Outside Working Hours Notice
The Outside Working Hours Notice helps set clear expectations when customers create or view tickets outside your organization’s working hours. Instead of wondering why they haven’t received an immediate response, customers see a banner explaining that the support team is currently unavailable and indicating when they can expect a reply.
The notice is automatically displayed based on your configured Service Level Agreement (SLA), including its working hours and holiday schedule.
Tip
Using an after-hours notice improves customer experience by setting realistic response expectations before your support team becomes available.
Enable the Outside Working Hours Notice
- Open Settings.
- Go to the General tab.
- Enable the Outside Working Hours Notice option.
- Enter the message you want customers to see.
- Click Save.
Once enabled, the configured message is automatically shown whenever a ticket is viewed outside the applicable SLA’s working hours.
Customize the Banner Message
The banner supports dynamic variables using Jinja syntax, allowing you to personalize the message with ticket information and expected response times.
Available Variables
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
{{ ticket.name }} |
Ticket reference (along with other ticket fields) | #TKT-00123 |
{{ next_working_day }} |
Next working day with weekday | Monday, 23 Jan |
{{ next_working_date }} |
Next working date | 23 Jan |
{{ expected_response }} |
Expected response date and time | 09:00, Monday, 23 Jan |
You can combine these variables to create informative, customer-friendly messages.
For example:
Thanks for contacting us!
Your ticket {{ ticket.name }} has been received.
Our support team is currently outside working hours and will respond by {{ expected_response }}.
How It Works
The banner is displayed entirely based on the ticket’s applicable SLA configuration.
For example, suppose your SLA defines working hours as 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on business days.
- A customer creates a ticket at 9:00 PM.
- Since this is outside configured working hours, the banner is displayed.
- The banner informs the customer when they can expect the next response.
When the next working day begins and the ticket is viewed during working hours (for example, 12:00 PM), the banner is automatically removed.
Display Logic
- Inside Working Hours → No banner is shown.
- Outside Working Hours → The banner is displayed.
Agent Replies
Once an agent replies to a ticket that was created outside working hours, the notice will no longer appear for that ticket, even if it is viewed again outside business hours.
This indicates that the customer has already received an initial response from your support team.
How Working Hours Are Determined
The Outside Working Hours Notice follows the schedule defined in the ticket’s assigned SLA, including:
- Working days
- Business hours
- Holiday lists
- Expected response calculations
If your SLA configuration changes, the banner automatically follows the updated schedule without requiring additional configuration.
Note
The visibility of the Outside Working Hours Notice is determined entirely by the ticket’s SLA configuration, including its working hours and holiday list. If no applicable SLA considers the current time to be outside working hours, the banner will not be displayed.
Best Practices
- Write a friendly and reassuring message.
- Use
{{ expected_response }}so customers know when to expect a reply. - Keep the message concise and easy to read.
- Review your SLA working hours regularly to ensure the banner appears at the correct times.
