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9.7. Scheduled Follow Up Automation

Sometimes you have recurring tasks or requests that need to be deferred until a specific time. By combining a custom date field with an automation rule, you can streamline this process so requests automatically return to your queue when they need attention.

This guide walks through creating a follow-up date field and an automation that reopens closed requests on the specified date.

Overview

You'll set up:

1. A custom date field for selecting a follow-up date on any request.
2. An automation rule that reopens closed requests when the follow-up date matches today.

Step 1: Create the Follow-Up Date Custom Field

1. Navigate to the Admin area.
2. Open Custom Fields.
3. Create a new custom field and select Date as the field type. This allows you to pick a specific date for reopening a request.
4. Continue to step two of the field setup.
5. Name the field Follow-Up Date.
6. Save the field.

The Follow-Up Date field is now available on requests.

Step 2: Create the Automation Rule

1. Go to Automation Rules.
2. Create a new rule and add the following criteria:
   • Request status is Closed.
   • Follow-Up Date (the custom field you just created) is today.
3. Add an action: Reopen the request.
4. Test the conditions, then save the rule.

HelpSpot will now compare the Follow-Up Date on each closed request against today's date. When they match, the request is automatically reopened.

Using the Follow-Up Date

When working a request:

1. Open the request.
2. Set the Follow-Up Date to the day you want it to return to your queue (for example, the 20th).
3. Close the request.

The request leaves your active queue immediately and is automatically reopened on the date you specified.

Knowledge Tags

Automation Rules  /