Ticket Priorities
Understand how urgency is managed in Otto
1. Overview
Ticket priorities communicate how urgent or time-sensitive an issue is.
Priorities help users understand:
- what needs immediate attention
- what can wait
- how work should be triaged
Otto uses three priority levels:
- Low
- Normal
- High
Priority should reflect the operational urgency of the issue, not personal frustration or convenience.
2. Recommended Approach: Use the Assistant
The fastest and preferred way to manage priorities is to message the Assistant.
Examples:
- “Create a high priority ticket for the generator failure”
- “Change the plumbing issue to normal priority”
- “Lower the priority on the landscaping ticket”
The Assistant can:
- set priorities
- update priorities
- explain current ticket state
- help route issues correctly
👉 See: Using the Assistant
3. Priority Levels
Low
Meaning
The issue does not require immediate attention and can be handled later without near-term operational impact.
Low priority does not mean the issue is unimportant.
Many low-priority items still matter to:
- homeowner experience
- appearance
- long-term upkeep
- operational quality
The difference is simply that the work is not time-sensitive right now.
Typical Examples
- deferred maintenance
- non-urgent improvements
- issues in areas not currently in active use
- work planned for a future operational window
Example
“Touch-up paint needed in an unused guest area scheduled for offseason maintenance.”
Best Practice
Use Low when delaying the work will not meaningfully impact:
- current operations
- homeowner experience
- safety
- active property usage
Normal
Meaning
Standard operational work requiring attention, but not immediate escalation.
This is the default priority for most tickets.
Typical Examples
- standard repairs
- recurring maintenance
- vendor coordination
- routine operational tasks
Example
“Replace HVAC filter in main unit”
Best Practice
Most tickets should remain at Normal priority.
High
Meaning
The issue requires urgent attention or immediate operational awareness.
Typical Examples
- active water leak
- major system failure
- security concern
- safety issue
- outage affecting operations
Example
“Generator offline during power outage”
Best Practice
Use High sparingly so urgent issues remain visible and meaningful.
4. Priority Does Not Replace Proper Routing
Priority does not determine who should handle a ticket.
The ticket must still:
- be assigned to the correct group
- be linked to the correct location or asset
- be routed properly
Example
A potential security issue should still go to the Security group, even if marked High priority.
High priority does not replace correct ownership.
5. Priority vs Status
This is a common point of confusion.
Priority
How urgent the issue is.
Status
What stage the work is currently in.
Example
A ticket can be:
- High priority
- but still Waiting On Parts
Or:
- Low priority
- but currently In Progress
Priority and status serve different purposes.
6. How to Change Priority in the Interface
Step 1 — Open the Ticket
- Go to Tickets
- Open the ticket
Step 2 — Locate the Priority Field
- Find the priority selector within the ticket
Step 3 — Select the Priority
Choose:
- Low
- Normal
- High
7. Best Practices
Keep High priority meaningful
If everything is High priority, nothing is truly urgent.
Use Normal as the default
Most operational work belongs here.
Base priority on operational impact
Focus on:
- safety
- outages
- operational disruption
- time sensitivity
Reassess priority as situations change
Priority may need to increase or decrease over time.
8. Common Mistakes
❌ Marking everything High
→ urgent issues lose visibility
❌ Using priority emotionally
→ creates poor operational triage
❌ Confusing priority with status
→ causes inaccurate tracking
❌ Using High instead of proper routing
→ work still needs the correct group ownership
9. Example Priority Usage
Low
“Deferred maintenance item planned for offseason work.”
Normal
“Quarterly HVAC maintenance”
High
“Water leak in electrical room”
10. Key Takeaway
Priority communicates urgency, not ownership.
Good priority usage helps:
- teams triage work correctly
- urgent issues stand out
- operations remain organized and manageable
11. Related Articles
- Tickets Overview
- Ticket Statuses
- Create a Ticket
- Update and Manage a Ticket
- Ticket Best Practices
- Using the Assistant