# What Are Filters and Why You Need Them

**Saved filters** are search conditions you set up once and save. Instead of manually selecting status, channel, topic, operator, or other criteria every time, you apply a filter with one click.

## Context and Problem

Clients contact you through different channels with different questions. Every day an operator sees dozens or hundreds of requests. To find the right ones — e.g., "all new tickets from Telegram" or "chats with VIP topic from last week" — you have to manually select each criterion.

**Problem:** Repetitive actions waste time, and complex conditions are easy to misremember.

**Solution:** Saved filters let you define a set of conditions once and apply them with one click.

## Main Concepts

### What Is a Saved Filter

A saved filter is a **folder with dynamic content**. Unlike a regular folder, its content is not defined by fixed settings but by **filter conditions**. For example:

- "All chats from Telegram with status 'New'"
- "Tickets with priority 'High' assigned to me"
- "Requests with topic 'Payment' from the last 7 days"

### Why Use Filters

- **Quick access** — one click instead of many selections
- **Consistent conditions** — same criteria every time
- **Shared filters** — a supervisor can create a public filter for the team
- **Work organization** — filters appear in the sidebar as folders and show request counts

### Request Types and Filters

The list of available filter fields depends on the request type:

- **Chat** — dialog type, acceptance status, closed by timeout, last responder, customer rating
- **Ticket** — priority, assignee, author, participants, watchers, resolved status, outdated, paused, custom fields
- **Comment** — filters for social network comments
- **Group** — filters for group chats

Conditions can be combined: e.g., a "tickets only" filter shows additional ticket fields (priority, assignee, etc.).

## Alternatives

### Temporary vs Saved Filter

**Temporary filter** — you configure conditions in the filter panel and apply them. After changing folders or refreshing the page, conditions are reset.

**Saved filter** — you save conditions under a name. The filter appears in the sidebar as a folder and stays available until you delete or edit it.

### Personal vs Public

**Personal** — only you see the filter. Useful for your own workflows.

**Public** — all operators (or selected roles) see the filter. Useful for supervisors: create a filter like "Urgent SLA" and make it available to the team.

## Implications for Users

- **Operator** — creates personal filters for typical workflows
- **Supervisor** — creates public filters for the team so everyone works with the same conditions
- **Administrator** — configures topics, statuses, channels — these fields are then available for filtering

## Related Documents

- [Create filter](/en/operatorline/how-to/create-filter.md) — step-by-step guide to creating a saved filter
- [Manage folders](/en/operatorline/how-to/manage-folders.md) — editing, deleting, and reordering folders and filters
- [Product glossary](/en/product-glossary.md) — term "Saved Filter"