Business rules are a set of predefined actions that are executed automatically when certain conditions are met in the Service Desk.
Business rules let you automate processes — eliminating repetitive tasks and reducing the time agents spend resolving tickets.
They also ensure that every ticket is handled following the same criteria, regardless of which agent works on it.
Process Automation Made Easy
In line with ServiceTonic’s philosophy — that users should be fully autonomous and not need the IT department to configure their processes — agents can create as many business rules or automations as they need, all based on their own criteria.
With ServiceTonic, you can create business rules autonomously, without relying on the IT department or complex code development.
Let’s take a look at how to create workflows with ServiceTonic.
Business Rules Examples
Process automations built with Business Rules can vary widely, since each one responds to the specific needs and criteria of each company.
Let’s look at some examples where it’s possible — and recommended — to apply automation using ServiceTonic’s business rules.
| Selection criteria | Action | Repetition |
|---|---|---|
| The ticket is in the “Invoice” category | It’s assigned to the billing team | Always |
| Find out the user’s satisfaction level | A satisfaction survey is sent | Twice, once the ticket is closed |
| The ticket priority is “High” | An email notification is sent to an agent | Always |
| The ticket is awaiting a response from the user | Sends a notification to the user | Once |
| The contact is a specific company located in a Latin American country | A notification is sent, the ticket is assigned to a specific agent, and the status is changed | Always |
Benefits of Using Business Rules
Automating processes with business rules lets you optimize operational management and improve support, delivering benefits such as:
- Speeding up service processes, reducing response and resolution times.
- Increasing agent productivity by cutting down on repetitive, automatable tasks.
- Optimizing coordination and the use of human and technological resources.
ServiceTonic’s business rules are easy to create and activate, since they don’t require advanced technical knowledge. They can also be implemented independently by service or department, adapting to the specific needs of each area and letting you automate concrete processes in a flexible, efficient way.
How Do Business Rules or Workflows Work?
You can create a Business Rule in 3 simple steps.
1. Define the Execution Conditions
First, it’s important to define the event that will trigger the Business Rule. ServiceTonic offers 4 moments when a Business Rule can be triggered:
- When a ticket is created
- When it’s modified
- A periodic automatic execution when certain criteria defined by the agent are met
- Manually
Next, you define the Rule’s validity period, since it can be active at all times or only within certain time ranges and schedules: Monday to Friday and during which hours.
Finally, all that’s left is to define the Repetition of the action on the same item or ticket:
- Always repeat
- Number of repetitions
- Interval between executions
2. Selection Criteria
The second step is to define the criteria that tickets must meet for the business rule to run.
To do this, you need to specify which type of ticket the rule can apply to and set the conditions that must be met, following AND/OR logic. In other words:
- The rule can run when the ticket meets this criterion and that other one.
- Or when it meets this criterion or that other one.
Finally, you’ll need to select the specific criteria to take into account in order to trigger the automation. These criteria can be the fields defined in a ticket or the fields defined in a user.
3. Actions
This is the final step, where you optionally define:
- Sending emails, with the option to use a template designed by the company, and the option to make it an email that accepts replies (or not) and to whom.
- Generating an alert that can be triggered for a team or an agent.
All that’s left is to activate which actions will be carried out when a ticket meets the selection criteria defined earlier. These actions are fully customizable — for example, one action could be changing a ticket’s status to a status created by the agent themselves, exclusive to that department or that business rule.
Automations in ServiceTonic vs. Other Tools: Why Is It Easier?
Comparing ServiceTonic to other Service Desk platforms, creating automations and business rules stands out for being an agile, intuitive, and fully autonomous process. That means there’s no need to rely on the IT department or technical teams to develop code or implement changes.
With ServiceTonic, any agent can configure business rules in a matter of minutes, without writing a single line of code and without depending on third parties.
Our difference is in the approach: ServiceTonic was designed so that the people in charge of each area — whether HR, Marketing, Sales, or any other department — can manage and adapt the tool to their needs.
The result is a flexible platform that adapts to the way your company works, not the other way around.
Request a free demo and see how to automate your processes.