IT Service Desk · training guide · draft

How to send a status update email to a requester

Keep requesters informed about their ticket by saying what was done, what happens next and how to reply.

Typical time: about 4 min · Use this when a new item appears in the queue and the requester needs a follow-up or a resolution note.

Steps

1. 1
   Read the ticket's current status and latest work notes. · ServiceNow

   Check for a new requester reply first. New information is the main reason an update gets rewritten.
2. 2
   Open a message to the requester. · Microsoft Outlook

   This step takes about 220 seconds, most of the roughly 4-minute task. Have the ticket details ready before you start.
3. 3
   Start the message body with a greeting. · Microsoft Outlook
4. 4
   Say what was done and the outcome or current status. · Microsoft Outlook

   Use the same plain wording for every audience: what was done and the outcome.
5. 5
   State what happens next and when the requester will hear from you again. · Microsoft Outlook

   If you are waiting on another team or the requester, say so. About 16% of cases pause here.
6. 6
   Add the ticket number and tell the requester to reply to this email. · Microsoft Outlook
7. 7
   Reread against the team's knowledge base guidance, then send. · Microsoft Outlook
8. 8
   If the ticket is being closed, save a resolution note on it first. · ServiceNow

   Every ticket needs a resolution note before closing. The ticket closes once the requester is satisfied.

Watch out for

• Rewriting the body: about 19% of cases re-edit the message body, usually after the requester replies with new information.
• Pauses: about 16% of cases stop after drafting and are picked up again, with a median wait of about 2.1 hours.
• Two-round updates: about 14% of cases (44 of 306) need a second email after a wait, which roughly doubles the work from 3.9 to 7.6 minutes.
• Missing ticket number: without it the requester cannot reply against the ticket.

Faster ways

• Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot in Outlook for a first draft from the ticket status, using the greeting, done, next step, next contact and ticket number structure. Check it before sending.
• Where the team agrees on standard wording, a Copilot Studio agent with Power Automate could draft the update from the ServiceNow status and notes. You approve each email before it goes out, and unusual or sensitive tickets stay with you. Th
• Send the update only once you have the new information, so you don't rewrite the body after a requester reply.

Written by AI from how the team actually did this work (2026-10-19 to 2026-10-23): the most common path, the steps people add or redo, and where errors happen. Review and edit before sharing.