Growing companies are investing heavily in IT initiatives. About 75% of companies plan to invest in automation technologies such as artificial intelligence and process automation. And for good reason, as 52% of customers revealed that they have made an additional purchase from a company after a positive customer service experience.
Many organizations are using IT ticketing systems or help desks to improve their customer experience. IT ticketing systems streamline the customer request process, creating a win-win situation for both agents and customers. Satisfied customers result in increased profits. And make your employees happier.
When it comes to customer service, the customer experience is everything. In order to provide the best customer experience possible, it’s important to have the right tools in place. IT ticketing solutions feature different benefits, but the sole purpose of them is to help agents track and manage customer tickets more efficiently.
This blog post will serve as your complete guide to IT ticketing systems for call centers. We’ll cover what an IT ticketing system is, how it works, and the benefits of using one. We’ll also explore some of the most common features of IT ticketing systems and what to look for when choosing one for your company.
What is an IT ticketing system?
An IT ticketing system is a software solution that helps customer support agents manage support requests effectively. It helps agents manage each incident, from the moment it’s submitted through the time it’s resolved. A ticketing system boosts your company’s IT support by keeping it organized and optimized.
IT ticketing systems automate many pieces of the customer support process. This saves agents many hours of work and enables them to focus on providing more value to customers in other ways. For example, a ticketing system automatically pulls in previous customer history and other relevant information when an inquiry is submitted.
Why does a company need a ticketing system?
Manage high volumes of inquiries and requests
The main advantage of a ticketing system is the ability to manage incoming support inquiries. This is crucial for companies that deal with a high volume of requests. Agents can manage more customer cases, more efficiently. Which means fewer customer requests will go unanswered. Additionally, your agents don’t have to worry about solving inquiries at the same time. They can prioritize requests and focus on serving customers as best as possible, not just as quickly as possible.
Centralize interactions into one system
Ticketing systems are designed with today’s multichannel environment in mind. Chances are, your company is utilizing many channels to engage with and support your customers. Ticketing software helps unify customer communications into one platform. Whichever channel your customers want to get support on, your agents can help them there. And if a customer ends up switching channels or agents, the conversation history will still be there, in one place.
Maintain customer service
When a customer submits a request ticket, one of the first things they want to know is when they can expect support or an answer to their question. IT ticketing systems help set clear expectations for customers by providing an estimated response time. With the ability to incorporate service level agreements (SLAs) into many ticketing systems, ticketing systems give customers more clarity and give support teams clear goals to work towards.
The benefits of implementing an IT ticketing system
There are many benefits to implementing an IT ticketing system in your contact center. Here are some of the most notable:
- Efficient and organized communication between customers and support agents
- Faster resolution time for customer issues as a result of streamlined workflows
- Reduced workload on customer support staff
- Improved customer retention and loyalty as a result of providing a better customer experience
- Increased ROI by reducing agent admin work and improving the customer experience
Pull relevant customer data
Using a ticketing system means your agents have access to past customer interactions with every customer. A personalized customer experience results in the best customer experience. Give your agents the information they need to provide a smooth service interaction. The last thing your customers want is to repeat themselves to a customer service representative. With an integrated ticketing system, customers won’t have to continually provide their information to each agent.
Automate ticket processes
The automation capabilities within an IT ticketing system are seemingly endless. IT ticketing software gathers customer requests from multiple sources and uses this information to optimize the customer support experience. When a customer raises a request on their preferred support channel, the software automatically pulls the necessary information in and creates a ticket. Depending on which departments and agents are needed to address and resolve an issue, the system notifies the appropriate parties. Automation makes it easier to address tickets in order of priority.
Track goals and KPIs
In order to improve customer service, you must track key performance indicators (KPIs). With the help of a ticketing system, you can measure agent and team productivity. You can also see how long it takes an agent to resolve a ticket. This data will help you make changes and improvements that can have a positive ripple effect across teams.
There are many benefits that a ticketing system brings to a company. The ability to manage customer requests, centralize interactions, and maintain customer service are just a few. An IT ticketing system is an incredibly smart and secure investment when it comes to customer retention and ROI.
How does an IT ticketing system work?
