How to Merge Tickets in Zendesk Without Hurting Your Customers
How to Merge Tickets in Zendesk (Manual, Assisted, and Automated Approaches)
Duplicate tickets are one of the most common sources of inefficiency in Zendesk. Customers follow up through multiple channels, submit the same request more than once, or reply before an agent has time to respond. The result is fragmented conversations, wasted agent effort, and unreliable reporting.
In this guide, we will cover how to merge tickets in Zendesk, the limitations of both manual and fully automatic approaches, why Zendesk’s native merge workflow creates pain points, and why assisted ticket merging is the winning strategy for modern support teams.
What Does It Mean to Merge Tickets in Zendesk?
Merging tickets in Zendesk means consolidating two or more related tickets into a single primary ticket. When tickets are merged:
- Public comments from duplicate tickets are added to the primary ticket
- Duplicate tickets are closed
- Agents retain full context in one place
Teams merge tickets to reduce duplicate work, improve reporting accuracy, and deliver a consistent customer experience.
Pain Points with Zendesk’s Native Merge Workflow
While Zendesk allows agents to merge tickets manually, there are several common pain points:
-
Default public comments can reach customers
By default, when you merge a ticket, Zendesk adds a public comment saying the ticket was merged. If the agent forgets to unselect this checkbox, your customer will receive an unexpected email notification. -
Multiple clicks to complete a merge
Properly merging a ticket can take a minimum of 5 clicks and sometimes up to 10, depending on the workflow and custom fields. This slows agents down and increases the risk of errors. -
Duplicate tickets can be missed during high volume
Agents are responsible for identifying duplicates manually, which is prone to human error during busy periods.
These issues can lead to frustrated customers, lost context, and inconsistent reporting.
How to Merge Tickets in Zendesk Manually
Zendesk includes a native manual merge feature.
Manual Merge Steps
- Open the ticket you want to keep as the primary ticket
- Click the ticket options menu
- Select the ticket you want to merge
- Confirm the merge
While this works for small teams, the workflow pain points above make it hard to scale.
Limitations of Manual Ticket Merging
- Agents must constantly watch for duplicates
- Multiple clicks increase the chance of errors
- Default public comments may be sent to customers unintentionally
- Merge behavior varies widely by agent
- Reporting becomes inconsistent
These issues often lead teams to explore automation.
Important Consideration: Once a Ticket is Merged, It Cannot Be Unmerged
It’s crucial to understand that once two or more tickets are merged in Zendesk, the action is permanent. There is no built-in feature to “undo” a merge.
- The merged tickets’ content is combined into the primary ticket.
- Duplicate tickets are closed and cannot be reopened individually.
- Any mistakes in merging must be corrected manually by updating the primary ticket.
This is another reason why assisted merging is recommended: it ensures that agents carefully review potential duplicates before confirming a merge, reducing the risk of irreversible errors.
Can Zendesk Merge Tickets Automatically?
Zendesk does not support automatic ticket merging natively.
Some third-party tools attempt to automatically merge tickets based on rules like matching requester or subject. While this sounds appealing, fully automatic merging introduces operational risk.
The Risk of Fully Automatic Ticket Merging
Automatic merging without human review can cause serious operational problems:
- False positives where unrelated tickets are merged
- Loss of important context that cannot be recovered
- Reduced agent trust in the system
- Compliance and escalation risk in regulated environments
For these reasons, many experienced Zendesk admins avoid blind automation.
A Better Approach: Assisted Ticket Merging
Assisted ticket merging combines automation with human judgment.
Instead of automatically merging tickets, the system identifies likely duplicates and surfaces them to agents, who make the final decision.
This approach delivers efficiency without sacrificing safety.
How Easy Merge Works in Zendesk
Easy Merge does not automatically merge tickets for agents.
Instead, it highlights tickets that should be reviewed for merging, directly within the Zendesk interface. Agents stay in control and confirm whether tickets should be merged.
Assisted Merging vs Automatic Merging in Zendesk
| Approach | How it works | Benefits | Risks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual merging | Agents manually find and merge tickets | Full control, no automation risk | Time consuming, may notify customers |
| Automatic merging | Tickets merged automatically based on rules | Minimal agent effort | High risk of incorrect merges, data loss |
| Assisted merging | System highlights likely duplicates, agent confirms merge | Safe, scalable, trusted by agents | Requires agent confirmation |
Why Assisted Merging is the Winning Strategy
Protects Against Incorrect Merges
Agents apply judgment before merging, eliminating false positives.
Preserves Agent Trust
Agents trust workflows that support them rather than override them.
Improves Adoption
When merges feel intentional, agents follow the process consistently.
Maintains Clean Data Safely
Duplicate tickets are reduced without introducing operational risk.
Common Zendesk Use Cases Where Assisted Merging Excels
Duplicate Follow-ups
Customers resend emails when they do not get a fast response. Easy Merge highlights these tickets for quick review.
Multi-Channel Requests
Customers contact support through email and web forms. Assisted merging keeps context intact.
High-Volume Periods
During outages or incidents, duplicate tickets spike. Assisted merging ensures duplicates are visible, not buried.
Best Practices for Merging Tickets in Zendesk
- Use assisted merging to guide agents
- Keep agents in control of final actions
- Train teams on when to merge and when not to
- Periodically review merge behavior
This approach scales without sacrificing accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I merge tickets in Zendesk?
You can manually merge tickets using Zendesk’s native tools or use an app like Easy Merge to highlight tickets that should be merged.
Does Zendesk automatically merge tickets?
No. Zendesk does not automatically merge tickets.
Does Easy Merge automatically merge tickets?
No. Easy Merge highlights tickets that should be merged and lets agents decide. This prevents incorrect merges.
Why not fully automate ticket merging?
Because incorrect merges create risk, break agent trust, and can cause data loss. Assisted merging provides safety and control.
Final Thoughts
Merging tickets in Zendesk is essential for efficient support operations, but how you do it matters:
- Manual merging does not scale and can unintentionally notify customers
- Fully automatic merging introduces risk
- Assisted merging delivers efficiency with safety
Easy Merge was built to help teams clean up duplicate tickets while keeping agents in control. It improves workflows, protects data, and builds trust across your support organization.