Create a hashtag workflow with predictable matching and routing

Updated Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Marcel Gravelle

A hashtag workflow gives your team an explicit marker for a configured case action. Instead of trying to infer intent from a broad phrase in a long message, an agent can use an agreed tag such as #billing in the supported activity path. The marker is useful only when everyone understands its format, where to put it, what it triggers and who remains responsible for the customer.

At a glance

For: support operations administrators and teams using agreed activity markers. Applies to: Supportbench Core.

Start here: Settings → Configuration → Workflows

Choose a deliberate team convention · Understand which part of an activity is recognized · Configure the Case hashtag event · Verify the marker and the complete result · Example: a billing handoff inside a technical case · Troubleshoot hashtag handling

Choose a deliberate team convention

Define a small vocabulary whose meanings are easy to remember. For example, #billing can mean “request the billing team’s next action” when the case meets your configured conditions. It should not mean “the customer’s invoice is definitely incorrect.” Describe both the intended action and any communication responsibility that stays with the current agent.

Prefer a dedicated internal activity when your team uses markers for internal routing, and test that exact activity path. Do not put internal routing shorthand into a customer-facing message unless it is appropriate for the recipient. A hashtag workflow is separate from article Tags, a case search filter, and ordinary Activity Text conditions. Typing a word somewhere in the interface does not guarantee a case hashtag event.

Use letters and one marker at the start

The current extraction path looks for the first token matching #[A-Za-z]+ within the first 100 plain-text characters. Use a simple letters-only marker near the beginning. Do not rely on digits, underscores, later tags or a tag placed after a long introduction.

Understand which part of an activity is recognized

Example	Operational interpretation
#billing Please review the disputed charge.	A simple first marker near the beginning is appropriate for an agreed billing workflow.
#billing #urgent Please review.	Do not expect two independent hashtag triggers. The first recognized marker is the operative one.
#billing2 or #billing_team	Digits and underscores are outside the letters-only token pattern; the extracted prefix can differ from the marker you intended.
A long explanation followed by #billing	A marker outside the first 100 plain-text characters is not a reliable trigger.
A matching phrase without a hashtag	Use an Activity Text condition for that design; it is a different workflow mechanism.

Count the underlying plain text, not only how many visual lines the editor displays. Formatting, a pasted introduction or quoted content can make a visually nearby tag a poor convention. A short first line containing one agreed marker is easier for the next agent to recognize and for the team to test.

Configure the Case hashtag event

Open Settings → Configuration → Workflows with workflow administration permission. Create or open the intended rule.
In Details, name the rule for its purpose and review its active state and priority. Avoid several near-duplicate rules whose differences are unclear.
On Trigger, select scope Case and event Hashtag added.
Configure the event-specific Hashtags (Any) setting with the intended supported marker. Use the value format accepted by that control and verify it after saving.
Add the required customer, case or service conditions in Requirements and any suitable alternatives/exclusions. Do not assume the marker should apply to every customer or every case state.
In Actions, select the supported destination or notification behavior needed for the handoff. Check all recipients and ownership effects.
Review Stop processing and the priority of other workflows for this same event. Save and reopen the rule, then run the controlled checks below.

Matching workflows run in priority order. Stop processing ends lower-priority matching workflows in that processing sequence. It is not a global switch that prevents another action from producing a later event. Keep the rule narrow and inspect the final saved case state.

Verify the marker and the complete result

Use an approved test case and the same activity type/path your agents will use. Place one agreed letters-only marker at the beginning and submit the activity.
Confirm the activity was saved, then inspect the final owner/queue, status and any intended notification. Do not assume submission alone proves the workflow matched.
Repeat with a nonmatching marker and an excluded customer or case condition. Neither should cause the routing reserved for the intended situation.
Test two markers in one message to demonstrate the first-marker limitation to the team; do not design a process that depends on both firing.
Check the outcome when another matching workflow has higher or lower priority. Review the final result after processing finishes.
Document the allowed markers, example wording, expected result and correction route for an accidental tag.

Example: a billing handoff inside a technical case

A manufacturer reports a licensing failure that turns out to involve a renewal question. The technical agent records the verified facts and the requested billing decision in an internal activity beginning with #billing. The configured rule brings the case to the appropriate billing responsibility only when its conditions match.

The agent verifies the resulting owner or queue and records who will update the customer. The marker does not transfer the meaning of the case by itself, establish a financial outcome or send an adequate customer explanation. A short, complete handoff should still identify the affected organization, relevant license or asset, the unresolved question and the next update time.

Troubleshoot hashtag handling

Problem	What to check
The marker did nothing	Confirm scope Case, event Hashtag added, active state, event setting and all conditions. Verify the actual submitted activity path.
Only one tag seemed to work	That is consistent with first-token extraction. Use one marker per deliberate operation instead of stacking tags.
A numbered tag matched unexpectedly	Letters-only extraction can recognize a prefix. Replace ambiguous marker conventions with supported letters-only values.
The wrong owner remains after routing	Inspect other workflows, priority and later events. Confirm the action actually sets the intended owner or queue.
The customer received internal shorthand	Review the activity type and recipients. Use an appropriate internal coordination path and a separate clear customer update.

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