Identifies and captures issues
An IT ticketing system helps organizations manage and track customer service issues. It does this by identifying an issue when it is first reported and then creating a document known as a ticket to record interactions on a service or support case. Some ticketing software automatically creates tickets across multiple channels.
A customer can raise a request via SMS, social media, email, chatbot, etc., and the software creates a ticket in one unified platform. The ticket is then shared between the customer and the agent. It logs their communication in one continuous thread. If there is any confusion, both parties can easily refer back to the thread to review past information on the case. This will help clear up any misunderstandings that may arise.
Records issues
After the ticket is created, customer support agents begin to work on it on their end. Agents can notify the customer directly on the ticket log if they have new information, or the case is ready to be resolved. If the customer has any questions in the meantime, they can also use the ticket to communicate with their customer service rep. Everything is logged in real-time. IT ticketing systems make it easier for multiple customer service reps to work together to resolve issues.
Tracks progress
As an agent addresses an issue, the ticket records all progress. Once the issue has been resolved, either the customer or the rep can close the ticket. If something changes, tickets can be reopened for follow-up questions and requests. This keeps communication streamlined.
Instead of having to create a brand new ticket with a different agent, a customer can access the same agent they worked with before to easily pick up where they left off. Some ticketing systems also include built-in customer feedback tools which collect customer reviews every time tickets are closed.
Essential features of a call center ticketing software
Customizable options
Ticketing support systems can offer more customizable options other than workflows. For example, contact centers can choose to make visible only certain sets of data to one group of agents and a different set of data to managers. This allows for better data management capabilities and a boost in employee efficiency. All this results from a wide array of simultaneous uses stemming from one program.
Friendly U/I
A contact center’s ticketing support system should have a friendly user interface so that employees of all computer-skill levels can easily navigate. From a customer standpoint, their view of the system should also be simple to understand and use.
Custom workflows
Customized workflows are a critical component within a ticketing support system. Workflows vary from contact center to contact center.
Self-service options
Knowledge bases provide a vast amount of information clients can look through to find the answers to their questions. Online ticket submissions cut the phone time out, giving customers their valuable time back. Self-service options give customers back their power while still allowing contact centers to take control of the journey.
SLA management
SLAs, or Service Level Agreements, are a mutual understanding between client and company. They involve numerous varying items such as scope of work, timelines, success indicators, and more.
Ticket prioritization
One of the most basic features of a ticketing support system is ticket prioritization. This ensures that the most critical client issues are taken care of first, and that those with less urgent requests are safely pushed down the queue
More IT ticketing system features
Omnichannel support
IT ticketing systems provide seamless experiences to agents and customers alike. Agents can access a simple console and view notes, feedback, and information on the customer with a multichannel inbox. With most IT ticketing systems, you can automatically assign tickets to the right agents based on skills, qualifications, or availability across channels.
Automated workflows
An IT ticketing system helps automatically route, assign, and prioritize tickets. IT ticketing software works with rule engines to prompt automated tasks. For example, you can set a rule that sends notifications to specific team members when tickets pass their resolution deadlines. Automated workflows reduce repetitive tasks, saving your agents time and making it less likely that they’ll make a mistake. This lightens the demand for customer support agents while creating a better customer experience.
Comprehensive reporting
The first step in improving is knowing what needs to be improved. It’s important to have insights into your ticket management system. With the right information, you can see what customers are looking for, how their questions are being answered, and how your team is performing as a whole.
Reporting lets you connect your support staff with the right metrics to improve. Ticketing system data provides the basis for all future decisions and actions across departments. For example, take common inquiries and write about them in your knowledge base to proactively help customers resolve issues. Reporting data also helps you train new agents better and faster.
Personalized customer pages
Every customer is different, and their requirements and demands are unique. Customers expect businesses to understand their preferences ahead of time, especially if they previously contacted or interacted with your customer support staff.
This is where personalized ticket pages come in handy. Agents can access a customer’s complete ticket history – including prior issues and how they were or are being handled – when a new request is made. Agents won’t have to ask the same question twice, saving time and strengthening customer loyalty and retention.
Ways to leverage an automated ticketing system
An automated ticketing system can increase the productivity of your agents by automating redundant tasks.
