Guide · Helpdesk
Macros vs automations: which one, and when
In short
A macro is a saved set of actions an agent applies with one click, usually a reply plus a few field changes, when they’ve judged it fits. An automation runs by itself whenever its trigger and conditions match, with nobody clicking anything. Use macros where a person should decide, and automations for what should happen every time.
Reviewed 9 November 2026. Terms used: Ticketing system, SLA (service level agreement), Shared inbox vs helpdesk.
How to decide, and how to set them up
Most teams need a few of each. Start from the work, not the feature.
List a week of repeated work
For one week, note every time someone types the same reply, makes the same change or chases the same thing. That list is where both macros and automations come from.
If a person should judge, make it a macro
Asking for photos of damage, explaining a refund, closing a duplicate: each needs someone to read the ticket first. A macro does the typing and the clicking once they’ve decided.
A macro: “Ask for damage photos” Reply: Sorry about the damage. Could you send a photo of it and of the box label?
Status → Waiting on customer
Tag → damage-photos
If it should happen every time, make it an automation
Chasing a customer who hasn’t answered, warning a lead before a breach, tagging every ticket from a key account: none of these needs a judgement, and all of them get forgotten on a busy day.
An automation: “Chase a quiet customer” When: waiting on the customer for 2 days (business hours)
If: category is under Delivery
Then: email the customer a reminder · add the tag chased
Write macro replies with room to edit
A macro reply should read well as it is and still leave the agent a place to add the specific detail. Keep the shared set small and named by what they do; let agents keep personal ones for their own habits.
Check an automation against real tickets before you switch it on
Before a rule goes live, look at which open tickets it would act on right now. A condition that’s slightly too wide can email every customer in the queue.
Keep rules from fighting each other
Two rules that change the same field in opposite ways will keep a ticket bouncing. Give each rule one clear job, decide the order they run in, and make sure a rule’s own changes can’t set another rule off in a loop.
Review them every month
Delete macros nobody uses, merge the near-duplicates, and switch off rules that never fire. A short, current list gets used; a long one gets ignored.
Macros compared with automations
Who starts it
- Macro
- An agent, with one click
- Automation
- The helpdesk, when the rule matches
When it runs
- Macro
- When the agent decides it fits
- Automation
- Every time the trigger and conditions match
Typical job
- Macro
- A reply plus status, tags or assignee
- Automation
- Chasing, alerts, tagging, routing
The reply
- Macro
- The agent reads it and sends it
- Automation
- Sent by the rule, if the rule emails
Main risk
- Macro
- A reply that doesn’t quite fit
- Automation
- A rule that’s too wide, or two that fight
How it works in Axonave
Macros the agent sends, rules that run on their own.
In Axonave a macro is a reply or an internal note plus changes to status, priority, team, assignee, tags, CC, followers and time logged. It applies all or nothing, and the reply lands in the composer for the agent to read and send. Automations run on a trigger, such as a new ticket, a customer reply, an SLA warning or time waiting on the customer, with conditions on category, source, team and tags. A dry run lists the tickets a rule would act on now, and an automation’s own changes never set off other rules.
- Shared macros for the team, personal ones for each agent
- Each rule fires once per ticket and occasion
- Canned responses with shortcuts for live chat
Settings → Tickets → Automations in our demo workspace: “Chase a quiet customer” runs after 1,080 business minutes (two working days) waiting on the customer, on tickets under Delivery. Further down the form, its actions email the customer and add a tag. Macros have their own tab.
Common questions
Can a macro send a reply without the agent seeing it?
Not in Axonave. A macro puts its reply in the composer, and the agent reads it, edits it if needed, and sends it. Field changes apply at once.
Can an automation email the customer?
Yes. An action can send the customer an email on the ticket’s thread, or email the team. Check the rule with a dry run first, so you know who it would reach.
What’s the difference between a macro and a canned response?
A canned response is text with a shortcut, for live chat. A macro is for tickets, and changes fields as well as adding a reply.
See it working with your own customers.
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