BrewedOpsAn automated support desk, built inside GoHighLevel
A customer submits a support form. An opportunity opens in a dedicated Support pipeline and becomes the ticket. Every stage has its own automation, so dragging a card to a stage fires exactly the right actions and the right customer email. Drop your brand, your categories, and your team in - the engine doesn't change.
GoHighLevel
How it works
A customer submits the Submit a Support Ticket form. That creates or matches a contact and fires the New sequence, which generates a ticket number, opens an opportunity in the Support pipeline, sends the received email, and tags the ticket by category. The opportunity is the ticket - its stage is the status, and all ticket data lives on opportunity fields so every ticket is self-contained. Each stage runs its own automation the moment the card lands there.
name, email, category, type, issue, link, file"]:::form F -->|creates / matches contact| S0 subgraph NEWSEQ["NEW sequence"] direction TB A2["ticket ID + open opportunity
copy fields contact -> opportunity"]:::act E1["Email 1 - Ticket Received"]:::mail RT["Category router: tag + notify support team"]:::route end S0["NEW"]:::snew --> NEWSEQ S0 -->|priority drag| S1["URGENT"]:::surg S1 --> USQ["Urgent sequence:
priority alert email + SMS, tag urgent"]:::act S0 --> S2["IN PROGRESS"]:::sprog S1 --> S2 S2 --> IPQ["In Progress sequence:
assign owner task, clear flags"]:::act S2 -->|fill Info Needed, drag| S3["AWAITING REPLY"]:::swait S3 --> AWQ["Awaiting Reply sequence:
Email 2, remind 3d, auto-close 5d"]:::mail AWQ -.-> S4 S2 -->|fill Resolution, drag| S4["RESOLVED"]:::sdone S4 --> RSQ["Resolved sequence:
stamp date, Email 3, optional CSAT"]:::mail CR["Customer replies (any time)"]:::form --> W4["Reply handler:
reactivate / reopen -> In Progress"]:::wf W4 --> S2 classDef form fill:#FFF1E6,stroke:#FF7A1A,color:#0B1E3F classDef wf fill:#0B1E3F,stroke:#0B1E3F,color:#FFFFFF classDef act fill:#FFFFFF,stroke:#FF7A1A,color:#0B1E3F classDef route fill:#FFF1E6,stroke:#FF7A1A,color:#0B1E3F,stroke-dasharray:4 3 classDef mail fill:#FFF4EC,stroke:#FFA155,color:#0B1E3F classDef snew fill:#EEF1F6,stroke:#5A6479,color:#0B1E3F classDef surg fill:#FBEAE8,stroke:#D2544A,color:#0B1E3F classDef sprog fill:#FFF1E6,stroke:#FF7A1A,color:#0B1E3F classDef swait fill:#FAF3E4,stroke:#C98A2E,color:#0B1E3F classDef sdone fill:#EAF4EE,stroke:#3FA66A,color:#0B1E3F
The opportunity is the ticket
The form writes to contact fields as a capture layer. The New sequence copies them onto opportunity fields, where the real ticket record lives - so a customer who opens a second ticket never overwrites the first.
One pipeline, five stages
Create a pipeline named Support Tickets with five stages, in order. The stage is the ticket status, and each stage has its own automation that fires the instant a card lands there.
| Stage | Meaning | Its automation (on entry) |
|---|---|---|
| New | Just arrived (set on form submit) | Ticket ID + open opportunity + copy fields + Email 1 + category router |
| Urgent | Manual priority flag | Tag priority-urgent + alert (email + SMS) to the team. No customer email. |
| In Progress | Team actively working it | Assign owner task + clear stale flags. Optional "we're on it" email. |
| Awaiting Reply | Waiting on the customer | Email 2 (needs info), remind at 3 days, auto-close at 5 |
| Resolved | Closed | Stamp Date Resolved + Email 3 + optional CSAT survey |
Two field sets: capture & record
The form writes to contact fields. The New sequence copies them onto opportunity fields, where the real ticket record lives - so a customer with multiple tickets never has one ticket overwrite another.
