An IT support ticketing system is a software application that organizations use to track and manage requests for IT helpdesk and technical support services. It serves as the central repository for logging, prioritizing, assigning, resolving and reporting on all incidents, problems and service requests from end users and IT staff. The key capabilities of an IT support ticketing system include:
- Incident management – Track user-reported incidents like systems errors, hardware failures, access problems, etc.
- Service request management – Log and fulfill standard user requests like password resets, new software installations, hardware provisioning, etc.
- Problem management – Identify underlying problems based on recurring incidents and fix the root causes.
- Knowledge base – Catalog solutions to common issues for self-service.
- Change management – Coordinate changes to systems, processes, configurations, etc.
- Release management – Plan, schedule and deploy software releases.
- Reporting – Generate reports on ticket volumes, trends, workloads, SLA compliance, etc.
The system provides a central point for users to engage with IT support teams and streamlines the management, prioritization, assignment, escalation and documentation of all incidents and service requests. This improves efficiency, accountability and compliance in the IT organization.
Benefits of an IT support ticketing system
IT support ticketing systems provide the following key benefits:
- Improved end-user experience – Simple web and mobile interfaces make it easy for employees to engage with IT. Catalog and knowledge base also enable self-service.
- Increased IT productivity – Automated routing and reminders allow faster response. Knowledge base reduces repeat incidents. Reporting provides insights.
- Enhanced collaboration – Consolidated workloads and notifications connect disparate service agents and support teams.
- Better triage and prioritization – Rules engine and SLAs allow properly aligning resources to resolve critical issues quickly.
- Stronger compliance – Audit trail, approvals and reporting creates transparency into processes.
- Improved business alignment – Business services model and custom forms link activities to business needs.
With more efficient incident management workflows, IT organizations can deliver excellent technical support while optimizing staff resources. Automated ticketing also frees up IT teams from mundane tasks to focus on high-value projects.
Key features of IT support ticketing systems
IT support ticketing systems have the following core modules and capabilities:
Incident management
- Web and mobile interfaces to log support tickets
- Custom ticket forms for capturing key details
- Automatic ticket numbering and tracking
- Ticket categorization by issue type, affected business service, etc.
- Ticket assignment based on agent skills, workloads and schedules
- Notifications and reminders to users and technicians
- Escalation rules for SLA violations
- Knowledge base of solutions to common problems
Service request management
- Forms and workflows for standard requests like password resets, new hire onboarding, software installations, etc.
- Request templates, approvals and fulfillment processes
- User self-service portal and knowledge base
- Automated request assignment and processing
Problem management
- Linking related incidents to identify larger problems
- Performing root cause analysis
- Documenting temporary workarounds and permanent solutions
- Publishing fixes to knowledge base
Change management
- Templates for standard, normal and emergency changes
- Change advisory board review and approval
- Coordinating change windows and schedules
- Managing back-out plans
Release management
- Defining release packages and contents
- Tracking release tasks and deliverables
- Managing stakeholder signoffs
- Planning release schedules and cutover events
Reporting and dashboard
- Canned, customizable and ad hoc reports
- Ticket volumes, backlogs, trends
- First call resolution rates
- Ticket aging and SLA compliance
- Agent performance and workloads
- Business service impact
Robust reporting and analytics provides insights that can drive IT process improvements.
Benefits of IT support ticketing systems
Here are some key benefits provided by IT support ticketing systems:
- Improved user satisfaction – Easy ticketing and self-service options enhance end-user experiences.
- Increased first-call resolution – Knowledge base helps agents resolve more issues quickly.
- Boosted service consistency – Standard processes ensure uniform user experiences.
- Enhanced staff efficiency – Automation eliminates tedious tasks so agents focus on high-value work.
- Improved SLA compliance – Rules and notifications facilitate fast responses.
- Better collaboration – Multi-team support and transparency on shared workloads.
- Stronger IT governance – Auditable processes and reporting provides insights for improvement.
- Higher productivity – Self-service and knowledge base reduce incident volumes.
