Ticketing system: A guide to enhance customer support 

Customer support is one of the essential pillars of any business, supporting it to become the most loved brand. 

If your business fails to improve the customer support experience, be ready for the consequences of its downfall. 

According to a recent survey by FinancesOnline, good customer service for customers involves: 

• Resolving their problem in a single interaction (33%) 
• Assistance by a knowledgeable representative (31%) 
• Not having to repeat their data (21%) 
• Finding the information without having to contact anyone (12%) 

All the growing businesses meeting the above standards use a helpdesk ticketing system.  

Are you aiming to deliver exceptional customer support?

This guide will help you learn about a ticketing software, its benefits, what challenges it helps overcome, and the best options, as per experts.   

What is a ticketing system? 

A ticketing system is a tool for processing, managing, and tracking incoming tickets relating to customer and organizational issues.  

Here, tickets are documents for problems, solutions, or requests that can help streamline the process from initial report to resolution.   

There are some terminologies that are explained below for more clarity on the topic:

Support ticket: It is a record of all customer and service representative interactions.When customers contact a company with an issue or question, it is recorded as a support ticket.

Ticket status: It defines the support ticket status as open, in progress, and closed. Each stage of the ticket reflects the issue’s status and how it has been solved. 

Support tickets are created for various reasons. Here, we will discuss the specific categories of these tickets.

Let’s understand how using ticketing software for businesses is beneficial.

What are the benefits of using a ticketing system? 

There are multiple benefits of using a support ticketing system. Let’s look through them: 

• Provides instant solutions: A ticket system automates all the steps from ticket creation to resolution, providing instant solutions and a seamless customer experience. 
• Gather actionable insights: To improve and drive better business decisions through reports and analytics from resolved support tickets. 
• Reduce support ticket backlogs: After creating a ticket, the system promptly notifies the appropriate customer service rep, improving resolution time and reducing the backlog period.  
• Personalize customer communication: A ticketing tool tracks individual customer preferences and history, ensuring each customer receives a tailored and efficient service experience. 
• Centralize all customer queries: The tool helps you store and manage all customer queries/requests in a single place.  

The help desk software reduces operational costs, boosts sales through better customer retention, increases revenue by enhancing service quality, and significantly improves overall customer satisfaction. 

Further, the system saves time by automating routine tasks and helps easily access customer information. 

How does a ticketing system work?  

The service desk ticketing system helps all customer service reps become more efficient and productive.   

Let’s look through the functioning below that explains how to use ticketing tool:

1) Ticket generation   

The ticketing system software is configured with a single official email in the support department. It could be as simple as xyz@support.com.  

So, ticketing software automatically captures and converts customer messages into tickets when a customer or employee sends an email to a designated support or service address.    

Then, the ticket is assigned to a customer support agent to resolve their issue.   

2) Notification and alerts  

An automatic message (via email/SMS) notifies the customer support executive that a ticket has been generated. Also, get the customized notification on each step through notification preferences: 

Simultaneously, a response is sent to the sender, acknowledging the email and providing the ticket number.   

3) Ticket routing & assignment  

The next step is for the appropriate authority to assign the ticket to a customer support executive who will address the matter.    

This ticket assignment is based on predefined rules, which may involve categorizing and prioritizing the ticket before assigning it to the appropriate support team or individual for action.   

4) Customer engagement  

Next, the assignee contacts the customer for additional information to resolve the issue.     

5) Ticket resolution and closure  

Once the customer’s query/ticket is resolved, the executive can update the query’s status to fix it, and all the customer data gets saved in the ticketing software for future reference.   

The best help desk ticketing system has a smart dashboard where your support agents can view tickets, update status, and record actions taken.   

Get the best ticketing system for your business!

Salesmate CRM offers a robust ticketing solution that allows users to create, manage, and resolve tickets in a single place.

Explore our ticketing software

What are the different types of ticketing software?  

There are different types of ticketing systems available to support businesses of all sizes, from small to large: 

1) Cloud based ticketing system  

A cloud-based ticketing system manages and resolves requests through a cloud-hosted application, centralizing interactions from various channels.

This system uses cloud computing principles to enhance help desk support, making it a type of service desk or IT service management (ITSM) solution.

2) Enterprise ticketing system

This ticketing solution aims to serve large organizations and offers robust features and integrations to manage complex support needs and high ticket volumes. 

Enterprise ticketing systems are highly customizable, integrate with other enterprise software, such as CRM and ERP systems, and handle large-scale operations.    

3) Open-source ticketing system

This type of ticketing solution is highly customizable and cost-effective but requires technical skills to manage and modify.

4) Omnichannel ticketing system 

It aims to provide seamless customer service across multiple channels by integrating them with a single system.   

