Notes

What are internal notes?

Internal notes in LiveAgent allow agents to store private information that is only visible to other support agents, not to customers. Internal notes can be added to existing tickets or used to create a new ticket, which was previously referred to as an “internal ticket.”

To better align with their functionality, we have updated the term to “internal notes.” These notes are crucial for keeping internal communications and tasks organized without exposing them to the customer.

Are there different types of help desk notes in LiveAgent?

LiveAgent offers several types of notes that agents can use for various purposes. These can be broadly categorized into three sections:

• Note in a ticket/conversation: This is the most frequently used type of note, visible directly within the ticket flow. Once added, these notes cannot be changed or deleted, preserving the integrity of the ticket.
• Customer-related note: This note is displayed in the right-hand panel of an open ticket, under the customer’s details. It is visible across all tickets associated with that customer and provides important information for agents handling future tickets for this customer.
• Ticket-related note: This note appears in the right-hand panel of a ticket, under the ticket’s details. It is only visible in the specific ticket it is attached to, making it useful for tracking details specific to that particular issue.

Internal notes use case

Inline ticket notes allow agents to summarize customer problems within the ticket, so other support agents won’t need to read through the full communication history. For example, if a customer explains an issue in multiple emails, the agent can add an inline note to summarize the problem. When transferring the ticket to another agent, such as a developer, the inline note provides a quick summary of the issue and what needs to be done.

Additionally, an agent or admin can create a new ticket using an internal note to track an internal task that needs attention. This internal note would function like any other ticket but is used to manage internal processes rather than customer-facing issues.

Customer notes use case

Customer notes provide agents with the ability to store information about a customer that is relevant across multiple tickets. These notes are useful for documenting any kind of customer-specific information that doesn’t need to be captured as a contact field.
For instance, if a customer has a custom setup or a temporary workaround that agents need to be aware of when troubleshooting, a customer note would ensure that any agent handling future tickets knows about these details and can manage expectations accordingly.

Ticket notes use case

Ticket notes are designed for storing important contextual information about a specific ticket. While internal notes are added inline within the ticket communication thread, ticket notes are displayed as a free-text field in the sidebar, ensuring the information isn’t buried within the ticket history.

Ticket notes are particularly useful for sharing important details or internal comments that apply to the entire ticket, not just a specific part of it. For example, if an agent identifies a recurring issue within a ticket, they can document a specialized troubleshooting process in a ticket note. This allows anyone handling the ticket to follow the same procedure without confusion, even if they join midway through the process.

Creating internal notes

1. Log in to LiveAgent
2. Click on Tickets.
3. Select any ticket.
4. Click on Add note.

5. Write your private note.

6. Click on Add note.

How to use internal notes to create a ticket

1. Navigate to the main Ticket overview
2. Click on “+” (plus) sign in the top right corner
3. Click on the “Write a note” button

4. Fill in the fields “Department” and “Subject” marked with an asterisk ”*”
5. Write your note
6. Click on the “Create” button

Adding ticket notes

1. Log in to LiveAgent
2. Click on Tickets.
3. Select any ticket.
4. Locate the ticket info panel.

5. Click on Note.

6. Write your private note.

7. Click anywhere outside of the note field, and a green checkmark will appear, indicating the ticketing system saved your note.

Adding customer notes 

1. Log in to LiveAgent.
2. Click on Customers.
3. Click on Contacts.

4. Select a contact of your choice.
5. Click on Note, right under personal details.

6. Write the note.
7. Click on Save.

Alternatively, you can add a customer note inside the ticket view.

1. Log in to LiveAgent.
2. Click on Tickets.
3. Select a ticket.
4. Locate the customer info panel.
5. Click on Note.

6. Write your private note.
7. Click anywhere outside of the note field, and a green checkmark will appear, indicating the ticketing system saved your note.

Adding company notes

1. Log in to LiveAgent.
2. Click on Customers.
3. Click on Companies.
4. Select a company of your choice.
5. Click on Note, right under company info.
6. Type up your note and click on Save.

Why are help desk notes important?

Help desk notes are helpful for all agents who want to provide personalized, knowledgeable, and quick support. They are a great source of information and can speed up ticket hand-offs between agents from different departments. Not only are they great for recording detailed information, but they can also serve as reminders and to-do lists.

How do help desk notes look like and work in practice?

Private notes are visible to help desk agents only. Customers, email recipients, or live chat users will not be able to see them at any point in time.

In LiveAgent’s customer support ticket system, notes are distinguished from ticket threads with their unique design that resembles a traditional yellow sticky note. 

What happens to private ticket notes when you transfer a ticket?

When you transfer a ticket that contains private notes, all the notes are kept intact and moved along with the ticket. Thus, the new agent responsible for resolving the ticket will be able to view all the notes, add new notes, and modify existing notes (apart from inline notes).

Can I delete or modify an inline note?

Currently, there is no way to remove, edit, or modify inline notes. This is because we deem it important to preserve ticket integrity. What do we mean by this? Let’s take a look at an example. 

Imagine creating an inline note that contains information about what should be done as the next step to achieve problem resolution. Then, you transfer the ticket to another agent or department. Unfortunately, they don’t read the inline ticket note properly, causing some customer dissatisfaction. If the support agent wanted to cover for themselves, they could edit the inline note and make it look like you provided the wrong information. By making inline notes non-modifiable and undeletable, all agents are forced to have integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

Can I delete or modify a ticket, customer, or company note?

All other notes can be deleted, modified, and edited so all support agents can collaboratively collect new information about your clients and their issues. This is extremely important to achieve better customer satisfaction and provide better service experiences.

Knowledge base resources

• Notes – Visible only to agents
• Internal Tickets
• Ticket/Customer insights (CRM)
• Ticket ID [Explained]

Ready to use help desk notes?

Create private notes and use them to store additional information about your clients. Alternatively, use notes as reminders for yourself or your colleagues. Try the private note feature today with our all-inclusive free 30-day trial. No credit card is required.