What is a Support Ticket? How They Work And Best Practices

Support tickets are growing in complexity and volume. According to the Help Desk Institute’s “The State of Technical Support in 2024” study, 46% of organizations saw a rise in ticket volumes over the past year. The research also pointed out that the increased use of new applications and devices and expanding customer bases have led to IT teams managing everything from desktops and laptops to mobile devices, telecom systems, network equipment, IoT wearables, and even POS systems.

Keeping up with user demands requires a structured approach to handling support requests, and that’s where IT support tickets come in. We have seen firsthand how a well-organized ticket system not only records issues but also creates a reliable communication channel between users and support professionals.

Trust us: you want to become an expert on ticket management too. In this article, we cover all you need to know about support tickets, from what they are and how they work to proven best practices that improve your support process. Let’s get started!

What is a support ticket?

A support ticket is a record of a request for assistance, typically submitted by an end user to an IT support team. These tickets document issues, track progress, and facilitate communication between users and support agents.

Most organizations rely on help desk or ticketing systems to manage support tickets efficiently. Compared to managing requests informally, ticketing systems offer better organization, tracking, and efficiency.

They ensure that requests are less likely to get lost or forgotten and reach the correct respondent more efficiently. Without a structured ticketing system, managing IT support can quickly become overwhelming.

8 main elements of a support ticket

Every support ticket contains details that help resolve issues efficiently. While the exact format may vary, most tickets include:

Ticket ID: A unique identifier for tracking.
Requestor details: The user reporting the issue.
Issue description: A summary of the problem, including relevant details.
Priority level: Indicates urgency (e.g., low, medium, high, critical).
Category: Classifies the issue (e.g., software, hardware, network, access request, maintenance request).
Status: Tracks progress (e.g., open, in progress, resolved, closed).
Assigned technician: The support agent responsible for resolving the issue.
Resolution notes: Steps taken to address the problem.

Recommended reading

Ticket Management: Key Concepts and Strategies

Read Article

How does a support ticket system work?

A support ticket system streamlines issue resolution by following a structured workflow:

The user submits a request: A user submits a request through an online portal, email, chat, or even phone. The system prompts for key details like error messages, screenshots, and context.
Ticket is created: The system logs the request and assigns it a unique ID.
Categorization and prioritization: The system or support team classifies the issue and sets its priority.
Assignment to an agent: The ticket is routed to the appropriate support personnel.
Troubleshooting and resolution: The technician investigates and resolves the issue.
Ticket escalation (if necessary): Should the issue prove complex or remain unresolved for too long, the ticket can be escalated to a higher support tier or specialist.
User communication: Throughout the process, the support team keeps the user informed with regular updates on progress and any necessary actions.
Ticket closure and documentation: Once resolved, the ticket is closed, and resolution details are logged for future reference.

Beyond handling individual requests, modern support ticket systems offer additional features to improve efficiency and service quality:

SLA management: Tracks response and resolution times to ensure service agreements are met.
Automation: Uses predefined workflows to categorize, assign, and escalate tickets automatically.
Reporting and analytics: Provides insights into common issues, agent performance, and overall efficiency.
Knowledge base integration: Helps users find answers to common problems, reducing the number of incoming tickets.

Recommended reading

Automated Ticketing System: A Complete Guide For Businesses

Read Article

5 support ticket types

Support tickets are typically classified into several categories depending on the nature of the request. Many organizations follow the ITIL framework (a set of best practices for IT Service Management), which defines common types of support tickets:

Incidents: Unexpected issues that disrupt normal operations. Examples include system outages, application errors, or network failures. The goal is to restore normal service as quickly as possible.
Service requests: Routine requests that do not indicate an issue but require IT assistance. Examples include password resets, software installations, new account creation, and access permissions.
Change requests: Requests for modifications to IT systems, such as upgrading software, modifying network configurations, or replacing hardware. These are assessed for risk before approval.
Problem tickets: Issues that require in-depth investigation because they are recurring or have an unknown root cause. Unlike incidents, which focus on immediate resolution, problem tickets aim to prevent future occurrences.
Major incident ticket: This classification is used for significant incidents that require immediate attention and resources due to their impact on business operations.

Using this structure makes it easier for support teams to assign tickets to the right personnel, track trends, and improve response times. Without proper categorization, tickets could be misrouted, delaying resolutions and increasing frustration for both users and agents.

