IT Ticketing Systems Are All About Improving IT Department Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction By Shweta Joshi, Market Analyst and Technical Content Writer at SelectHub
Modern IT support operations help businesses deliver high-quality service to their users. A niche CRM tool, such as an IT ticketing system, provides a structured approach to managing technical issues, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.
If your company wants to streamline IT support requests and better manage customer expectations, IT ticketing systems might be right for you. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll go over the benefits and features of these platforms to help you pick an ideal solution.
Executive Summary
- IT ticketing systems help IT departments streamline operations, provide better customer service and resolve IT issues promptly and efficiently.
- Key features include ticket management, SLA management, automation, collaboration, and reporting and analytics.
- Ask potential vendors critical questions before committing to a purchase.
What This Guide Covers:
What Are IT Ticketing Systems?
An IT ticketing system is a set of tools that manages and tracks IT-related issues, requests and incidents. IT departments and help desk teams use these systems to organize and prioritize incoming support requests and provide timely and efficient resolutions to end users.
IT ticketing systems allow IT teams to manage requests, assign tickets to specific technicians and track the progress of each ticket through its lifecycle. These systems can also provide reporting and analytics to help IT teams identify common issues and trends, measure team performance and improve customer satisfaction.
Primary Benefits
IT ticketing systems offer several benefits that include:
Resolve Issues Efficiently
IT ticketing systems provide a streamlined process for managing support requests, ensuring that technicians resolve issues in a timely and efficient manner. Tickets automatically assign to appropriate team members with regular status updates throughout the resolution process.
Improve Customer Satisfaction
By providing timely and efficient support, these platforms can improve customer satisfaction. Customers receive timely updates on their support requests’ status, and issues are resolved quickly and effectively.
Get Data-driven Insights
Such systems provide valuable data and analytics that help identify common issues, track team performance and measure customer satisfaction. This data can improve support processes and identify areas for improvement.
Key Features & Functionality
Ticket Management |
Managing support tickets with ticket creation, assignment, tracking and resolution tools.
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SLA Management |
Set up and track service-level agreements such as support response and resolution times to meet customer expectations.
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Collaboration |
Get a platform for team members to collaborate on support requests, share information and coordinate their efforts.
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Automation |
Automate IT support processes, such as ticket assignment and escalation, sending customer notifications and updates, and more.
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Multi-channel Support |
Support multiple customer support channels, such as email, phone, chat, social media and more. Support agents can manage all requests from a single platform seamlessly.
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Self-service Portals |
Provide self-service options for customers, such as a knowledge base or FAQ section, to reduce the overall volume of support requests, freeing up support agents to focus on more complex issues.
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Reporting and Analytics |
Track key metrics, such as response times, ticket volume, individual and team performances, and customer satisfaction. This data can help identify areas for improvement and optimize support processes.
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Integrations |
Integrate with other tools, such as project management and data analytics platforms, to aggregate data, reduce manual effort and enhance overall efficiency.
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IT Ticketing Systems Categories
Software Comparison Strategy
A software comparison strategy involves identifying key features and functionalities that are important to the business and then comparing different solutions to see which ones meet those requirements.
First, create a checklist of important features and functionalities and then score each system against those criteria. It allows businesses to objectively evaluate different systems and make informed decisions based on their specific needs.
Then, conduct a pilot test of the shortlisted options. This process involves using the platform in a limited capacity to evaluate its performance and usability. Pilot tests can help identify potential issues or challenges with the software before fully investing. This approach can also provide valuable insights into the user experience and help gauge user adoption rates.
Finally, observe industry benchmarks and reviews to compare different options. Industry benchmarks provide objective data and metrics to evaluate different systems, while reviews provide subjective feedback from users and experts.
These sources can provide valuable insights into different platforms' strengths and weaknesses and help businesses make more informed decisions when selecting an IT Ticketing system.
Cost & Pricing Considerations
The cost of an IT ticketing system can vary widely depending on factors such as the size of the business, the number of users, and the specific features and functionalities required. Some solutions offer a one-time purchase with perpetual licensing, while others provide a subscription-based service. Additionally, some platforms may require extra payments for customization, training and support.
Most Popular IT Ticketing Systems
Now that you know what IT ticketing systems can do, how do you decide which product is the best choice? We’ve curated some of the most popular solutions on the market. Check out our picks below!
Zendesk is a popular IT ticketing system that offers multi-channel support, automation, reporting and analytics. The system is highly customizable and scalable, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes. It also offers a range of integrations with other tools. For more information, see our Ultimate Zendesk Review.
Support Dashboard in Zendesk.
Freshdesk is a cloud-based IT ticketing system that offers a range of features to help businesses manage their IT support operations. It offers a range of automation options, including ticket assignment, routing and prioritization, as well as canned responses and workflows.
Tickets Dashboard on Freshdesk.
Jira Service Management
Jira Service Management helps businesses streamline their IT support operations. The platform provides a range of collaboration options, including team messaging, comments and attachments, as well as the ability to share knowledge and best practices through the system.
Request Template in Jira Service Management. Source.
Questions To Ask
Ask these questions internally to get a better understanding of your requirements:
- What specific features and functionalities do we require?
- How many support agents and users will be using the system?
- What’s our budget?
- What level of customer support and training is required?
- What are our security and compliance requirements, and how does the solution meet these requirements?
Ask these questions to the vendor to get a better understanding of them and the software:
- What’s your experience and expertise in providing IT ticketing systems?
- How scalable is the system, and what level of customization and support is available as our business grows?
- What level of customer support and training is provided
- What’s the implementation process like, and how long does it typically take to get up and running with the system?
- How easy is it to use and configure the system, and what’s the learning curve for support agents and users?
Next Steps
IT ticketing systems are important tools that automate IT support processes and improve customer satisfaction by ensuring timely issue resolution. They allow employees to report issues quickly, collaborate with other team members and escalate issues to higher-level support teams when necessary.
Still feeling overwhelmed in your product search? Get started today with our comparison report to gain insight into top software leaders.
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