Challenge #1: Incomplete Ticket Information
One of the biggest pain points in IT support is receiving tickets that lack essential details. When users fail to provide critical information, IT teams must spend additional time following up, leading to delays and unnecessary bottlenecks.
How to Fix This?
✔️ Customized Ticket Submission Forms
A simple yet powerful solution is to require essential details upfront. By using customized ticket forms, users are prompted to provide necessary information such as:
- Issue type (e.g., network, hardware, software),
- Problem description with predefined guiding questions,
- Attachments – screenshots of errors or system logs,
- Device model and location.
✔️ Automated Suggestions and Ticket Templates
Modern ITSM platforms offer predefined templates that help users fill out tickets correctly. Automated suggestions ensure that users provide accurate and complete descriptions.
✔️ Self-Service Knowledge Base
Many common issues can be avoided if users have access to a knowledge base with step-by-step guides. By following predefined solutions, users can resolve simple problems themselves instead of submitting tickets.
Challenge #2: Incorrect Ticket Categorization
Assigning tickets to the wrong category can result in delays, unnecessary reassignments between teams, and extended resolution times. Users often struggle to select the correct category, leading to confusion and requiring manual corrections by IT agents.
How to Fix This?
✔️ Queue-Based Ticket Management – Structured Workflow
ITSM systems like Mint Service Desk allow organizations to organize tickets into dedicated queues, ensuring that issues are classified correctly from the start and assigned to the right teams. This structured approach eliminates the need for manual intervention.
📌 Example: You can create specific queues for different IT areas, such as:
- First-Level Support (Helpdesk) – simple requests like password resets,
- Infrastructure Team – server, database, and hardware issues,
- Application Team – software bugs, licensing problems,
- Network Team – VPN access, internet connectivity, router configurations.
By implementing well-defined queues, tickets are automatically routed to the right team, minimizing errors and speeding up the resolution process.
✔️ Ticket Types – Ensuring Precise Classification
Introducing ticket types improves ticket organization and classification, making it easier to identify and prioritize issues correctly.
📌 Common Ticket Types:
- Incident – unexpected technical problems, e.g., system failure, network outage,
- Service Request – user requests, e.g., software installation, access permissions,
- Change Request – modifications to systems, e.g., updating server configurations,
- Problem – long-term issue investigation, identifying root causes.
✔️ Manual Category Adjustments by IT Agents
Not all tickets will be classified correctly by users, so IT agents can reassign tickets between queues and update categories if needed.
📌 Example: A ticket about "application access issues" may initially go to the networking team. If the problem is actually related to user permissions, the agent can reassign it to the application team without requiring the user to submit a new request.
✔️ User Guidance in Ticket Forms
Misclassification often occurs due to users not knowing which category to select. ITSM systems allow helpful prompts in ticket forms to guide users in choosing the right category.
📌 Example: If a user reports an issue with a printer, a pop-up message might suggest:
🔹 "If your printer is not connecting, select: Network Issues. If the printer won’t print, select: Hardware Issues."
This simple adjustment significantly reduces misclassified tickets.
✔️ Filtering and Sorting Options for Better Ticket Management
By organizing tickets into queues and categories, IT teams can filter and sort tickets efficiently, ensuring that high-priority issues are identified and resolved first.
📌 Example: If multiple users repeatedly submit tickets for the same issue, the system can suggest related tickets to IT agents, helping them resolve the issue more efficiently.
Challenge #3: Too Many Follow-Ups
Every additional follow-up means another back-and-forth exchange between the IT team and the user, which extends the resolution time and reduces efficiency.
How to Reduce Follow-Ups?
✔️ Ensure Tickets Are Complete from the Start
Requiring users to submit detailed and structured ticket information reduces the need for follow-ups.
✔️ Automated Reminders and Notifications
ITSM systems can send automatic reminders prompting users to provide missing information or confirm issue resolution.
📌 Example: If an agent is waiting for more details from a user, the system can send an automated reminder after 24 hours. If the user doesn’t respond, the ticket can be closed automatically.
✔️ Centralized Ticket Communication
Keeping all ticket-related communication within the ITSM system ensures that the full history of the issue is available, eliminating the need to search through emails or previous messages.
Challenge #4: Long Resolution Times
Delays in ticket resolution can stem from various factors, including inefficient workflows, lack of automation, or limited IT resources.
How to Speed Up Ticket Resolution?
✔️ SLA Monitoring and Smart Prioritization
A well-structured ITSM system allows teams to define Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that specify response and resolution times based on issue severity.
📌 Example: A server outage affecting all employees should be assigned a high priority automatically, while a password reset request can be categorized as low priority.
✔️ Automating Routine Tasks
Many repetitive tasks, such as password resets, software access requests, and account provisioning, can be automated through scripts and workflows, reducing the need for manual intervention.
✔️ Analyzing and Optimizing ITSM Processes
Regularly reviewing reports and analyzing tickets can help identify bottlenecks in IT support workflows, leading to process improvements and reduced resolution times.
IT ticket handling can be significantly improved through automation, better data management, and structured communication. By implementing intelligent ticket forms, clear categorization, optimized queues, and automated workflows, IT teams can work faster, more efficiently, and with reduced workload.
🚀 Want to enhance IT support in your organization? Explore modern ITSM solutions and experience the difference!