C Contact fields (the form fills these)
| Field | Type | Merge key |
|---|---|---|
| Request Category | Dropdown | {{contact.request_category}} |
| Support Type | Dropdown | {{contact.support_type}} |
| Describe Your Issue | Multi-line text | {{contact.describe_your_issue}} |
| Attachment URL | Text | {{contact.attachment_url}} |
| Support Ticket Number (scratchpad) | Text | {{contact.support_ticket_number}} |
O Opportunity fields (the ticket record)
| Field | Type | Merge key | Filled by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket Number | Text | {{opportunity.ticket_number}} | New seq |
| Ticket Category | Text | {{opportunity.ticket_category}} | copy |
| Ticket Support Type | Text | {{opportunity.ticket_support_type}} | copy |
| Ticket Issue | Multi-line text | {{opportunity.ticket_issue}} | copy |
| Ticket Attachment URL | Text | {{opportunity.ticket_attachment_url}} | copy |
| Ticket Additional Info Needed | Multi-line text | {{opportunity.ticket_additional_info_needed}} | Agent |
| Ticket Resolution | Multi-line text | {{opportunity.ticket_resolution}} | Agent |
| Ticket Date Resolved | Date | {{opportunity.ticket_date_resolved}} | Resolved seq (auto) |
A unique ID per ticket
A Recommended - date-time ID (zero dependency)
In the New sequence, set the ticket number to a formatted timestamp, e.g. TKT-{{right_now}} formatted to yyMMdd-HHmmss → TKT-260617-143052. Unique to the second; no counter needed. If two people submit in the same second, append the last digits of the contact id for an absolute guarantee. Uses GHL's date-field formatter - confirm the yyMMdd-HHmmss tokens render in a quick test before relying on them.
B Optional - sequential (TKT-1001, 1002…)
Keep a Custom Value counter and use a Math-Operation step (counter +1, write back, stamp the field). Only viable if this account's Math action can target a Custom Value - otherwise stay on the date ID. Either way the number is fully defined.
The one piece built by hand
A GHL form named Submit a Support Ticket. GHL's form create/clone API is unreliable, so the form is built in the form builder - but every custom field it maps to was created in Step 2, so it's just dragging those fields in.
- Sites → Forms → Builder → + Add Form
- Name it exactly Submit a Support Ticket - the New sequence's trigger matches this name
- First Name + Last Name + Email (required), Phone (optional)
- Search each by name and drag it in - dropdown options auto-load from the field
- Request Category (required) · Support Type (required) · Describe Your Issue (required, multi-line)
- Attachment URL (optional, for a Loom / Drive / screenshot link)
- Add a File Upload field (optional); allow images / PDF / short video. Stored on the contact, surfaced in the team notification.
- Show message: "Thanks - your ticket is in. Our team will respond within {{custom_values.support_sla}}, and a confirmation email is on its way." (or redirect to a thank-you page)
- Match your brand button color, then Save → Integrate → embed on a /support page or wherever customers reach support
Request Category options (example)
- Billing & payments
- Technical issue / bug
- Account & access
- Onboarding & setup
- Product question
- Other
Swap these for your own products, departments, or service lines - the router reads whatever you put here.
Support Type options (example)
- Booking or reschedule
- Payment or billing
- Login / access
- Feature or how-to
- General question
- Other
A second axis so the team can triage by intent, independent of category.
Four branded emails
Subjects and bodies use merge tags so each ticket personalizes itself. Set the From name/email to [Company] Support <support@yourcompany.com> and Reply-To to the same inbox, so customer replies thread back and trigger the reply handler.
Hi {{contact.first_name}},
Thanks for reaching out. We've received your request and opened Support Ticket #{{opportunity.ticket_number}}.
Our team is on it and will get back to you within {{custom_values.support_sla}}.
Need to add something? Just reply to this email and it'll attach straight to your ticket.
- The {{custom_values.company_name}} Support Team
Hi {{contact.first_name}},
We're working on Ticket #{{opportunity.ticket_number}} and need one more thing from you to move it forward:
Just reply to this email with that and we'll pick it right back up.
Hi {{contact.first_name}},
Good news - Ticket #{{opportunity.ticket_number}} has been resolved.
If anything still isn't right, just reply to this email and we'll reopen it. Thanks for your patience.
Hi {{contact.first_name}},
We're holding Ticket #{{opportunity.ticket_number}} open and still waiting on one thing from you:
Reply whenever you have a moment and we'll finish up. If we don't hear back, we'll close the ticket in a couple of days - you can always reply to reopen it.
