Introduction

A growing customer base also brings in more potential customer issues. Without a robust ticket management system to sort them out properly, it would be challenging (if not downright impossible sometimes) to address each issue efficiently. 

Our guide will explore the basics of this system and suggest some of the best tips to leverage its operation for your future business goals. Keep scrolling to learn more. 

What Is A Ticket Management System? Who Uses It?

It tracks and manages customer interactions and issues (Image source: StringeeX). 

Definition

A ticket management system (TMS) is a software application that helps organizations track and manage customer support requests, issues, tasks, etc. You can think of it as a digital hub for all your support needs, which keeps everything sorted out and streamlined.

Below is a breakdown of how it works:

Customers submit tickets

This step can be performed through various channels like email, phone calls, web forms, or even live chat. Each ticket contains details about a particular customer request or issue.

Tickets are organized 

The TMS then automatically assigns a unique ID to each ticket, allowing agents to categorize and assign them to the most qualified or suitable team member.

Agents work on resolving tickets

Using the tools within the TMS, agents can communicate with customers to track progress and update ticket status along the way. Collaborating with other customer service team members (when needed) is also an option.

Resolution and follow-ups

This ticket is marked as closed once the issue is resolved, which the customer is also notified about. Some systems introduce automation features for businesses to send follow-up emails, surveys, etc., to gauge customer satisfaction.

Who Often Uses It?

Ticket management solutions are favored by millions of organizations and departments within those organizations, such as: 

• Customer support teams
• IT help desks
• Sales and marketing teams
• Project management teams
• Human resources departments
• Development teams
• Operations teams

You can also find them in:

• Non-profit organizations: Managing grant applications, volunteer requests, donor inquiries
• Educational institutions: Tracking student inquiries, technical issues, administrative requests
• Government agencies: Handling citizen inquiries, service requests, internal workflows

If you are looking for more specific use cases, check out this table: 

What Are The Benefits of A Ticket Management Process?

Convenient Data Storage In A Single Platform

It is quite distressing to see customer support tickets, internal requests, and project tasks scattered across your email inbox and even some random spreadsheets. This chaotic reality, unfortunately, is what many organizations have to face without a proper TMS.

But now, a great TMS brings order to your workplace. There would be no more hunting through emails or digging through paper files; all your ticket data is securely stored in a centralized database. 

Better, most TMS models are cloud-based, meaning you will find it easy to access the data anywhere or anytime - a competitive edge for geographically dispersed teams or remote workers. Furthermore, the system can easily scale to accommodate your growing needs, whether you are a small startup or have already been dominating the marketplace.

Better In-Team Performance

There will be better collaboration between team members (Image source: StringeeX). 

With a TMS in place, everyone can see the status of tickets and how tasks are being handled within their team. This increased transparency does not just build trust; it also empowers team members to work more effectively together.

Furthermore, the TMS facilitates efficient internal and external communication by allowing all members to leave notes and updates on tickets. Such a clear communication channel prevents unnecessary misunderstandings, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Advanced features like international tagging or @ mentions further streamline communication and collaboration within the team. 

Long story short, the TMS will serve as a central repository for all ticket information and communications/customer history, where team members can easily access relevant details to resolve issues faster and learn from each other. Duplicate efforts are also reduced thanks to this shared knowledge base, paving the way for more consistent ticket handling. 

Better Collaboration Between Different Teams

Bridging the gap between departments can be challenging, given communication silos and disconnected workflows hindering information flow. 

Fortunately, the TMS is a powerful tool waiting in the wings. All communication, notes, and updates related to a particular issue are readily accessible to everyone (both within and outside the team) with relevant permissions. 

Dedicated spaces within tickets provide a good place to discuss complex issues or brainstorm solutions privately. Documents and files attached to tickets can also be collaboratively edited and commented on, allowing different teams to gain a holistic overview of the entire customer journey and realize how their tasks fit into the bigger picture.

Better Customer Service

As mentioned, tickets will be organized and routed to the right agent, opening the doors for prompt handling without unnecessary customer wait times.

