How do I delete or merge duplicate tickets?
Customers panic and submit the same issue twice. It happens. Here's how to clean it up.
Merge Them (The Right Way)
Merging keeps all the conversation history together. This is almost always what you want.
- Open the ticket you want to keep
- Click More actions menu (⋮)
- Select Merge ticket
- Search for the duplicate(s)
- Click Merge
What Actually Happens
- All messages from the duplicate get appended to the main ticket
- The duplicate gets marked "Merged" and closed
- Customer sees one continuous thread (like it should be)
- SLA timer is based on the oldest ticket's creation time (so you don't game the system)
Just Mark It Duplicate
If you don't want to merge, just close it:
- Open the duplicate
- Click Close (or press
C) - Select Duplicate as the reason
- Reference the original ticket number in the note
Customer gets notified it's a duplicate and pointed to the real ticket.
Nuclear Option: Delete
Deleting is permanent. Like, actually permanent. Typically needs admin permissions.
- Open the ticket
- Click More actions (⋮)
- Select Delete ticket
- Confirm
Warning: Deleted tickets cannot be recovered. Ever. Only delete test tickets or spam. Seriously.
Stop Them Before They Start
- Use the chat widget's session tracking (we're smart about this)
- Set up auto-detection in Settings (we'll build this eventually)
- Train customers to reply to existing emails instead of creating new ones
Most duplicates happen because customers don't realize replying to the email updates the ticket. Educate them.