Reusable HTML shell (Gmail-safe - paste into GHL, swap the copy)
<div style="background:#EDEDEA;padding:40px 16px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<div style="max-width:620px;margin:0 auto;border-radius:6px;overflow:hidden;
box-shadow:0 2px 24px rgba(0,0,0,.12);">
<div style="height:4px;background:#FF7A1A;"></div>
<div style="background:#0B1E3F;padding:30px;text-align:center;">
<span style="color:#fff;font-size:24px;font-weight:800;">[Company]<span style="color:#FF7A1A;">.</span></span>
</div>
<div style="background:#fff;padding:48px 52px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.75;color:#243a5e;">
<!-- EMAIL BODY COPY GOES HERE -->
</div>
<div style="background:#0B1E3F;padding:26px;text-align:center;font-size:11px;color:#9aa3b5;">
{{custom_values.company_name}} • Support
</div>
</div>
</div>Tag the category, ping the team
The form captures Request Category, and the New sequence's router branch reads it: every category gets its own tag so the board stays sortable. The tag is what's category-specific; the owners (your support team) are constant. The customer emails stay shared across all categories.
| Category | Tag added | Routing branch |
|---|---|---|
| Billing & payments | support-billing | tag → notify support team |
| Technical issue | support-technical | tag → notify support team (+ optional dev escalation) |
| Account & access | support-access | tag → notify support team |
| Onboarding & setup | support-onboarding | tag → notify support team |
| Product question | support-product | tag → notify support team |
| Other (catch-all) | support-general | tag → notify support team (the else so nothing is unrouted) |
Six workflows, each editable on its own
Every stage is its own workflow, triggered by Opportunity Status Changed filtered to this pipeline + stage (the New sequence is form-triggered, since the form is what creates the ticket). Drag a card to a stage and that stage's sequence fires - nothing overlaps. One cross-stage reply handler keeps the stages honest. Build each as a Draft, then publish after a test ticket runs clean. Click a workflow to expand its steps.
1
New sequenceNew
Trigger: Form Submitted - Form is "Submit a Support Ticket"
- Field: Support Ticket Number
- Value: type TKT- then insert {{right_now}} → set date format yyMMdd-HHmmss → e.g. TKT-260617-143052
- Collision-proofing (optional): append -{{contact.id}}
- Pipeline: Support Tickets | Stage: New | Status: Open
- Name: {{contact.first_name}} {{contact.last_name}} - {{contact.support_ticket_number}}
- Set "Allow Duplicate Opportunity" / create-new = ON so it never hijacks the contact's existing opportunity in another pipeline
- Ticket Number = {{contact.support_ticket_number}}
- Ticket Category = {{contact.request_category}}
- Ticket Support Type = {{contact.support_type}}
- Ticket Issue = {{contact.describe_your_issue}}
- Ticket Attachment URL = {{contact.attachment_url}}
- Template: 01 - Ticket Received
- From + Reply-To: support@yourcompany.com (so replies thread back and fire the reply handler)
- Condition on {{contact.request_category}} - one branch per category, each does Add Contact Tag + Internal Notification to the support team
- Billing → support-billing · Technical → support-technical · Access → support-access …
- Else → support-general so nothing is unrouted
- Notification subject: New ticket {{opportunity.ticket_number}} - {{opportunity.ticket_category}} / {{opportunity.ticket_support_type}}
The only stage a ticket enters automatically. Build order matters: number → opportunity → copy fields → email → router. Everything below is manual-drag triggered.
2
Urgent sequenceUrgent
Trigger: Opportunity Status Changed - Pipeline "Support Tickets", Stage = Urgent
- Tag: priority-urgent
- Subject: URGENT - Ticket {{opportunity.ticket_number}} ({{opportunity.ticket_category}})
- Body: URGENT ticket {{opportunity.ticket_number}} needs eyes now.
- Title: URGENT: work ticket {{opportunity.ticket_number}} | Due: today
No customer email - Urgent is internal priority only. Agent SOP: drag any New / In Progress ticket here to escalate.
3
In Progress sequenceIn Progress
Trigger: Opportunity Status Changed - Pipeline "Support Tickets", Stage = In Progress
- Remove priority-urgent (it's now actively worked, not just flagged)
- Title: Work ticket {{opportunity.ticket_number}} - {{opportunity.ticket_support_type}} | Due: +1 day
- Off by default to avoid over-emailing. Turn on only if tickets tend to sit before pickup.
