> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.zaapi.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.zaapi.com/ticket-inbox/the-ticket-lifecycle.md).

# The ticket lifecycle

### Opening a Ticket

A new Ticket opens automatically in any of these scenarios:

* A customer sends a message to a connected channel and no Open Ticket exists for that Conversation.
* An agent manually opens a Ticket from a Contact's profile.

To open a Ticket manually:

1. Go to **Contacts** and find the customer.
2. Click **Open Ticket** at the top of their profile.
3. Choose the channel you want to start the Ticket on.

### Closing a Ticket

To close a Ticket, click the **Close** button at the top of the Ticket. The Ticket moves to the Closed view.

Automations can also auto-close Tickets after a period of inactivity — see *Auto-close inactive Tickets* in the **Automations** section.

### Reopening a Closed Ticket — the reopen window

When a customer sends a new message after a Ticket has been closed, Zaapi checks whether to reopen the existing Ticket or create a new one based on the **reopen window**.

* If the customer's message arrives **within the reopen window** (default: 24 hours after the Ticket was closed) → the existing Ticket is **reopened**.
* If the customer's message arrives **after the reopen window** → a **new Ticket** is created for that Conversation.

The reopen window is configurable per workspace. Owners and Admins can change it in **Settings → Workflows**. The default is 24 hours; the minimum is 1 minute and the maximum is 7 days.

You can also turn the reopen window off entirely. With the window off, every new message after a Ticket is closed will create a brand new Ticket — agents can still reopen Closed Tickets manually if they want to keep them together.

**When to expect a new Ticket vs. a reopened Ticket:**

| Scenario                                             | Result                   |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Customer replies within 24h of closure               | Existing Ticket reopened |
| Customer replies more than 24h after closure         | New Ticket created       |
| Agent manually opens a Ticket                        | New Ticket created       |
| Automation closes and customer replies within window | Existing Ticket reopened |

To reopen a Closed Ticket manually, open it from the Closed view and click **Reopen**.