How to use the Zendesk Explore attribute assignee group for better reporting

If you are managing a support team, you have probably asked questions like: Which team is handling the most tickets? Are tickets getting stuck in one group before escalating? Where should we focus our training efforts?

The assignee group attribute in Zendesk Explore helps answer these questions. It lets you slice your ticket data by the groups responsible for handling them, giving you visibility into workload distribution, escalation patterns, and team performance.

This guide walks through how to use the Zendesk Explore attribute assignee group effectively. You will learn what this attribute does, why it matters, and how to build reports that actually drive decisions.

What is the assignee group attribute in Zendesk Explore?

The assignee group attribute represents the group currently assigned to a ticket. In Zendesk Explore, you will see this as Ticket group in the Tickets dataset and Update ticket group in the Updates history dataset.

Here is the difference: Ticket group shows the current group assignment for a ticket. Update ticket group shows which group the ticket was assigned to at the time of a specific update. If you want to know where a ticket sits right now, use Ticket group. If you want to track how tickets move between groups over time, use Update ticket group.

The Group stations metric also comes in handy. It counts how many different groups have handled a ticket. A high number here often signals complex issues or unclear routing rules.

To use these attributes, you need Zendesk Explore Professional or Enterprise. Editor or Admin permissions are required to create custom reports.

For a broader overview of Zendesk Explore capabilities, check out our practical Zendesk Explore reporting tutorial.

Why tracking assignee group matters for support teams

Group-level reporting is not just about counting tickets. It reveals operational patterns that affect customer experience and team efficiency.

Workload balancing. Some groups consistently handle more tickets than others. This data helps you identify imbalances before they lead to burnout or missed SLAs.

Escalation tracking. Tickets often move from Tier 1 to Tier 2 to specialized teams. Understanding these flows helps you spot bottlenecks. Are tickets piling up at the escalation point? Is one group sending too many tickets upstream?

Performance comparison. Resolution times vary across groups for legitimate reasons (complexity, customer type), but significant outliers warrant investigation. A group with unusually high resolution times might need process improvements or additional training.

Resource planning. Historical group workload data informs hiring decisions. If Tier 1 volume grows 30% quarter over quarter while Tier 2 stays flat, you know where to add capacity.

While Zendesk Explore gives you the raw data, turning those insights into action requires time and expertise. Many support teams complement their Explore reporting with AI-powered analytics that automatically surface patterns and recommendations. Our customer support automation solutions can help identify these patterns faster.

How to create a basic assignee group report

Let us build a simple report showing ticket volume by assignee group. This is the foundation for more complex analysis.

Step 1: Select the right dataset

Open Zendesk Explore and click New report. You have two main options for group analysis:

• Support: Tickets Use this for current state analysis (tickets currently assigned to each group)
• Support: Updates history Use this to track changes over time (when tickets moved between groups)

For a basic volume report, choose Support: Tickets.

Step 2: Add the assignee group attribute

In the report builder, find the Rows panel on the right. Click Add, then search for Ticket group. Select it and click Apply.

You will see your ticket groups listed as rows in the report table.

Step 3: Add meaningful metrics

Now add metrics to make this useful. In the Metrics panel, click Add and select:

• Tickets Total ticket count per group
• Solved tickets How many each group resolved
• Full resolution time (hrs) Average time to resolution

Click Apply after each selection. The report now shows volume and performance by group.

Step 4: Filter by date range

Raw totals across all time are rarely useful. Add a date filter to focus on a specific period.

In the Filters panel, click Add and select Time - Ticket created. Choose a range like "Last 30 days" or set a custom period relevant to your analysis.

Save your report with a descriptive name like "Ticket volume by group - Last 30 days."

Advanced techniques for assignee group reporting

Once you have basic group reports working, try these advanced approaches.

Creating calculated attributes with assignee group

Combining attributes creates powerful filters. A common pattern joins Ticket group with Assignee name:

[Ticket group]+"-"+[Assignee name]

This creates values like "Support-Taylor Smith" and "Sales-Jordan Lee." Use this as a dashboard filter when you want managers to select specific agents within specific groups.

To create this:

1. Click the Calculations menu (calculator icon)
2. Select Standard calculated attribute
3. Name it "Group - Assignee"
4. Enter the formula above
5. Click Save

Tracking group reassignments

To see how tickets move between groups, use the Updates history dataset. This requires a calculated metric.

Here is a formula that counts tickets reassigned from one specific group to another:

IF ([Changes - Field name] = "group_id" AND
[Changes - Previous value] = "36000000xxxx" AND
[Changes - New value] = "3600000xxxxx") THEN
[Update ID]
ENDIF

Replace the IDs with your actual group IDs. Find these by making a GET request to yoursubdomain.zendesk.com/api/v2/groups.json or checking your Zendesk admin settings.

Finding first assigned group

Knowing which group initially received a ticket helps with escalation analysis. If Tier 2 is handling tickets that should have been resolved at Tier 1, that points to a training or process issue.

Use this formula in a standard calculated attribute:

IF ([Changes - Field name]="group_id" AND [Changes - Previous value]=NULL
AND [Changes - New value]!="0" AND [Changes - New value]!=NULL)
THEN [Update ticket group]
ENDIF

Set Computed from to Ticket ID. This captures the first group assignment for each ticket.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Even experienced Explore users hit snags with group reporting. Here are the most common issues and how to fix them.

Using the wrong dataset. Tickets dataset shows current assignments. Updates history shows changes over time. If your numbers look wrong, double-check which dataset you are using.

Confusing Ticket group with Update ticket group. Ticket group reflects the current assignment. Update ticket group reflects the assignment at the time of a specific update. For historical tracking, use Update ticket group with the Updates history dataset.

Not handling NULL values. Formulas break when fields are empty. Add NULL checks: [Changes - Previous value]!=NULL prevents errors on tickets that were never reassigned.

Wrong aggregators. COUNT counts every row. D_COUNT counts unique values. For ticket IDs, usually you want D_COUNT to avoid counting the same ticket multiple times. For update IDs, use COUNT.

Ignoring business hours. Resolution times in calendar hours include nights and weekends. If your team only works business hours, use the business hours variants of time metrics for accurate analysis.

Formula syntax errors. Explore formulas are picky about brackets, quotes, and capitalization. Copy formulas exactly. If you get an error, check that attribute names match exactly what appears in the attribute list.

Taking your group analytics further

Zendesk Explore is powerful but has limitations. It excels at historical reporting but requires manual setup for each report. It does not automatically surface insights or predict trends.

This is where AI-powered analytics complements Explore. While Explore tells you what happened, tools like eesel AI help you understand what to do about it.

Here is how we extend what you get from Explore:

• Automatic topic detection. Instead of manually categorizing tickets by group, our AI identifies what customers are actually asking about across all groups.

• Knowledge gap analysis. We spot patterns in tickets that suggest missing help center articles or unclear documentation, helping you reduce ticket volume at the source.

• Simulation mode. Test how an AI agent would handle tickets before deploying it. See automation potential by group without risking customer experience.

• Cross-platform insights. Connect your Zendesk data with knowledge from Confluence, Slack, and other tools for a complete view of your support operations.

The combination works well: Explore for structured historical reporting, AI analytics for pattern recognition and forward-looking insights.

Start building better group-based reports today

The assignee group attribute is a simple concept with powerful applications. Start with basic volume reports, then layer in calculated attributes and reassignment tracking as your needs grow.

Remember the key principles: use Tickets dataset for current state, Updates history for tracking changes, and always validate your formulas against known data points.

If you are ready to go beyond manual reporting and get AI-powered insights from your Zendesk data, explore what eesel AI can do for your support team.