This is also where the Reply handler lands a reactivated/reopened ticket, so the owner is re-tasked automatically. GHL note: turn on Allow Re-Entry in this workflow's settings - a ticket can enter In Progress more than once (after a reopen or a reply), and with re-entry off the second entry won't fire.
4
Awaiting Reply sequenceAwaiting Reply
Trigger: Opportunity Status Changed - Pipeline "Support Tickets", Stage = Awaiting Reply
- Template: 02 - Additional Info Needed - pulls {{opportunity.ticket_additional_info_needed}}
- Wait type: condition with timeout
- Condition: Stage is not Awaiting Reply (a reply moves it to In Progress → exits early)
- Max wait: 3 days
- If still Awaiting Reply → Send Email 04 - Reminder; else do nothing
- Condition Stage is not Awaiting Reply | Max wait: 2 days
- If still Awaiting Reply → set Ticket Resolution = Closed - no response. Reply to reopen.
- then move Stage to Resolved (hands off to the Resolved sequence)
GHL note: use the condition-with-timeout Wait, not a fixed Delay - a fixed delay can't be short-circuited by the customer's reply.
5
Resolved sequenceResolved
Trigger: Opportunity Status Changed - Pipeline "Support Tickets", Stage = Resolved
- Ticket Date Resolved = {{right_now}} (auto-stamp)
- Template: 03 - Resolved - pulls {{opportunity.ticket_resolution}}
- Wait 1 day → one-question CSAT. Off by default; turn on once the core flow is proven.
This stage also receives auto-closed tickets from the Awaiting Reply timeout (resolution already filled with the "no response" text).
+
Reply handlercross-stage
Trigger: Customer Replied (inbound) - add it twice: Email + SMS
- Condition: the contact has an opportunity in Support Tickets (most reliable) - or list the specific support- tags individually (GHL filters don't match tag wildcards) - so a normal sales reply doesn't trip this workflow
- If Awaiting Reply → move to In Progress + notify: Customer replied with the info
- Else-if Resolved → move to In Progress + notify: Ticket reopened
- Else → notify only: New reply on the ticket
GHL note: if a contact has more than one open opportunity, confirm the action targets the Support opportunity (filter by pipeline) so a reply doesn't move the wrong card.
One open ticket per customer
By default a customer can open several tickets and each stays isolated on its own opportunity. But in GHL the routing state - the priority tag, the awaiting-reply timer - lives on the contact, not the opportunity. So two of the same person's tickets moving through stages at once can cross-interfere. The clean fix: let a customer hold one open ticket at a time, and politely bounce a second submission until the first is resolved.
contact tag: has-open-ticket"}:::wf G -->|Yes| B["Email 5 - Ticket Already Open
STOP - no new card"]:::mail G -->|No| A["Tag: ticket-approved"]:::route A --> NEW["NEW sequence:
clear ticket-approved, add has-open-ticket,
open the ticket, route to the team"]:::act NEW --> FLOW["ticket flows through the pipeline"]:::snew FLOW --> R["RESOLVED sequence also
removes has-open-ticket"]:::done R -.->|customer can now open a new one| F classDef form fill:#FFF1E6,stroke:#FF7A1A,color:#0B1E3F classDef wf fill:#0B1E3F,stroke:#0B1E3F,color:#FFFFFF classDef route fill:#FFF1E6,stroke:#FF7A1A,color:#0B1E3F,stroke-dasharray:4 3 classDef mail fill:#FFF4EC,stroke:#FFA155,color:#0B1E3F classDef act fill:#FFFFFF,stroke:#FF7A1A,color:#0B1E3F classDef snew fill:#EEF1F6,stroke:#5A6479,color:#0B1E3F classDef done fill:#EAF4EE,stroke:#3FA66A,color:#0B1E3F
+
Intake gatefront door
Trigger: Form Submitted - Form is "Submit a Support Ticket"
- Condition: contact has tag has-open-ticket
- Use a tag condition, not a custom-field condition - GHL renders tag conditions natively (a custom-field condition shows a raw field id in the picker) and "has tag X" is the idiomatic check
- Send 05 - Ticket Already Open (below), then the branch ends - no opportunity is created
- Add tag ticket-approved - the hand-off that starts the New sequence
Why a separate workflow? It keeps the New sequence's steps untouched - the gate just decides whether to start it. A GHL If/Else branch can't "continue past" into shared steps, so wrapping the whole New sequence inside one branch would mean rebuilding it; a front-door gate avoids that.
