Merge work items like a pro

In every service desk, duplicate requests appear sooner or later. A customer may create a new ticket instead of updating an existing one. Multiple employees may report the same issue because they are affected by it in different ways. Over time, these duplicates increase workload for agents, cause confusion for requesters, and create noise in reporting.

Service Pack for Agents provides a reliable solution to this problem. The app includes a feature called Merge Issues, which allows agents to combine related tickets into one clear thread. This way, teams can focus on resolution rather than administrative overhead, while customers stay informed in a structured and transparent manner.

Why merge issues?

Without a merge feature, agents often have to choose between two inefficient options:

• Closing duplicates manually and copying relevant details to the primary issue, or

• Keeping all tickets open and updating them individually whenever progress is made.

Neither option scales well. In a busy environment, agents risk losing context, missing updates, or simply spending too much time on repetitive actions. By merging, you preserve the full history of all requests while reducing the number of active issues your team must track.

How it works in practice

When two or more issues represent the same underlying problem, an agent can decide which one should remain the “parent.” Other tickets are merged into it. Key elements such as comments and attachments are consolidated, ensuring that important details are not lost.

After the merge, reporters of the merged issues are automatically added as participants in the parent ticket. They continue to receive notifications and can contribute further information if needed. This prevents the common frustration of customers feeling ignored when their duplicate requests are closed without explanation.

Benefits for support teams

The Merge Issues feature improves efficiency across several dimensions:

• Clarity for agents – Fewer active tickets to track, and a single source of truth for each problem.

• Clarity for customers – Reporters of duplicates stay in the loop without needing to check multiple tickets.

• Better reporting – Metrics such as resolution time and backlog volume reflect reality, not inflated counts caused by duplicates.

• Knowledge preservation – Information from all related tickets remains available in one place.

This functionality is particularly valuable in environments where service desks handle high volumes of requests and repetitive issues. For example, product outages, system-wide incidents, or recurring service questions often generate dozens of tickets in a short period. Merging keeps the process manageable.

Integration with Jira Service Management

Merge Issues is not a standalone tool anymore. It is now part of Service Pack for Agents, a broader solution designed to enhance the daily work of Jira Service Management users. The pack includes several complementary features, all focused on reducing manual effort and making support operations more effective.

By consolidating Issue Merger into Service Pack, Atlassian ecosystem users gain a consistent, well-supported app that continues to evolve with new capabilities. Merge Issues remains a central feature, but it now works alongside other automation and agent-friendly tools.

When to use Merge Issues

While merging is powerful, it should be applied with care. Use it when:

• Multiple tickets clearly describe the same incident or request.

• Agents want to maintain a single resolution thread.

• Customers should continue to receive updates from one parent issue.

Avoid merging when issues only seem similar but require different actions or belong to separate workflows. Clear criteria and internal guidelines help teams decide when merging is appropriate.

Final thoughts

Duplicate issues are part of any service desk reality. The key is handling them without creating unnecessary effort or confusion. With the Merge Issues feature in Service Pack for Agents, Jira Service Management teams can streamline their processes, maintain clear communication with customers, and improve the accuracy of their reporting.

This approach strengthens both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, while keeping the support experience simple and transparent.