A live chat that does not resolve in session is the most fragile handoff in your service stack. The visitor leaves expecting follow-up; the rep moves to the next chat; the issue disappears. HubSpot’s conversations and ticket tools can stitch this together, but only with deliberate setup.
When to convert: the rule
Convert chat to ticket whenever the resolution requires more than 30 seconds of post-chat work, an answer from another team, or a response after the visitor’s session. Do not convert chats that resolve in-session; that creates ticket noise without value.
Manual conversion mechanics
In any conversation in Conversations > Inbox, the rep can click Create ticket from the right panel. The ticket inherits contact, conversation transcript, channel, and any properties set on the conversation. Default ticket properties (pipeline, status, owner) come from inbox settings.
Automated conversion via workflow
For chats that close without resolution, build a workflow triggered on Conversation closed = true AND Conversation resolution = unresolved. The workflow creates a ticket via custom code or the ticket-create action, links it to the conversation, and assigns to the right team.
Preserving the transcript
The conversation transcript is the most valuable context. Make sure ticket properties include a Conversation link field that deep-links back to the inbox thread. Reps opening the ticket cold can read the chat without hunting for it.
Avoiding duplicate tickets
If the visitor restarts chat the next day on the same issue, you can create a duplicate ticket. Configure the bot or rep workflow to check for open tickets owned by the same contact in the past 7 days; if one exists, route the new chat to the same thread.
SLA timing
The SLA clock should start at chat close, not at ticket creation, so the response window reflects the visitor’s actual wait. Use a custom property chat_closed_at and base SLA calculations on it, not on ticket_created_at.
Reporting that catches drops
Build a report: chats closed unresolved with no associated ticket created within 5 minutes. This is your drop count. The number should be near zero. Alert your service ops lead when it spikes; that is a workflow break or a process issue.
Visitor confirmation
When the rep converts a chat to ticket, send the visitor an automated email confirming the ticket number and expected response time. Visitors who get the confirmation rate the experience higher even if the resolution time is the same.
What to do this week
Build the unresolved-chat-to-ticket workflow if it doesn’t exist, add the Conversation link ticket property, and run the dropped-chat report for the past 30 days to size the gap.
