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10 Best Ticketing Systems in 2024: Analysis And Features

Jorge Farah October 11, 2024
- 31 min read

A good ticketing system is one of the most essential tools an effective service desk can have. Properly implemented, ticketing software can help service desks log, update, manage, and resolve incidents and service requests effectively. Efficient ticket management solutions help you streamline your help desk services, ensuring responsiveness and quality.

In this article, we'll look at everything you need to know about them, their must-have features, and some of the top ITSM vendors in the market to choose from in 2024.

Let's begin!

 

Table of contents

 

TL;DR

  •  A Ticket Management system streamlines the delivery of IT services by centralizing customer requests, ticket creation, and lifecycle management.
  • Ticketing software makes IT support more efficient.
  • The main ticketing software features to look out for are ticket logging and management, omnichannel support, automation, and integrations.


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We tried to be as thorough as possible, but if you don't have enough time to read it through and through, here's (another) TL;DR: InvGate Service Management can do everything we say here, and you can test it right away for free for 30 days.

What is a ticketing system?

A ticketing system is a piece of software that automates the manual tasks IT professionals carry out when dealing with incidents and service requests. 

ticket management view 1

Put simply, in front-line IT support, you deal with two types of tickets: 

  • Incidents, which are break-fix.
  • Service requests, which are there to handle requests for new hardware, software, or permissions. 

A ticket management system allows you to handle these requests, so instead of the tech support person relying on post-it notes, emails, or spreadsheets, the system creates a new incident or service request every time a ticket is submitted. 

In doing so, the software platform captures all the relevant customer data and requirements as part of the Ticket Management process, and it generates a unique reference number so the ticket can be tracked throughout its lifecycle. Some ticket management systems also have additional tools and functionality to support Problem, Change, and Asset Management. 

10 best ticketing systems to try in 2024

Ready to start looking? Here are some of the best ticketing systems to choose from.

  1. InvGate Service Management
  2. ManageEngine
  3. Hornbill
  4. TOPdesk
  5. Ivanti Neurons
  6. SysAid
  7. Freshservice
  8. Zendesk
  9. SolarWinds
  10. Marval

1. InvGate Service Management

InvGate Service Management is the all-in-one solution to streamline your IT operations.  It's a centralized platform that's suitable for companies of all sizes and offers on-premise and cloud implementations.

Its user-friendly interface not only improves the adoption rates by end-users but also helps the implementation time by allowing your agents to start working with it in no time and with very little training time required.

 

"We are definitely pushing all employees (4,500) to move from email to tickets. There is better control over them, determining times, necessary training and employee performance."

Martin Nuñez
Service Desk Manager at Harmony Public Schools

  

InvGate Service Management software features

And you can explore all of these for free for 30 days or navigate through the live demo.

InvGate Service Management pricing

  • $17/agent/month (billed annually).

InvGate Service Management review rating

  • Gartner: 4.6
  • G2: 4.7

2. ManageEngine

ManageEngine overview

Example of ManageEngine's interface.

ManageEngine provides a consistent solution for IT Service Management with key features such as Incident, Problem, Change, Asset, and SLA management, self-service features, a CMDB to manage configuration items, IT project management, and reporting.

ManageEngine pricing

  • Not disclosed.

ManageEngine review rating

  • Gartner: 4.3
  • G2: 4.2

ManageEngine alternatives

3. Hornbill

Hornbill overview

Example of Hornbill's interface.

Hornbill is a help desk ticketing system designed to streamline IT and business workflows. It centralizes service requests, enabling teams to track, prioritize, and resolve issues efficiently. With features like automation, reporting, and self-service portals, it helps organizations improve response times and maintain SLA compliance.

Hornbill software features

  • Customizable workflows
  • Self-Service portal
  • Collaboration tools
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Integrations with third-party tools and systems

Hornbill pricing

  • Not disclosed.

Hornbill review rating

  • Gartner: 4.1
  • G2: 4.5

4. TOPdesk

TOPdesk overview

Example of Topdesk's interface.

TOPdesk is a ticketing software that includes tools to manage IT services effectively and ensure business continuity.

TOPdesk software features

  • Incident and Problem Management
  • Change Management
  • Self-Service portal
  • Reporting and analytics
  • Integrations

TOPdesk pricing

  • Not disclosed.

TOPdesk review rating

  • Gartner: 4.5
  • G2: 4.1

TOPdesk alternatives

5. Ivanti Neurons

Ivanti Neurons overview

Example of Ivanti's interface.

Ivanti Neurons helps organizations meet company demands and streamline IT processes. 

Ivanti Neurons software features

  • ITIL-aligned processes
  • Integration with IT Asset Management
  • Omnichannel support
  • CMDB

Ivanti Neurons pricing

  • Not disclosed.

Ivanti Neurons review rating

  • Gartner: 4.3
  • G2: 3.9

Ivanti Neurons alternatives

6. SysAid

SysAid overview

Example of SysAid's interface.

SysAid is a helped desk software and ITSM solution. It comes with an ITIL package, workflow automation, third-party integrations, advanced customization, and Service Level Management.

SysAid pricing

  • Not disclosed.

SysAid review rating

  • Gartner: 4.4
  • G2: 4.5

SysAid alternatives

7. Freshservice

Freshservice overview

Example of Freshservice's interface.

Freshservice is an intuitive ticketing solution to automate repetitive tasks, remove data silos, and reduce costs.

Freshservice software features

  • Integrations with communication tools to provide omnichannel support
  • Knowledge base and self-service options
  • AI capabilities

Freshservice pricing

  • $19/agent/month (billed annually).

