A ticketing system allows you to track issues, requests, and tasks in an organized way. Google Docs provides several features that you can leverage to create a simple ticketing system for your team or organization.
Why Use Google Docs for Ticketing
Here are some of the key benefits of using Google Docs to create a ticketing system:
- Accessible from anywhere – Google Docs is web-based, so you can access your tickets from any device with an internet connection.
- Real-time collaboration – Multiple people can view and edit tickets simultaneously.
- Free and easy to set up – There’s no software to install. Just create a document and share it with your team.
- Integrates with other Google services – You can use Google Calendar for due dates, Gmail for notifications, etc.
- Customizable – Docs provides formatting options to create tickets the way you want.
While Google Docs lacks some advanced ticket tracking features found in specialized software, it can serve as a simple, free option for small teams and organizations.
How to Structure Your Ticketing Doc
The first step is to set up your Google Doc for ticketing. Here are some best practices:
- Create one document for all tickets. This keeps things organized in one place.
- Add columns across the top row to define important ticket fields: Ticket number, Title, Description, Assignee, Due date, Priority, Status, etc.
- Leave plenty of rows for tickets under the column headers.
- Consider using a table for the structure. This allows resizing columns and keeps things neat.
- Freeze the first row so the column headers remain visible when scrolling.
- Give edit access to anyone who will create/manage tickets.
Here’s a simple example to illustrate the setup:
Ticket # | Title | Description | Assignee | Due Date | Priority | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Slow website load | Homepage taking over 10 seconds to load | John | 7/20/2022 | High | Open |
2 | Fix login errors | Users reporting login failing on mobile | Mary | 7/18/2022 | Medium | In Progress |
Creating and Managing Tickets
Once your document structure is set up, using it as a ticketing system is straightforward:
- To create a new ticket, add a new row and fill in the details in each column.
- Assign a ticket number using an auto-numbering system or just a simple sequence.
- Write a short, descriptive title and more detailed description.
- @ mention someone by email to assign them the ticket.
- Set a due date and priority level.
- Change the status as work is done.
- Use comments in the doc or Google Chat to discuss a ticket.
- Set reminders for due dates using Google Calendar.
- Filter or sort the ticket table as needed.
- Close resolved tickets by marking them “Closed” status.
The benefit of using Google Docs is that everything related to a ticket is in one place and editable by multiple people in real-time.
Enhancing Your Ticketing Doc
There are a number of enhancements you can make to your Google Doc ticket system to optimize it further:
- Color code ticket statuses for a visual indicator.
- Create a view-only version to share for transparency without editing.
- Use add-ons like Autocrat to automatically fill fields.
- Integrate with Google Forms for a submission/creation form.
- Pull data into Google Sheets for reporting and metrics.
- Use Google Apps Script for automations like notifications.
- Link to relevant documents, spreadsheets, or sites in the ticket table.
- Add a chart to show ticket volume or other aggregated data.
Don’t be afraid to customize and tweak your Google Doc ticket system over time to fit your specific needs and optimize for your workflow.
Benefits and Limitations
Some key benefits of a Google Docs ticketing system:
- Free and easy to set up.
- Accessible from anywhere.
- Real-time collaboration.
- Integrates well with other Google services.
- Provides a centralized place to manage tickets.
- Allows simple tracking, assigning, and prioritizing of issues.
- Can be customized to match your workflow.
Some limitations to keep in mind:
- Lacks some advanced reporting features of dedicated software.
- No built-in automation for notifications, etc.
- Can get disorganized if not structured properly.
- May be too simple for large or complex projects.
- Not designed specifically for IT ticket handling.
For many small teams and use cases though, a Google Docs ticketing system provides an easy solution for tracking work items without the hassle or cost of managing additional software.
Conclusion
Creating a ticketing system in Google Docs leverages tools many teams already use regularly. With some strategic setup and structure, Google Docs can provide an organized, collaborative, and centralized place to manage your tickets.
Key steps include:
- Creating a single Doc for tickets.
- Structuring columns and rows to define important ticket fields.
- Consider using a table for neatness and formatting.
- Setting up a simple process for adding, assigning, and managing tickets.
- Enhancing with colors, automation, charts, etc.
While it has some limitations compared to software designed specifically for ticketing, Google Docs offers a free, integrated option that works well for many small teams’ needs. With some creativity, you can build an effective ticketing system tailored to your work using tools already at your fingertips.