Article Type: Internal Process Audience: Support Agents Visibility: Internal Only
Overview
When an agent is absent, incoming tickets must still be handled within SLA. This article defines what to prioritise and how to hand over open tickets.
Priority Order When Covering for an Absent Agent
Handle tickets in this order when coverage is limited:
- B2B quotes — business customers waiting for a quote have a purchasing decision pending. Respond the same day where possible.
- Special and high-value orders — orders above 15,000 SEK / €1,500 / £1,200 or flagged as special orders
- Contract customers — Contract Customers always get priority handling
- Urgent delivery issues — missing orders, wrong items, or damaged goods where the customer has a deadline
- All other open tickets — in chronological order, oldest first
Before Going Absent — Handover Checklist
Before leaving for vacation or planned days off, the departing agent should:
- Add an internal note to any open tickets with:
- Current status of the ticket
- What has been done / promised to the customer
- Suggested next action for the covering agent
- Inform Team Lead of any tickets that need attention the same day or special attention
Handover Note Format
Use this format in Zendesk internal notes when handing over:
Handover note Status: [e.g. Waiting for customer to confirm address / Waiting for Finance / Resend ordered] Done so far: [Brief summary] Next action: [What the covering agent needs to do and when] Urgent: [Yes / No]