SAS 021 – Ticketing Systems

In today’s show I discuss what ticketing systems are and some of their primary features.

  •  Overview
    • Ticketing systems allow us to collect, assign and report on specific tasks
    • I consider a basic ticketing  system a necessity for any IT team
    • Centralized Request Management
      • What happens if someone is  out sick or on vacation?
      • How do you check the status of an open request that you aren’t working on?
      • All requests should be centralized
    • Support Contact Methods
      • Email
      • Call
      • Website
      • Chat
      • Walk-ups
    • Team Workflow
      • Who reviews new requests  (triage)
      • Do you have specific people for specific applications, or support tiers based on complexity?
      • Do you need to work with other departments or vendors at times?
    • Automation
      • Auto-Response for new requests to confirm receipt and set expectations
    • Notifications
      • Emails/Text messages sent to requester & agents as needed
    • Escalation
      • New request actions
      • Request due date actions
    • Reporting & Metrics
      • Agent activity report
      • Most troublesome systems
      • Total support requests per week/month/year
        • This can show the need for more staff
  • Use Cases
    • Internal IT team
    • Customer Support Team
    • Facilities Management Team
    • Procurement/Purchasing Team

 

  • Final Thoughts
    • Any system you can put in that reduces the opportunity for mistakes is recommended
    • As with any technology or software it will only work as well as your processes.  It won’t replace the need for a well understood workflow.
    • Can be on-premises or cloud based
    • Free options are available including Spiceworks
    • Next week – Asset Management