimpse with a screenshot, but keep in mind the final appearance may be further adjusted.

LiveAgent - new ticket control buttons appearance

That’s not all! Where one refactoring ends, another one begins. We have a new Chat refactoring coming up on the horizon, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, just a sneak peek – our new theme is shaping up to have a sleeker look.

That’s a wrap for now! Stay tuned for more updates – we’ve always got something brewing at LiveAgent. A big thank you for joining us, and we look forward to sharing more with you soon.

Share this article

Penelope Myszka

Penelope is a seasoned copywriter and content specialist at LiveAgent, where she has spent over two years crafting insightful content on topics such as customer service, AI, and affiliate marketing. With a background in business and psychology, she translates complex ideas into easily digestible content. During her time at LiveAgent, Penelope has worked closely with customer service experts to produce engaging content that balances being both informative and practical. Drawing on extensive experience working with people, she strives to make useful and comprehensive content. When Penelope's not experimenting with endless word combinations, she's spilling herself over canvases and plants