.. _PageNavigation concepts_participants_index:

Ticket Participation in Znuny
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What does "Participation" mean?
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In Znuny, **participants** are all people involved in a ticket's lifecycle, not just the owner or responsible agent. Participation enables collaboration, transparency, and efficient communication throughout the ticket’s progress and resolution.

Participants can include anyone who is added to the ticket through features like **Watcher** and **Mention**, or agents or customres who are involved in discussions or actions related to the ticket.

How to Participate in a Ticket
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Znuny provides several ways for users to participate in a ticket:

- **Watcher:** Agents can add themselves or others as watchers to a ticket. Watchers receive notifications about ticket updates, ensuring they stay informed even if they are not directly responsible for the ticket.
- **Mention:** Using the mention feature, agents or customers can mention other users in ticket articles or notes. Mentioned users are notified and can join the conversation or provide input as needed.
- **Email**: Users can reply to ticket emails, which automatically adds their responses to the ticket as articles. This allows for seamless communication without needing to log into the system.
- **Web interface:** Users can log into the Znuny web interface to view, comment on, or update tickets they are involved in.
- **Telephone:** Agents can also participate in tickets by taking calls and updating ticket information based on customer interactions.
- **Notes**: Internal notes can be added to tickets, allowing agents to share information with each other without notifying the customer.

.. note::

    Participation is not limited to those performing actions on the ticket. Watchers and mentioned users can follow the ticket's progress and contribute when necessary.

Adding and Managing Watchers
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Agents can manually add or remove themselves as watchers to a ticket at any time. This is useful for stakeholders who need to stay updated on the ticket's status.

Automatic Participation
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Znuny can be configured to automatically add participants based on certain actions, such as ticket assignment, queue changes, or workflow triggers. This ensures that the right people are always informed and involved.

.. tip::

    Automatic watcher assignment helps maintain oversight and ensures important updates are not missed.

Historical Information
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All changes to the list of participants, including watchers and mentions, are tracked in the ticket history. This provides transparency and allows teams to see who has been involved with the ticket at different stages.

User Notification
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By default, Znuny sends notifications to all participants—owners, responsible agents, watchers, and mentioned users when ticket events occur, such as follow-ups. This ensures everyone stays informed and can take action if needed.

Permissions Granted for Participation
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Watching or mentioned users receive at least read permissions for the ticket. Agents must not have appropriate permissions in the ticket's queue to be mentioned users. The user needs at least "read" rights to become a watcher.

Workflow Implications of Participation
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Effective use of participants ensures that tickets are not overlooked and that all relevant stakeholders are kept in the loop. This is especially valuable in complex support environments or when tickets require input from multiple agents or departments.

Best Practices for Managing Participants
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- **Watch relevant tickets:** Agents should add themselves as watchers to tickets they are involved in or need to monitor.
- **Use mentions for targeted communication:** Mention users when their input or action is needed.
- **Review participants regularly:** Remove unnecessary tickets from your watch list or mentioned users on the ticket to avoid notification overload.
- **Leverage automatic participation:** Configure Znuny to add participants based on workflow triggers. (see :ref:`page automation_generic_agent` or :ref:`pagenavigation processmanagement_transitionactions` more details on responsible assignment).

By following these practices, support teams can collaborate more effectively, maintain transparency, and ensure timely resolution of customer issues.

Typical Scenario (Examples)
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Watching Tickets
    A ticket requires input from the IT security team. The agent watches the ticket and moves it to the “Security Review” queue. The watcher receives notifications about updates.

Using Mentions
    During a ticket discussion, an agent mentions a colleague using the mention feature to request their expertise. The mentioned user is notified and can join in on the conversation.

Automatic Watcher Assignment
    When a ticket is moved to the “VIP Support” queue, the team lead is automatically added as a watcher to ensure oversight.

Collaborative Resolution
    Multiple agents are added as watchers and mentioned throughout the ticket's lifecycle, ensuring all necessary expertise is available and the ticket is resolved efficiently.

These scenarios illustrate how participation features in Znuny support collaboration and effective ticket management in dynamic support