Auto-triage Gorgias tickets using native Rules
Prerequisites
- Gorgias account on any paid plan (Rules are not available on the free tier)
- A defined list of support categories and the keywords that signal each one
Overview
Gorgias Rules are event-driven automations that fire when tickets are created, updated, replied to, or assigned. Each Rule has conditions (what to check) and actions (what to do). For triage, you'll create one Rule per tag category — each matching keywords in the ticket subject and message body.
Step 1: Define your tag taxonomy
Before building Rules, list your categories and the keywords that signal each one. A practical starting set for e-commerce:
| Tag | Trigger keywords |
|---|---|
billing | invoice, charge, payment, refund, overcharged, receipt |
shipping | shipping, tracking, delivery, delayed, package, lost |
returns | return, exchange, refund, cancel, RMA |
technical | broken, error, bug, not working, issue, crash |
account | login, password, access, account, locked, reset |
feedback | suggestion, feedback, love, hate, would be great |
Keep it to 6–8 categories initially. You can always add more once the basics are running.
Step 2: Navigate to Rules
In Gorgias, go to:
Settings → Automation → Rules
Click Add rule in the top right.
Step 3: Create a Rule for each category
Repeat this for each tag category. Here's the full setup for a Billing Rule:
Rule name: Auto-tag: Billing
When: Ticket is created
Conditions (ANY of these match):
- Message body contains:
invoice - Message body contains:
payment - Message body contains:
refund - Message body contains:
overcharged - Message body contains:
receipt - Subject contains:
billing
Actions:
- Add tag:
billing
Set the condition logic to ANY (OR), not ALL (AND). A ticket mentioning "invoice" alone should get the billing tag — it doesn't also need to mention "payment."
Repeat for each category in your taxonomy, adjusting the keywords and tag name.
Step 4: Add a catch-all for untagged tickets
Create one final Rule that flags tickets that didn't match any category:
Rule name: Auto-tag: Needs Triage
When: Ticket is created
Conditions (ALL must match):
- Ticket does not have tag:
billing - Ticket does not have tag:
shipping - Ticket does not have tag:
returns - Ticket does not have tag:
technical - Ticket does not have tag:
account - Ticket does not have tag:
feedback
Actions:
- Add tag:
needs-triage - Assign to team: Support (or your triage team)
Gorgias executes Rules in the order they appear in your list. Your catch-all Rule should be the last Rule. Drag it to the bottom of the Rules list after saving.
Step 5: Create Views by tag
Tags are only useful if your team can see them. Create a View per tag so each sub-team has a focused queue.
Go to Views in the left sidebar → Add view:
- View name: Billing Tickets
- Filters: Tag is
billing, Status isopen - Assigned to: Billing team or relevant agents
Repeat for each tag category.
Step 6: Test the Rules
Create a test ticket via your support email with body text that matches each category. Verify:
- The correct tag appears within a few seconds of ticket creation
- The ticket appears in the right View
- The catch-all
needs-triagetag fires when no keywords match
Rules with "When: Ticket is created" only fire on the first incoming message. If a customer sends a vague first message and clarifies in a follow-up, the triage tag won't update automatically. Add a second Rule with "When: Message is created" if you want to re-evaluate on every reply.
Cost
Gorgias Rules are included in all paid plans at no additional cost.
Need help implementing this?
We build and optimize automation systems for mid-market businesses. Let's discuss the right approach for your team.