Repetitive tasks (e.g., notifications) are all automated to free up customer support agents for more complex issues and personalized interactions. And given that all interactions are centralized within the TMS,  risks of lost information due to email or message chains are significantly minimized, saving both sides from frustration.

Do not forget that customers can also track ticket progress in real-time during the support process, which further strengthens their trust/confidence in your services. Relevant solutions and FAQs are easy to document and share as well, empowering all parties involved with self-service options. 

Most importantly, by assessing each ticket’s outcome, businesses can refine their approaches and goal-setting for even more customer service improvement in the future. It is indeed a repeated cycle of efficiency.

Multifunctionality

Although the TMS is best recognized for its ability to handle support requests from customers, its operation can extend far beyond that. Refer back to our table above for more information.

You can also adapt the TMS to your specific needs using custom ticket fields and workflows that align perfectly with your processes. And we see no reason not to connect the TMS to other software tools you use (examples: CRM, accounting, or marketing platforms), creating a unified ecosystem without any data silos.

Easier Tracking

Thanks to the powerful search functionalities, you can filter and breeze through the search tickets using keywords, dates, tags, or any other relevant criteria. With no endless emails or files in sight, the risk of missed deadlines and overlooked information (or, worse, lost tickets) is almost non-existent. 

Your agents are also able to prioritize tickets by deadlines or customer importance to ensure high-priority customer issues are addressed first, keeping everyone focused on what matters most. Informed decisions based on ticket analyses/tracking regarding process improvement and resource allocation are totally within reach as well.

Highlighted Features Of A Ticket Management Tool

StringeeX, one of the market’s leading virtual call centers for customer service businesses, also utilizes ticketing systems in its design. There are some advanced features, however, that set it apart from other competitors.

Creating Service Tickets

It will generate a ticket automatically after an interaction (Image source: StringeeX). 

Your agents no longer have to create tickets manually after every call or interaction. StringeeX will automatically generate a ticket for each SMS, live chat, email, outbound/inbound call, and even social media messages from Facebook or Instagram. 

Likewise, key information from each interaction (e.g., customer name, interaction channel, contact details) is automatically pre-populated in the ticket. This design ensures accurate and complete data from the get-go without delays or follow-up questions. 

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

It reports your ticket-resolving rates (Image source: StringeeX). 

StringeeX's robust SLA features provide powerful reporting tools to monitor and analyze ticket-resolving rates against the SLA targets, empowering agents to consistently improve their performance. You can trust StringeeX or other similar ticket management software to:

• Help define unique SLAs for different ticket types, customer segments, or even individual agents to ensure efficient resolution workflows.
• Access comprehensive and interactive dashboards that visually display the SLA performance in real time. 
• Track key metrics like time-to-first response, average resolution time, and SLA adherence rate for valuable insights.
• Drill down into detailed reports to analyze performance by agent, team, channel, or ticket type. From here, your business can identify bottlenecks and pinpoint areas for improvement.
• Set up proactive alerts to notify you when SLAs are at risk of being breached. That way, you can take immediate action and avoid missed deadlines.
• Compare current performance with past trends and benchmark your progress over time.

Macro

Using StringeeX, businesses can create and store reusable templates for common customer questions, greetings, troubleshooting steps, and even complex resolutions. They save customer service reps a lot of time while still ensuring consistent, accurate responses every time.

Some actions can also be triggered automatically based on keywords, phrases, or specific situations within a customer conversation. Furthermore, the ticketing tool can dynamically insert personalized information (like customer names, ticket details, or product specifications) into these canned responses for a more authentic, “human” touch.

Conclusion

A ticket management system is cost-effective, easy to use, and makes it easier to keep the workflow under control. 

You can still manage everything on your own if your business is a small start-up. However, for a larger customer base, addressing each existing issue without a quality ticketing process is definitely going to be challenging, regardless of the industry. 

Write to us if you need more help with ticketing solutions. You can also navigate StringeeX’s official website to learn more about other features.