How do you handle your office’s need for IT support? Do you have an internal team you email that rushes to your side to help or handles plenty of processes for you?
Or does your IT department answer the phone like Roy from The IT Crowd?
“Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
If you feel like Roy, maybe it’s time for automated responses. It’s time for a ticketing system.
What is IT ticketing software?
IT ticketing software collects incoming support requests from multiple channels. The software stores and manages all types of work for all types of departments: IT support, software and product development, HR, legal, financial, and more.
Ticketing systems work by collecting data:
- Data that tracks communication between the requestor and the service provider
- Data for reporting and analytics
The IT ticketing system acts as a single point of contact between the problem-finder and the problem-solver. Almost all IT ticketing software have these common capabilities:
- A central archive for service requests (on-site or through cloud services)
- Creation of digital tickets via email, through online forms for the consumer
- Automated responses tied to pre-determined actions or workflows
- Classification and organization of tickets
- Communication tracking between the requestor and the service provider
- Data collection for reporting and analytics
These tools elevate workers to higher-level problem-solving. Leave the little stuff to the automated systems. Pay your employees to solve complex problems (or deal with complex clients).
(Read more about help desk automation.)
Why companies need IT ticketing software
Automating tedious jobs—which is what ticketing software can help do—frees up your talent to focus on what they are good at.
Let’s look at IT employees. If IT support workers are so busy answering the little problems, they miss the big ones: a serious hardware failure, a malicious piece of malware, anything that could derail business operations.
With ticketing systems, the brain goes into auto-pilot on little tasks, so you can better focus on the larger goal.
Why employees need IT ticketing software
IT ticketing software automates the rote answers by directing the requestor to FAQ resolutions. if it’s a complex scenario or a customer needs a personal touch, the IT ticketing system can escalate the problem to a human operator.
The IT team can now focus on the difficult stuff instead of wondering whether the caller has tried turning it off and on again.
Benefits of IT ticketing software
- IT departments can reduce the overall cost of responding to incidents
- There are fewer errors because the IT team isn’t under pressure to reset passwords or plug in speakers when a serious problem comes in
- Delays are cut, especially for minor issues
- Events escalate less because fewer issues need manual intervention
- The IT department is satisfied because their job is more than just dealing with repetitive tasks and forgotten passwords
A happy team working in tandem with automated systems. Together, they can ensure that business operations are smooth and that your clients are happy.
(Explore how AI can augment human work.)
Streamlining IT support in your organization
IT ticketing software will streamline your IT support by collecting and managing the process from end to end. When the individual sends in a service request, the software sends an automated message to the requester letting them know it has been received.
The ticket is created, prioritized, and assigned to the individual who can resolve the issue. Throughout this process, the software collects data that supplies the respondent with additional tools. In turn, IT teams can focus on automating new processes if they become daily issues.
This frees up the time needed to sort through tickets that someone else is more skilled to answer as well as providing previous solutions to the problem. The respondent can analyze the ticket, suggest appropriate fixes, and resolve the issue promptly.
From beginning to end, the software documents the process and can even alert the requestor to the status of the resolution. IT ticketing software typically comes as a stand-alone tool or as part of a larger ITSM platform.
What is an ITSM platform?
Short for IT service management, ITSM tools and platforms are a collection of services that supports your IT department. ITSM is responsible for the implementation and management of IT support that improves your overall business operations and customer satisfaction.
An IT ticket system is only one part of an ITSM platform but provides plenty of immediate value to an organization.
An ITSM also helps you communicate clearly with your clients. When incidents occur (whether routine or emergency), these platforms keep the lines of communication open and inform your customers and stakeholders of the company’s current affairs.
(Learn how to choose ITSM tools.)
Are ITSM platforms necessary?
Incidents happen. Whether it is an unplanned interruption to a service, a reduction in the quality of service, or an event that will influence service, the goal is to minimize the negative impact on the customer.
Significant communication and collaboration are necessary for successfully handling the situation. Putting an ITSM platform in place long before the incident ever occurs is a smart and prudent decision.
BMC is a service management leader
BMC is a recognized industry leader for ITSM solutions. And our BMC Helix portfolio, built for the cloud, is the first and only intelligent enhanced end-to-end service and operations platform.