Omnichannel ticket management software gives the customer service team a comprehensive view of consumer interactions, enabling them to answer queries more effectively.  

5) Multichannel ticketing system

The support team uses the ticketing system to create, track, and manage customer inquiries and issues from multiple channels.  

A multi-channel ticket support system allows customers to reach out through email, live chat, social media, phone calls, and more.     

How to choose the right ticketing system? 

A ticketing system in your business involves several steps to enhance the operations of customer service agents.  

There are certain best practices for choosing the right ticketing system: 

1)  Set objectives 

List specific problems you need the ticketing system to solve for your company. It can be managing tickets, improving response times, or enhancing customer satisfaction.

This narrowed list will help align the customer service software with your goals.   

2) Gather requirements 

Now that you have completed the objectives, list the essential features and functionalities you will need in the ticketing software. 

You can consider various aspects here, such as ease of use, customization availability, integration with existing systems, mobile compatibility, and reporting capabilities.   

3) Budget and ROI 

Make your definitive budget and consider the return on investment (ROI). For that, you can consider upfront costs and long-term expenses, including scaling, personalized support, maintenance, etc.  

Also assess how this ticketing system can save costs compared to the other and increase your customer support agent productivity. 

4) Evaluation 

There are various criteria against who you can evaluate the shortlisted options: 

• Right features: Before finalizing, ensure that features align with your requirements and goals. 

Here are the ticketing solution features that you must check: 

Other additional features you can check in the ticketing tool are:

• Deployment: Based on your organization’s needs, decide whether you are willing to use cloud-based or on-premises solutions. 
• Scalability: Always choose a customizable ticketing system that is usable at any stage of the business. It should help accommodate more team members, additional features if needed, etc. 
• Use experience: Always opt for an intuitive interface that is easy to use with less complexity. 
• Support: Check on the support team for their quick answers, 24/7 availability or not, and communication channels. 

5) Demo and trial 

Almost every ticketing software offers free demos and trials to test the system in real-world scenarios. 

Take the trial/demo and ensure you get feedback from the team on usability and functionality. The hands-on experience is beneficial for better decision-making.  

6) Review & finalize 

Gather reviews from users and industry experts to gain insights into the selected ticketing platform’s USPs and limitations. 

Then, finalize the best ticket service management system that meets your requirements, fits within your budget, and aligns with your current business needs.

Top 3 helpdesk ticketing systems to boost your customer support experience 

These are the top helpdesk ticketing systems you must explore if you want to enhance your customer service experience: 

1. Salesmate CRM

Salesmate is an all-in-one CRM with robust ticketing software to enhance the efficiency of customer support teams.

Here are some of the key features that make Salesmate’s ticket management solution the best:

• Ticket creation: You can easily create tickets for issues raised, even during an ongoing call.  
• Internal ticketing system: It lets you manage the customer and internal back-office tickets within the platform effortlessly.  
• Design your ticket: You can customize every ticket with Salesmate for greater clarity and personalization.
• Notification & alerts: Get notifications on every ticket’s progress for better transparency.  
• Live chat: The tool helps you connect with prospects and customers in real-time.
• SLA Management: Decide service standards after the ticket generation and achieve higher results.  
• Reports & Analytics: Know the customer support team’s performance through analytics and maintain better customer support standards.  

Empower your support team with our SLA ticketing system!

Salesmate CRM lets you manage customer requests and SLAs with its advanced ticketing platform.

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2. Freshdesk 

Freshdesk is a simple and easy-to-use ticketing system that helps customer support teams provide better customer service.

This helpdesk solution is AI-supported and gives a seamless service experience, providing customers and agents with effortless support solutions. 

Key features of Freshdesk include:

• Team Inbox to centralize all your customer queries in one place for easy management.
• SLA Management to ensure service standards are met.
• Ticket Status to monitor the progress of tickets to keep everyone in a loop.
• Collaborators let multiple customer support agents work together on a single ticket.

3. HappyFox 

HappyFox is an online helpdesk software that helps deliver outstanding support and experience to business customers. 

The platform offers extensive customization options to tailor tickets to your specific needs.

Key features of HappyFox include:

• Customizable tickets with categories, private notes, and templates.
• Task management organizes and assigns tasks, ensuring efficient issue resolution.
• Multi-Channel Integration: Converts emails, phone calls, chats, and web queries into manageable tickets.

Want more options to choose from? Here is our detailed blog – 17 Best helpdesk ticketing system for 2024

How to implement a helpdesk ticketing system – Best practices 

Here are the best practices for implementing the customer service ticketing system:

1. Implement smart ticket handling  

This begins with developing a structured process to manage customer issues, requests, or complaints. A well-defined ticket handling process keeps customers informed about the status of their requests, enhancing transparency and satisfaction.

