Statuses

In Plain, every support request lives in a thread – and every thread has a status that reflects where it is in your support workflow.

This guide explains what each status means, when to use it, and how it fits into a modern B2B support flow.

Todo Statuses

Needs first response

The thread has been created, but the customer hasn’t received any reply yet. This is where your First Response Time SLAs apply – making it a key metric for responsiveness. These threads typically represent new, unseen requests.

Needs next response

The customer has replied, and it’s your turn to respond. This is where your Next Response Time SLAs apply – critical for keeping momentum and avoiding unnecessary delays.

Investigating

You can manually move a thread to this status if you're working on a request internally that needs deeper technical work, research, or help from another team. This status signals that the thread isn’t blocked by the customer, but your team isn't ready to reply yet. It helps manage expectations and clarifies ownership during longer investigations.

Close the loop

Threads will automatically move to this status if it is tied to a known issue (in one of the issue tracker integrations) or Slack discussion, and that issue has now been resolved. This reminds your team to re-engage the customer and let them know an underlying bug or request has been addressed, even if it’s been days or weeks since the last reply.

Snoozed Statuses

Waiting for customer

You’ve responded and are waiting on the customer to reply. This removes threads from your active queue but keeps them ready to pick back up. It also helps you measure how often delays are due to customer follow-ups, not team performance.

Paused for later

You’ve intentionally paused the thread – maybe waiting on an internal dependency or planning to revisit it later. This gives you structured control over when to return to a thread, without cluttering the active queue. Once the pause ends or the customer replies, the thread returns to its previous status.

Done

Done

The issue is resolved, and you’ve marked the thread as complete. This status feeds into reporting, helps clear your queue, and provides clarity across your team. If the customer replies again, the thread will reopen automatically.

Ignored

The thread isn’t a support request and has been explicitly ignored. Ignored threads are silenced – they won’t trigger notifications, affect metrics, or move statuses. This is ideal for keeping your support workflow clean in multi-use Slack channels or integrations.