What Are Private Replies & How to Use Them
Private Replies are internal notes added to a ticket that are visible only to your support team — not the customer. They’re designed to support better collaboration between agents, admins, and other stakeholders without disrupting the customer-facing conversation. Private replies are an essential tool for teams working on complex or multi-stage issues, where context needs to be preserved across shifts, escalations, or handovers.
Key Characteristics of Private Replies
Feature | Behavior |
Internal-Only | Not sent to the customer. Only visible to team members with ticket access. |
Time-Stamped | All private replies are logged with author name, timestamp, and content. |
Multiple | Agents can continue to add as many private replies as needed during the ticket lifecycle. |
Available on Closed Tickets | You can add private replies to tickets even after they are closed — helpful for internal documentation or audit trails. |
How to Add a Private Reply
- Open the ticket you’re working on.
- At the bottom, switch to the “Private Reply” tab in the composer.
- Type your internal message (e.g., context for the next agent, follow-up notes, next steps).
- Click Send — it will be logged in the timeline as an internal note.
When to Use Private Replies
- Agent Handover: Leave context for the next person taking over the ticket.
- Team Collaboration: Add notes for an admin or a specialist to take action.
- Root Cause Tracking: Internally document what caused the issue.
- Escalation Notes: Add supporting info for why a ticket is being escalated.
- Post-Closure Documentation: Explain why a ticket was closed or resolved, even after resolution.
📌 Private replies are also logged in audit trails, making them useful for team reviews and accountability.
Why Private Replies Matter
- Keep the customer experience clean and focused, without exposing internal chatter.
- Ensure seamless team communication within the context of the same ticket.
- Help preserve history and reasoning behind every support decision.