Recommended reading

The 14 Most Common Help Desk Tickets and How to Solve Them

Read Article

9 best practices for managing support tickets

Effective ticket management improves response times and user satisfaction. Here are key best practices:

1- Use clear and concise descriptions

Effective support ticket management starts with detailed and understandable tickets. When submitting a ticket, encourage users to include error messages, screenshots, and relevant context.

This way, the support team gets all the information needed right away, which minimizes back-and-forth questions and speeds up the troubleshooting process. Clear descriptions also provide a useful reference for similar issues in the future.

2- Organize your help desk with support levels

Use a tiered support model to assign tickets based on complexity and required expertise.

Level 0 support: Self-service support. This includes FAQs, knowledge bases, and automated solutions that customers can use to resolve issues independently.
Level 1 support: The first line of defense, handling basic issues like password resets or simple troubleshooting.
Level 2 support: More experienced agents who handle complex issues requiring in-depth troubleshooting.
Level 3 support: Specialists or engineers who manage advanced technical problems, system failures, or security threats.
Level 4 support: External support. This may involve escalating issues to product engineers, developers, or third-party vendors for specialized assistance

3- Prioritize based on urgency

Not all tickets require immediate action. That's the first thing you must remember when managing a ticket queue. Establish a well-defined system that assigns priorities like: "urgent," "high priority," "medium priority," and "low priority," with specific criteria for what types of issues fall into each category.

For instance, a system crash requiring immediate attention would be classified as "urgent," while a request for general information might be deemed "low priority." Critical issues are addressed first, while less urgent requests follow a structured process.

Recommended reading

How to Use Help Desk Priority Levels to Prioritize Support Tickets

Read Article

4- Integrate with other IT management tools

Integrating your ticketing system with other IT management tools, particularly ITAM software, brings significant benefits by adding valuable context to each ticket.

Support teams gain access to system history and relevant data like software versions, hardware specs, and who owns the asset, which allows for targeted troubleshooting and reduces the need for time-consuming separate searches. Plus, recurring problems or patterns become evident and can guide proactive measures like updates or maintenance.

Recommended reading

5 Benefits of Combining IT Help Desk Software With Asset Management

Read Article

5- Automate where possible

Automation can free up valuable time for your support staff. Utilize automated systems to handle initial ticket routing, send notifications, and track progress.

Automating routine tasks, such as assigning tickets based on set rules or escalating unresolved issues, allows your team to concentrate on more complex problems. It will also help maintain consistency across support processes.

6- Maintain a knowledge base

Documenting common issues and their solutions creates a central resource that benefits both the support team and end users.

A well-maintained knowledge base reduces recurring support requests by empowering users to resolve minor issues on their own. Over time, this repository can also serve as a training tool for new support staff, ensuring that valuable institutional knowledge is preserved.

7- Set up self-service options:

Speaking of resolving problems on their own, did you know that industry experts point out that self-service is the future of support? After all, preventing tickets from being created in the first place is a smart strategy to reduce ticket volume.

This is called the "Level 0" of support: a user-friendly self-service portal that enables users to find answers to common issues quickly. Users prefer and want to be able to access help around the clock so they can resolve problems without waiting for support agents.

Recommended reading

The Definitive Guide to Implement Your IT Self-Service Portal

Read Article

8- Monitor and optimize response times

Keep an eye on key performance metrics like response times and resolution times. Regularly tracking these metrics helps you identify bottlenecks and adjust your processes for better efficiency. Optimizing response times not only benefits users but also contributes to an overall improvement in service quality.

9- Encourage user feedback

User feedback plays an important role in refining your support process. After a ticket is resolved, ask users about their experience and satisfaction. This feedback can highlight what’s working well and identify areas that might need improvement. Over time, continuously gathering and acting on this input helps maintain a high standard of support service.

Recommended reading

Ticket Handling Best Practices: Reduce Backlog And Boost Performance

Read Article

In conclusion

A well-structured ticketing system shapes the entire support experience for users and agents. Clear ticket categories help teams assign and resolve issues faster, while automation and SLA tracking keep everything running smoothly. But the real advantage comes from what happens beyond individual tickets.

Analyzing ticket data can reveal patterns, like recurring outages or common user frustrations, giving IT teams the chance to address problems at the source. Plus, a strong self-service portal helps reduce ticket volume while it empowers users to solve issues on their own, shifting IT from a reactive helpdesk to a proactive support system.

At its best, a support ticket system can help you overcome the break-fix model and move to an efficient, data-driven IT strategy that improves service quality, prevents future issues, and makes life easier for both users and support teams.