Notifications
The ticket system provides multi-channel notifications to keep agents informed about ticket events. Notifications are delivered via browser notifications, the in-app bell, email, and SMS (for PMs).
Notification Channels
| Channel | Delivery | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Browser (Desktop) | Push notification on your device | All staff (opt-in) |
| In-App Bell | Bell icon dropdown in staff panel header | All staff |
| Notification email to your staff address | All staff (configurable) | |
| SMS | Twilio text message | PMs only (for CRITICAL tickets) |
Browser Notifications
First-Time Setup
- Log in to the staff panel
- A consent banner appears: "Enable browser notifications?"
- Click Allow — your browser will ask for permission
- Grant notification permission in the browser popup
- You'll now receive desktop notifications even when the tab is in the background
How They Work
- The staff panel polls for new notifications every 30 seconds
- When a notification arrives, your browser shows a desktop alert
- Click the notification to jump directly to the relevant ticket
- Notifications work even when the staff panel tab is in the background (but not when the browser is closed)
Notification Types
| Event | Notification |
|---|---|
| New ticket assigned to you | "Ticket #XXXXXX assigned to you" |
| Client replied to your ticket | "New reply on #XXXXXX from [Client Name]" |
| Ticket escalated (your assignment) | "🚨 Ticket #XXXXXX escalated" |
| AI urgency set to CRITICAL | "🔴 CRITICAL: #XXXXXX" |
| Over-budget lock triggered | "⚠️ Budget lock on #XXXXXX" |
| Documentation review needed (PM) | "📋 Doc review: #XXXXXX" |
Bell Icon (In-App)
The bell icon in the staff panel header shows unread notifications:
Features
- Badge count — number of unread notifications
- Dropdown — click the bell to see recent notifications
- Click to navigate — click any notification to open the ticket
- Mark as read — individual or "mark all read"
- Dismiss — remove notifications you don't need
Managing Notifications
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| View all | Click the bell icon |
| Open ticket | Click the notification text |
| Mark one as read | Click the checkmark icon |
| Mark all as read | Click "Mark all read" link |
| Dismiss one | Click the X icon |
Watching Tickets
You can watch individual tickets to receive browser notifications when a client replies, even if you're not the assigned agent or PM.
How to Watch
- Open any ticket
- Find the Watch button next to the reply/note submit buttons
- Click it — the button turns green with an eye icon ("Watching")
- Click again to unwatch — reverts to gray ("Watch")
What Happens When You Watch
- When a client posts a new message on a watched ticket, you get a browser notification
- The notification appears in the bell dropdown with a green eye icon
- Watching is a per-ticket toggle — it does not affect other tickets
Auto-Watch
When a ticket is escalated (emergency or normal), the assigned agent and PM are automatically added as watchers. You can unwatch at any time.
No Extra Subscription Needed
Watching a ticket is the opt-in. There is no separate subscription checkbox in Profile → Notifications. If you watch a ticket, you get notified. Unwatch to stop.
Notification Preferences
Configuring Your Preferences
- Click the bell icon
- Click Preferences (gear icon)
- Configure per-event subscriptions:
| Event | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket Assigned | ✅ On | When a ticket is assigned to you |
| New Client Message | ✅ On | Client replies to your ticket |
| Escalation | ✅ On | Your ticket is escalated |
| AI Critical Alert | ✅ On | AI flags CRITICAL urgency |
| Over-Budget | ✅ On | Budget lock triggered |
| Transfer | ⬜ Off | Ticket transferred to your department |
| New Ticket (Dept) | ⬜ Off | Any new ticket in your department |
| Note Added | ⬜ Off | Internal note added to your ticket |
- Click Save Preferences
Disabling Browser Notifications
To stop browser notifications:
- Click the bell → Preferences
- Toggle off individual events, or
- Revoke browser notification permission via browser settings
Email Notifications
Email notifications are separate from browser notifications and configured via the admin panel:
Standard Email Alerts
These are triggered by osTicket's built-in alert system:
| Alert | Recipient | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| New Ticket Alert | Department members | Ticket created in your department |
| Assignment Alert | Assigned staff | Ticket assigned to you |
| New Message Alert | Assigned staff | Client replied |
| Transfer Alert | Target department | Ticket transferred |
| Overdue Alert | Assigned staff + manager | SLA breached |
Custom Email Alerts
The custom notification system sends additional emails for:
- AI CRITICAL urgency detection
- Escalation events (emergency type)
- Over-budget triggers
- Documentation review requests
SMS Notifications (PMs Only)
SMS alerts via Twilio are reserved for Project Managers:
When SMS is Sent
- AI urgency set to CRITICAL (one per ticket, deduplicated)
- Emergency escalation submitted
SMS Behavior
- One SMS per ticket maximum (dedup via
ost_ticket_sms_alert) - Respects daily rate limit
- Only sent to PMs with phone numbers configured
- Opt-out available (managed by admin)
Opting Out of SMS
Contact your administrator to be added to the opt-out list, or request removal via Admin → Twilio → Opt-Outs.
Testing Notifications
Send Test Notification
- Click the bell icon → Preferences
- Click Send Test Notification
- A test notification appears in your browser and bell dropdown
- Verify it works as expected
Verifying Browser Permission
If notifications stopped working:
- Check browser notification permission (browser settings → Site permissions)
- Ensure
tickets.rhinogroup.comhas notification access - Try the test notification
- If still broken, revoke and re-grant permission
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| No browser notifications | Check browser permission; verify consent was granted |
| Bell badge not updating | Page may need refresh; check polling is active |
| Getting too many notifications | Adjust preferences — turn off low-priority events |
| Not getting notifications for my tickets | Check you're the assigned agent (not just department member) |
| SMS not received | Verify phone number is correct; check opt-out status |
| Notifications delayed | Polling interval is 30 seconds — slight delay is normal |
| Test notification works, real ones don't | Check specific event subscription is enabled |