T The open-ticket flag, start to finish
| When | Workflow | Tag action |
|---|---|---|
| Form submitted, no open ticket | Intake gate | add ticket-approved |
| Ticket created | New sequence (first + after open) | remove ticket-approved, add has-open-ticket |
| Ticket resolved (or auto-closed) | Resolved sequence | remove has-open-ticket |
| Form submitted, ticket still open | Intake gate | no tag - sends the "already open" email and stops |
One trigger change: with the gate on, the New sequence no longer triggers on the form directly - it triggers on Contact Tag added = ticket-approved (the gate owns the form). Its first step removes ticket-approved so the next ticket can re-add it.
Hi {{contact.first_name}},
Thanks for reaching out. You already have an open support ticket with us - #{{contact.support_ticket_number}} - and our team is on it.
To keep everything in one place, we'll reply to that existing ticket. There's no need to submit another - just reply to its confirmation email if you have more to add.
- The {{custom_values.company_name}} Support Team
Cross-pipeline handling
A customer is often already an opportunity in another pipeline - a lead, a buyer, a subscriber. GHL models a person on two pipelines as one contact with multiple opportunities, so:
- Enable "Allow Duplicate Opportunity" in the Create Opportunity action. Without create-new, opening a support opportunity for someone who already has one elsewhere is blocked - or it hijacks that existing opportunity into Support, corrupting their position in your sales pipeline.
- New sequence's Create Opportunity = "always create new" in the Support pipeline, so a ticket never moves their other opportunity, and each ticket is its own record.
- Keep contact dedup ON (match by email/phone). You want the same contact so the agent sees the customer's history - do not allow duplicate contacts, which splits one person into two and hides their history.
All covered
| Case | Handled by |
|---|---|
| Same customer opens 2+ tickets | Ticket data on the opportunity = each ticket independent (no overwrite) |
| Customer submits again while a ticket is open | Intake gate bounces it with the "already open" email - one open ticket per customer (optional upgrade) |
| Ticket is about a specific category | The New sequence's router tags the category + notifies the team |
| Customer replies during Awaiting Reply | Reply handler moves it back to In Progress + notifies |
| Customer replies after Resolved | Reply handler reopens to In Progress + notifies |
| Customer never replies (stuck) | Awaiting Reply reminds at 3 days, auto-closes at 5 |
| No extra info needed (straight to fix) | Agent fills Resolution, drags to Resolved; Awaiting Reply is optional |
| File / screenshot attached | Form file field stored on contact; link surfaced in the team notification |
| Ticket # uniqueness | Date-time-to-the-second (optionally + contact-id tail); sequential counter is the optional upgrade |
Customize & extend
Quick swaps
- Category list + tags in the router to match your products / departments
- SLA in support_sla (same-day, 24-48 hrs)
- Support Type options as your offer mix changes
- Voice of the four emails to match your brand
Optional add-ons
- A CSAT one-question survey after Resolved
- A self-serve deflection (link a help center before a ticket opens)
- SLA-breach alert if New / In Progress sits unworked past X hours
- A /support page embedding the form
Build checklist
- Create the Support Tickets pipeline + 5 stages
- Create the contact + opportunity custom fields, plus the company_name and support_sla custom values
- Build the Submit a Support Ticket form (Request Category + Support Type dropdowns)
- Build the 4 email templates from the copy above (From + Reply-To = your support inbox)
- Enable Allow Duplicate Opportunity in the Create Opportunity action
- Build the 6 stage workflows as Drafts: one per stage + the cross-stage reply handler. The category router is an If/Else branch inside the New sequence. (The optional Intake gate is a 7th workflow - see below.)
- Optional - one open ticket per customer: add the has-open-ticket + ticket-approved tags and the 05 - Ticket Already Open email; build the Intake gate workflow; switch the New sequence trigger to Tag added = ticket-approved (New adds has-open-ticket, Resolved removes it)
- Turn on Allow Re-Entry on the stage workflows (especially In Progress) so reopened / reactivated tickets re-fire their sequence
- Test: submit a ticket per category → confirm ID + opportunity + Email 1 + team pinged; drag through every stage → Emails 2 & 3; reply to confirm the reply handler reactivates. Then publish.
The stage is the status. The opportunity is the ticket. Nobody writes a reply by hand.
Swap the brand, the categories, and the team - the engine stays exactly the same.