- Lower costs – Deflection of calls and faster issue resolution cuts expenses.
Implementing an IT support ticketing system
Following are key steps in selecting and implementing an effective IT support ticketing system:
- Define requirements – Document key processes, workflows, forms and integrations needed.
- Evaluate solutions – Research vendors and products. Compare capabilities and costs.
- Select vendor – Consider total cost of ownership and vendor viability.
- Onboard vendor – Work jointly on implementation planning and system configuration.
- Integrate systems – Establish interfaces with Active Directory, monitoring tools, CMDB, etc.
- Import data – Migrate knowledge base content, change records, known errors, etc.
- Configure workflows – Set up rules, assignments, escalations, approvals, etc.
- Train agents – Educate service desk staff and IT teams on using the system.
- User rollout – Communicate to employees. Provide self-service portal access.
- Refine processes – Continuously improve workflows, SLAs, notifications, etc.
The key success factors are understanding current processes, mapping desired workflows, providing user training and iteratively enhancing configurations.
Choosing an IT support ticketing system
Here are key criteria to evaluate when selecting an IT support ticketing solution:
- Breadth of capabilities – Incident, problem, change, release and request management
- Ease of use – Intuitive interfaces for agents, IT teams and end users
- Customizability – Forms, fields, rules, workflows and branding
- Scalability and availability – Cloud delivery or enterprise software architecture
- Asset and configuration DB integration – Sync with CMDB and discovery tools
- Process automation – Rules engine for routing, escalations, notifications, etc.
- Reporting and analytics – Customizable dashboards with visualizations
- Third party integrations – Monitoring, software deployment, remote control, etc.
- Mobile capabilities – Native mobile apps for technicians and users
- ITSM support – Integrated features for knowledge, problems, changes, etc.
- Security – Role-based access, encryption, data security certifications
Evaluate both technical capabilities and vendor qualifications like market leadership, customer base, financial health, support model, etc.
Leading IT support ticketing systems
Some examples of leading IT support ticketing systems include:
Product | Vendor |
---|---|
ServiceNow | ServiceNow |
Jira Service Management | Atlassian |
Zendesk | Zendesk |
Freshservice | Freshworks |
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | Zoho Corporation |
BMC Remedy | BMC Software |
Cherwell | Cherwell Software |
TOPdesk | TOPdesk |
Ivanti Service Manager | Ivanti Software |
Kayako | Kayako |
These are some of the most popular and full-featured service desk solutions. The right choice depends on an organization’s budget, scale, use cases and functional requirements.
Getting the most from an IT support ticketing system
Here are best practices to maximize the value of an IT support ticketing system investment:
- Provide self-service options to give users independence and deflect calls
- Integrate with AD, messaging, monitoring tools and remote control for richer context
- Configure comprehensive workflow rules to automate routing and escalations
- Utilize dashboards, scorecards and reports to surface insights
- Expand platform usage for change, release, project and knowledge management
- Analyze ticket trends to identify recurring issues and improvement opportunities
- Use surveys to capture user feedback on tech support interactions
- Train both agents and users on effectively leveraging the platform
- Continuously review processes and policies to optimize service delivery
Also, engage all stakeholders in the tool selection and rollout. Secure executive sponsorship to enforce platform adoption. Provide adequate training and support to administrators.
Conclusion
An IT support ticketing system is a foundational tool for professionalizing technical support services in an organization. It provides structure, accountability and transparency. Key capabilities include incident tracking, request fulfillment, knowledge management, reporting and integration with ITSM processes like problem, change and release management.
Leading solutions like ServiceNow and Jira Service Desk provide robust feature sets on enterprise-grade platforms. For smaller teams, solutions like Zendesk and Freshdesk offer streamlined experiences at lower price points. The system should align to IT support goals, processes and culture. Successful implementation requires stakeholder buy-in, change management and continuous improvement. When leveraged effectively, a support ticketing system delivers higher end-user satisfaction, IT productivity and service quality for an organization.