- Provide support on multiple channels
- Offer self-service through 24/7 web forms
- Circulate surveys and analyze feedback
- Increase efficiency with automated support workflows
Four ways ticketing software improves the customer experience
Cuts through the noise
Automated ticket creation and routing reduces agent data entry, letting your team focus on problems that actually improve customer engagement. Ticket prioritization allows the most pressing tickets and issues to be addressed first.
Keeps customers in the loop
It’s easier to give your customers frequent updates on their channels of choice if your data is unified and conversations are connected at the account level.
Creates a unified experience
Ticketing systems pull and visualize information in the right context, creating a unified customer and support team experience. Save your customer support agents and cross-functional teams time and frustration while improving the customer experience.
Streamlines engagement and minimize headaches
By removing blocks for your agents on the backend, customer support can focus on actively assisting customers. A ticketing system links issues to existing customer profiles, so agents don’t have to spend as much time on admin tasks.
What to look for in an IT ticketing system
Not all IT ticketing systems are created equally. Make a list of your company’s needs when it comes to a ticketing solution then cross-reference this list as you research providers.
CRM integration on one platform
Find software that combines ticket-related data with other operational metrics to gain a deeper understanding of ticketing trends and other elements that influence customer service success.
Streamlined communication
The right software gathers customer information upfront and provides agents with more detailed issue information, such as attachments from customer form fills, response displays, and omnichannel interaction history for streamlined communication.
Customizable system
Some ticketing software easily configures multiple ticket types and routes them to the most skilled agents. Service activity is tracked and managed utilizing the ticket as the index, ensuring continuity throughout the organization.
Integrated knowledge base
Self-service components are key to offloading customer inquiries. Customers and prospects prefer to complete a purchase or resolve service issues without speaking to a human agent.
How to transition to a new ticketing system software
Transitioning to a new ticketing system software can be a daunting task, but with thorough planning and a well-designed implementation strategy, organizations can smoothly transition to a more efficient, user-friendly ticket management solution. Choosing the right ticketing system software is a crucial first step in this process, as organizations need to consider factors such as scalability, customization options, and integration with existing tools and platforms. A seamless integration process ensures that both internal teams and customers can quickly adapt to the new system, making the transition as smooth as possible. Additionally, by leveraging customer feedback and gathering data on user experience, organizations can further enhance the functionality and effectiveness of their ticketing system software, creating a more streamlined customer service process.
To facilitate a smooth transition to a new ticketing system software, organizations should begin by conducting a thorough assessment of their current ticketing processes, identifying areas for improvement and evaluating potential software options. A comprehensive analysis will help to ensure that the chosen software matches the organization’s needs and can be seamlessly integrated into the existing workflow. In addition, a best practice to employ during the transition process is to conduct a pilot program, allowing selected team members to test the new system and provide valuable feedback. This feedback can be used to optimize the software and ensure it is tailored to the specific requirements of the organization, increasing user adoption rates and maximizing the benefits of the new ticketing system software. By investing in a well-planned and executed transition strategy, organizations can reap the benefits of their new ticketing solution, delivering faster, more personalized customer service and ultimately, driving increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Difficulties to consider when transferring to a cloud customer ticketing system
Transitioning to a cloud-based customer ticketing system offers a multitude of benefits for businesses seeking to streamline their customer service operations. With the rapid advancements in cloud technology over the past decade, these systems have become increasingly accessible and cost-effective for organizations of all sizes. Data analysis capabilities, enhanced customer service, and ease of access are just a few of the many advantages that await businesses transitioning to a cloud customer ticketing system.
One of the key advantages lies in the system’s scalability and flexibility. Traditional customer ticketing systems often require significant investments in hardware and infrastructure, presenting challenges for growing businesses or those that experience fluctuations in customer service volume. Cloud-based ticketing systems can easily accommodate these changes, enabling organizations to expand their customer service capabilities with minimal additional investment. Moreover, these systems leverage cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to improve customer service efficiency through automated responses, sentiment analysis, and prioritization of urgent tickets. By implementing a cloud customer ticketing system, businesses can effectively harness these powerful tools, leading to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Choose the right IT ticketing system for your company
Make it easy to manage customer issues. Give your team the key to customer success by providing them with a transparent tool that lets them drive the quick resolutions your customers want. Customize and scale workflows as your needs evolve and easily configure dashboards to fit your unique day-to-day operations.