2. Leverage automation and efficiency  

Use automation to streamline your ticket-handling processes by automating ticket routing, categorization, and real-time notifications.

These tasks need no manual attention, and automating them will help you reduce manual efforts and improve response times.

Further, automation enables support agents to focus on more complex issues requiring human intervention.

3. Manage SLAs effectively  

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) have become crucial for clients and service providers to set clear expectations for response and resolution times. 

So, implementing SLAs ensures consistency, reliability, and accountability between you and your high-value clients. 

4. Provide self-service options  

Self-service options, such as FAQs and troubleshooting guides, reduce the volume of support tickets and improve customer satisfaction

So, you must empower customers to resolve common issues independently by providing a comprehensive knowledge base.

5. Maintain team communication  

A ticketing system keeps your team informed by centralizing all customer interactions and support requests within the platform. 

Further, it helps to enhance collaboration across departments through shared access and updates and automating repetitive tasks to boost efficiency and minimize errors. 

6. Offering formal training to users  

If certain features are new in the customer support system, interns or freshers can be offered formal training for a seamless experience. 

7. Implement client feedback  

There are various methods for getting customer feedback for a company, such as surveys, emails, social media, and web analytics. 

8. Ensure mobile accessibility  

The ticketing system should be accessible from anywhere, with zero lag times. Hence, choosing a ticketing solution with great mobile accessibility is crucial.   

9. Integrate with other tools  

Ensure the ticketing system is easily integrated with other tools incorporated into the organization. 

Wondering if a CRM can be used as a support system?

What are the common challenges combated by the best ticketing system? 

There are specific common challenges that you can easily combat through a simple ticketing system: 

1. Classifying tickets 

Human agents may interpret and classify the tickets differently, which might lead to various inconsistencies.  

So, with the best ticketing and CRM solution, you can automate ticket categorization and ensure tickets are assigned correctly based on customer queries. This way, you can reduce inconsistencies and speed up resolution times.

2. Unorganized helpdesk tickets 

A long queue of unsolved issues can worsen things without an efficient ticket management platform.  

An efficient ticket management platform is a solution to overcome this, with features like tagging, filtering, and search options to keep tickets organized and manageable.

3. No regular complaint follow up 

When the customer gives feedback, but the company does not respond, this can also create a negative impression of the company. 

Automated reminders and follow-up schedules in the ticket management system ensure prompt customer query resolution, preventing negative impressions from delayed responses.

4. Difficulty in streamlining the service requests 

Manual streamlining and handling requests can save time, but the end process might not be successful for the organization.

An automated ticketing system offers customized workflows and integration with other tools to streamline service request handling and smooth the query-solving process. 

Turn your support challenges into opportunities!

Salesmate can help minimize delays and maximize satisfaction through a robust helpdesk support system.

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3 Real life ticketing system examples of the companies  

Here are three real life examples of companies being accompanied by an online helpdesk ticketing system:  

1) Zappos 

Zappos, an industry leader in online shoes and clothing, utilizes enterprise-level ticketing software to manage customer queries. The system allows them to maintain quick response times and compelling issues quickly.  

Through such a ticketing tool, Zappos has committed to delivering exceptional customer service, that is every business’s end goal. 

2) Spotify 

A global music streaming service with a robust ticketing solution to handle many issues, from technical support to billing inquiries.   

This system helps Spotify segregate and prioritize the tickets that need to be given priority efficiently, which is crucial for subscriber satisfaction.  

3) JetBlue 

JetBlue, a well-known airline, uses the ticketing system to manage customer feedback, inquiries, and complaints, ensuring that all customer interactions are tracked and addressed.  

It helps enhance the customer experience, manage operational issues more efficiently, and improve overall service by maintaining a record of all customer interactions. 

How to measure success and ROI from your ticketing system? 

Did you know loyal customers are worth 10 times more than new ones?  

To attract and retain such loyal customers, you need to measure the success and ROI of an email ticketing solution.   

It involves several key performance indicators that align with customer service teams’ improvements and operational efficiency.  

The key metrics involve: 

• Average resolution time: The average time it takes to resolve customer cases, including all the steps from ticket creation to resolution. 
• Ticket volume: The number of tickets that the customer support team has in the selected period. 
• Customer satisfaction scores (CSAT): This measure shows customers’ satisfaction with your product/ service.  

Additionally, you can track the rate of first-contact resolution and the percentage of tickets escalated.  

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Conclusion 

We have now gained a comprehensive understanding of the purpose and functionality of ticket management software.

These systems are essential for smartly managing inquiries and support tickets, streamlining the customer service process.

When selecting the best ticketing software, evaluate your business needs, key features of the tool, customization capabilities, and customer reviews to make the decision.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution to business growth, Salesmate is ideal. It is a unified CRM platform with advanced features to streamline marketing, sales, and customer service tasks.

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