When you started out, tracking issues with internal IT systems or customer complaints was easy enough. But as your business grows, you discover that you need effective ticketing software to ensure productivity and good customer service. Here are 7 characteristics you need for your system to be effective.
1. Omnichannel Compatibility
Mails, calls, live chat, social media contacts - your ticketing system needs the ability to bring all contacts together in one place. While your staff can be asked to use one type of channel for reporting internal issues, your customers will expect you to be where they are. Your ticketing system must support all types of contact.
2. Customisation
Your business is unique, and your ticketing system must be adaptable to your work methods. Your system should offer a good, basic template that looks suitable, but you should be able to make changes based on your needs and those of your customers. Even if you don’t need customisation at the moment, there’s a good chance you’ll need it in the future.
3. Automated Workflows
The creation of a ticket should initiate a workflow immediately, alerting relevant staff and tracking progress so that you can monitor it at a glance. A ticket results in a workflow, and quite often, it will be possible to automate it to ensure the fastest possible resolution of issues.
4. Tagged Ticket Categories
Different types of tickets initiate different types of workflow. For effective automation, each type of issue should be tagged according to the type of workflow it requires. Getting the right people onto the resolution of issues means effective categorisation.
5. A Helpful Knowledge Base
Being able to solve problems for themselves without the need to wait for someone else to resolve an issue is something both your staff and your customers will appreciate. A searchable knowledge base can be a great way to reduce your team’s workload, but do be sure to make it easy to progress to lodging a ticket at any point along the way.
6. Effective Reporting
Addressing frequent problems so that they don’t arise again saves time and resources. Your ticketing system must be able to give you insights into the type of issues users experience. It will also help you to analyse how quickly your team is able to respond to and resolve tickets. Knowing how to improve is the first step towards improvement.
7. Positive User Experience
Follow-up questions will increase the time it takes to resolve a ticket. Encouraging users to be specific about the areas in which they have issues is only the first step. An effective ticketing system should include a brief questionnaire that helps your staff to pin down the problem without the need for followup questions to clarify it.
Internal or Customer-Faced, Your Ticketing System is the Key to Efficiency
Nobody likes to struggle. If it’s your staff struggling with your internal systems, providing help saves them frustration and boosts their productivity. If it’s your clients, addressing their issues quickly creates a favourable impression. Make sure your ticketing system is adequate for present needs but will also scale for future growth. It’s the key to IT efficiency.
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