How to stop SLA during exception cases

[Claude Eller]

We frequently run into exception cases where we succesfully close a JSM ticket but then the Partner replies with something like "all works now, thanks for the help". Because this is a comment by the customer it triggers the SLA to start counting again. Which it should because we have JQL Queue Filters based on open SLAs runnings and there could be a chance the Partner responded with an issue that would actually need to be looked at. So we do want to have the ticket pop-up somewhere so we can look into it.

In the case that there is nothing to do though, I would like a simple solution to stop the SLA from keeping running. Do you have an easy solutions in this case to stop the SLA. Initially I wanted to do it via setting a label like "acknowledged" but you can't set label as stop condition for the SLA.

Any recommendations?

[Alina Kurinna _SaaSJet_]

If you’d like a more flexible way to stop the SLA, I recommend trying SLA Time and Report, developed by my team.
With our app, you can solve this cleanly:

• Use a label as a stop condition — for example, when you apply a label like "acknowledged", the SLA will stop running.
• Add additional stop conditions, such as status = “Done” or a specific comment type.
• Disable the SLA multi-cycle option — this will ensure that the SLA doesn’t restart automatically when the customer replies again after closure.
  
• Set up real-time SLA tracking and rich reports — helping you differentiate between cases that need follow-up and those that don’t.

You’ll still be able to track such tickets using JQL, since they’ll remain visible, but the SLA won’t continue counting unnecessarily.

Please let me know if I was able to help you.

[Claude Eller]

Thank you for the suggestion. That would be great but unfortunately we can't use third party plugins or apps in our company set up. We are therefore limited to use the native JSM functionalities.

[Julia Watson-Clarke]

Hi @Claude Eller ,

Do you have a screenshot of how you currently have you SLA set up?

Can you provide a user story of how you envisage this working?

My understanding is that the SLA start and stop counters are triggered by specific conditions such as:

• Enters status
• Issue created
• Resolution
• Assignee
• Comment
• Due date

Thanks,

Julia.

[Claude Eller]

Currently when customer comments the SLA starts. We have pause SLA for "waiting for customer" and some other statuses. When we reply TO the customer the SLA stops. That's the journey.

Now if the ticket is closed the SLA also stops. If now the customer responds again, we need to be notified or see this in a jql query somewhere. In this case the customer responding starts another cycle and the sla is running again. Instead of us having to reply to the customer again we simply want to acknowledge what he said and complete the cycle and stop the SLA. I would prefer setting a label like "acknowledged"

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Claude Eller 

Welcome to the community.

So the issue is done, but based on a comment from the customer the issue transitions to a state the SLA triggers again.

There must be an automation acting on this, check the automation rule. See if this can be modified, or you could look at providing a more detailed message to the customer, to not have them reply on a resolved issue.

[Claude Eller]

The SLA Starts whenever a Customer Comments even when the ticket is closed.
This can make sense as described above, sometimes there is infact a doing for us. So we need to filter for comments added in JSM somehow. Because there is no JQL fitler for "last comment by customer" we use the SLA is running JQL filter instead. (We won't be able to use JQL script runner etc. by the way)

[Claude Eller]

Any ideas how I could solve this?

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Claude Eller 

So you need to adjust the automation rule, and use an IF/ELSE clause in the rule, that checks based on JQL.

The trigger should be on comment and then have a JQL to check if the issue is closed, then don't transition the issue, else if the issue is not closed action the issue as desired.