Using light agents and side conversations  

Light agents

You can collaborate with other agents through the use of light agents and side conversations.

Light agents are agents that have limited permissions but can stay informed about tickets and, when needed, provide subject matter expertise and advice by adding private comments to a ticket. Light agents can view tickets, make private comments, request a ticket by private comments, be CC’d, add attachments, view user profiles, and apply macros. They cannot be assigned to/assign tickets, change ticket status, edit ticket properties, or use the @mention feature.

Starting side conversations

A side conversation is a place on the ticket where an agent can have threaded side conversations with different people in order to resolve a customer request. Side conversations enable agents to solicit input or expertise on a customer issue and retain that information in the ticket itself. Side conversation recipients can be inside or outside of your organization, get notified, and respond via email when you have a side conversation with them. However, they cannot view tickets but their comments are added as internal notes.

You will start a side conversation from directly within the ticket (Figure 11). To include other Support agents, you will type their name. To include anyone externally who does not have a user profile in your Zendesk account, enter their email. All of the recipients of the side conversation will receive an email notification with your message. 

Once you have started a side conversation, it will show up at the bottom of the ticket. When you open the ticket, you will see the subject and a button you can click to view the side conversation. When you have resolved the conversation topic, you can mark a side conversation as done. 

Figure 11. Side conversation button on new ticket