Queues are the heart of how tickets flow through ZestMSP. A Queue groups a set of Issue Types, assigns them to a User Group, and defines the SLA targets the team will be held to. This article walks through configuring Issue Types first, then building out a Queue with email intake and SLAs.
How routing works
When a ticket arrives — whether it's manually created, captured from email, submitted through the Client Portal, or pushed in from your RMM — ZestMSP routes it based on three things:
- Issue Type and Issue Subtype — the category of work (e.g., Provisioning → Laptop).
- Queue — the destination, which determines the SLA clock and which User Group works the ticket.
- Priority — Low, Medium, High, or Emergency. Priority combined with the Queue's SLA configuration sets the deadline.
You build Issue Types first, then build Queues that catch them.
Step 1 — Configure your Issue Types
Go to Configurations → Issue Types.
Each Issue Type sits in a card on the left. Click one to see its detail on the right, including the Assigned queues (which Queues catch this type) and Issue subtypes (more specific categories).
To add a new Issue Type:
- Click + Add new issue type.
- Give it a name (e.g., Network Maintenance, User Request).
- Inside the new type, click + Add new issue subtype to add as many subtypes as you need.
- Assign the type to one or more Queues by selecting them in the Assigned queues area.
Tip: Issue Types should be broad work categories. Use Issue Subtypes for the specific thing (e.g., Endpoint type → Laptop, Desktop, Printer subtypes). Aim for 8–12 Issue Types total — beyond that, ticket categorization becomes a guessing game.
Step 2 — Create or configure a Queue
Go to Configurations → Queues.
Each row in the Queues list shows: Queue name, Associated Issue Types, Description, SLA, Assigned User Groups, and an Active/Inactive toggle. Click a Queue name to open its detail page, or use the Active toggle to enable/disable Queues without deleting them.
On the Queue detail page, configure these sections:
Description
Click Click to set description to add a short explanation of what work belongs in this Queue. This shows up in the Queues list and helps your team route tickets correctly.
Email configuration (Email Submission)
Click Add email to set up an inbox that creates tickets in this Queue.
ZestMSP gives you an address like support[YourOrg]@mail.zestmsp.com. Forward your real support inbox to this address, or use it directly. Every email that lands here becomes a new ticket in this Queue, with the sender as the Reporter.
A Queue with at least one configured email shows the Email Submission Configured badge in the Queues list.
Issue Types
Add the Issue Types this Queue should catch. A ticket created with one of these types will route here by default.
User Groups
Assign one or more User Groups. Members in those groups can pick up and work tickets in this Queue.
Tip: Keep User Group assignments tight. A Queue assigned to "Everyone" turns into a free-for-all; a Queue assigned to a focused group (e.g., IT Support Tech) creates clear ownership.
Step 3 — Set SLA targets
On the Queue detail page, scroll to SLA configurations. All values are in hours.
There are two SLAs, each split across four Priority tiers:
| SLA | What it measures |
|---|---|
| First Response SLA | Hours from ticket creation until your team must reply to the Reporter. |
| Resolution SLA | Hours from ticket creation until the ticket must be Resolved. |
For each SLA, enter the target for each Priority:
- Low Priority
- Medium Priority
- High Priority
- Emergency Priority
A typical pattern: Emergency tickets get tight numbers (e.g., First Response 0.5h, Resolution 4h), while Low Priority tickets get generous numbers (e.g., First Response 8h, Resolution 45h).
Ticket SLAs start counting the moment the ticket is created. The remaining time shows on every Ticket detail page and in the Workfeed Urgency score. Negative values mean the SLA has breached.
Portal Default and RMM Default
Two badges appear on Queues that play a special role:
- Portal Default — the Queue where tickets submitted through your Client Portal land if no other routing applies.
- RMM Default — the Queue where alerts from your connected RMM (Level or NinjaRMM) land.
Each role is held by one Queue at a time. Most setups keep a Support Request Queue as Portal Default and a Monitoring Alerts Queue as RMM Default.
Related articles
- Create and work a Ticket
- Capture tickets from email (Email Submission)
- Create and assign User Groups
- Connect your RMM and other tools