Zendesk Pending Tickets Report
Pending tickets are easy to treat as safe work.
They are not in the new queue. They are not obviously unassigned. They are waiting on the customer, so the team feels less urgency to review them.
That is exactly why they turn risky.
A Zendesk pending tickets report helps you see when “waiting on the customer” is real, when it is just a label covering weak follow-up discipline, and when too much of the queue is aging in a state nobody actively owns.
This guide shows how to build the report in Zendesk, how to separate healthy pending work from hidden stall, and how to connect it to the support metrics dashboard, Pending vs On-hold in Zendesk, and Zendesk Time in Status Report.
What this report should answer
A useful pending tickets report helps you answer:
- how many tickets are currently in pending
- how old the pending queue is, not just how large it is
- which groups, channels, or forms create the most pending work
- whether pending tickets later reopen, breach SLAs, or drag resolution time
For the definition, see pending tickets.
Why pending tickets matter
Pending is supposed to mean the team is waiting productively.
In healthy workflows, pending reflects:
- a clear question sent to the customer
- a reasonable expectation for customer reply
- a follow-up or closure rule if the customer never responds
In unhealthy workflows, pending reflects:
- vague requests for more information
- tickets that no one revisits
- work that is effectively stalled but not treated as backlog
That is why pending tickets deserve their own operational review instead of disappearing inside total open work.
How to build the report in Zendesk
1. Start with current pending count
Build a view of tickets whose current status is Pending.
That gives you the headline queue size, but do not stop there. Count alone rarely tells you whether the state is healthy.
2. Add pending age bands
This is the part that matters most.
Break pending tickets into age buckets such as:
- under 2 days
- 2 to 7 days
- 8 to 14 days
- more than 14 days
An older pending queue is usually a bigger warning sign than a larger but fresh one. If most pending tickets are new and well-managed, the queue may be fine. If a large share is old, you probably have hidden follow-up debt.
3. Segment by group, channel, or form
Pending work usually concentrates unevenly.
Break the report down by:
- support group
- ticket channel
- ticket form
- issue tag or category
One intake path often creates most of the pending queue. The blended total hides that concentration.
4. Pair pending with downstream outcomes
Pending status does not tell the whole story on its own.
Review pending-heavy segments beside:
- requester wait time
- reopen rate
- SLA misses
- total resolution time
If one segment sits pending longer and also reopens more often, the team may be asking weak clarifying questions rather than truly waiting on the customer.
5. Track exits from pending
The strongest version of this report also shows what happens next:
- customer replied and work resumed
- ticket was solved after reminder
- ticket was closed after no reply
- ticket moved to on-hold or escalated
That turns pending from a static status count into a workflow quality view.
How to interpret the patterns
Pending count is high, but pending age is low
This can be healthy.
It often means the team is actively gathering information and customers simply have not answered yet. Check whether the queue turns over cleanly before treating it as a problem.
Pending age is rising in one group
That usually points to weak follow-up discipline or one workflow needing clearer information requests. Read sample tickets before assuming customers suddenly became less responsive.
One channel creates most of the old pending work
This is often a clue about the nature of the conversation.
Email-heavy troubleshooting, vendor dependencies disguised as customer wait, or complex onboarding questions can all push more tickets into long pending windows.
Pending stays high and reopens are also high
That is a strong signal that the team is not just waiting. It is waiting badly.
Customers may be replying after long delays only to discover the original troubleshooting step did not move the issue forward.
Common mistakes
- Reviewing pending count without pending age.
- Assuming all pending work is low risk.
- Blending pending and on-hold into one waiting bucket.
- Ignoring what happens after the pending state ends.
- Closing long-pending tickets without learning why they stalled.
What to do when pending work looks unhealthy
- Find the oldest or fastest-growing pending segment.
- Read the underlying tickets for clarity of the original follow-up.
- Improve macros, guidance, or required fields for that workflow.
- Set reminder or closure rules so the queue does not become invisible.
- Re-check whether pending age, reopens, and requester wait improve together.
The goal is not zero pending tickets. It is a pending queue that reflects intentional waiting instead of forgotten work.
Where this report fits
Pending ticket reporting works best beside:
- Pending vs On-hold in Zendesk
- Zendesk Time in Status Report
- Zendesk Requester Wait Time Report
- Zendesk Backlog Aging Report
- support metrics dashboard
Those views show whether waiting work is healthy, hidden backlog, or a broken handoff in disguise.
FAQ
Are pending tickets part of backlog?
Operationally, yes. They are still open work, even if the next action is expected from the customer.
What matters more: pending count or pending age?
Age. A small old pending queue can be riskier than a larger fresh one.
Should pending tickets count against agents?
Not as raw volume alone. Review them in the context of follow-up quality, workflow type, and what happens after the pending state ends.