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