Freshservice review rating

  • Gartner: 4.3
  • G2: 4.6

Freshservice alternatives

 

8. Zendesk

Zendesk overview

Example of Zendesk's interface.

Zendesk is a platform oriented to customer service, with a focus on experience. It offers products for service and sales.

Zendesk software features

  • Self-service capabilities
  • Omnichannel support features
  • AI and bots
  • Collaboration tools
  • Integrations

Zendesk pricing

  • $19/agent/month (billed annually).

Zendesk review rating

  • Gartner: 4.2
  • G2: 4.3

Zendesk alternatives

9. SolarWinds

SolarWinds overview

Example of SolarWinds Web Help Desk's interface.

SolarWinds is helpful to better control your IT processes and improve customer service. It specializes in industries with tight controls and audits.

Solarwinds software features

  • Integrated IT Asset management
  • Self-service options
  • Problem, Change, and Incident Management

Solarwinds pricing

  • $39/technician/month.

Solarwinds review rating

  • Gartner: 4.3
  • G2: 4.3

SolarWinds alternatives

10. Marval

Marval overview

Example of Marval's interface.

Lastly, Marval offers a powerful Enterprise Service Management solution to enhance productivity and customer service and improve control and accountability. It has a user-friendly interface, cloud and on-premise options, and easy implementation.

Marval pricing

  • Not disclosed.

Marval review rating

  • Gartner: 4.0
  • G2: Not listed.

 

Why do you need a help desk ticketing system?

Support ticket systems allow organizations to handle customer requests efficiently. They constitute a centralized place to organize customer data, sort support tickets, and, ultimately, help businesses make data-driven decisions.

A Ticket Management system (also known as help desk software) makes the support process more cohesive and ensures nothing is lost, ignored, or forgotten. Thanks to its automation capabilities, it will provide you with a unified and updated view of your ticket volume and ticket status, making it much easier to provide a superb customer experience.

7 benefits of using a ticketing system software

The benefits of ticketing software include the following:

  1. A more professional help desk experience: Everything is logged consistently, and nothing can be lost, ignored, or forgotten.
  2. Automation: Your customer service team can get rid of repetitive tasks and keep track of all incoming requests with automatically assigned tickets and escalations.
  3. Omnichannel support: A ticket management system allows organizations to connect all support channels (such as email or Microsoft Teams) into one single platform so that support teams don't have to go back and forth among multiple systems.
  4. Self-service options: For instance, you can control your ticket volume by letting end-users solve their issues through a knowledge base.
  5. Unified reporting: Having all your support operations in one place allows you to unify the reporting and get a more comprehensive picture of their performance.
  6. Scalability: Ultimately, help desk software streamlines support operations and lets organizations scale their support offering without headaches.
  7. Customer satisfaction: Your ultimate goal. With a ticket management system, you'll not only resolve issues efficiently but also enhance communication with your customers, fostering loyalty and cultivating a positive company image that sets you apart.

How does a ticketing system work?

The four basic steps that show how ticketing systems work.

 

Ticketing systems capture all customer messages, questions, and issues into tickets, acting as one central point of contact for all IT support. The system will then track the ticket status of each request as it's investigated and worked on, and all actions relating to them are recorded in an audit diary so that they can be referred back to if necessary. 

When a ticket has been resolved, it doesn't just disappear; it's updated with what has been done to solve the issue (you can also transform this ticket resolution into a knowledge article using AI!). This way, if the issue recurs or a different colleague or customer experiences the same issue, ticketing software can return and use it as part of the fix effort.

 

8 ticketing system features to look for

The IT ticketing system market is a crowded one, but here are the essential features to look for:

  1. Ticket logging and management
  2. Self-service capabilities
  3. Omnichannel support
  4. Automation
  5. IT security
  6. Integrations
  7. Reporting and metrics
  8. AI capabilities

1. Ticket logging and management

Animation of how tickets are assigned on InvGate Service Management.

The clue is in the name! The most important thing your ticketing system needs to be able to do is to log and manage tickets quickly and effectively to establish a seamless ticketing process flow.

It should be easy to raise, update, and resolve issues, and you should be able to create templates of your most commonly occurring tickets.

2. Self-service capabilities

InvGate Service Management allows you to customize the self-service portal to match your brand's identity.

A self-service portal, service catalog, and knowledge base allow end-users to become more self-sufficient by empowering them to log and update their own incidents and service requests. 

3. Omnichannel support

Colleagues don't all contact IT in the same way. Some call, some email, and some show up in person. So, having a strategy for ensuring that everyone is treated transparently and fairly no matter how the ticket was logged is essential.

Thus, ensure that your go-to ticketing platform can integrate with tools such as Zapier, Microsoft Teams, and email to enable IT to support customers using their preferred channels.

4. Ticket routing

Animation of how the three automatic ticket assignment rules work on InvGate Service Management.

It's not just about logging and resolving incidents and service requests; you must also route them effectively. Sometimes, you have to assign an incident to a different team or the next level of support if more specialized knowledge is required. 

To achieve this, help desk tools must provide features like automatic assignment of tickets, workflows, and simple ticket escalation options. Regardless of your ticketing system, ticket reassignments and escalations are vital parts of the ticket management lifecycle. So, ensure your tool can support this and that the functionality is easy to use.

5. Automation

Your ticketing system can use workflow automation to free up your help desk to focus on the most valuable customer interactions. Create workflows to automate routine processes across IT and the rest of the business.

6. Integrations

The help desk is too important to work alone, so look at how it can link to other systems within your organization. One integration in particular to leverage is combining support ticketing systems with an Asset Management platform because it'll provide your agents with all the information they need to solve issues faster and more efficiently.

7. Reporting & analytics

There's nothing like solid metrics to keep us all accountable. Done well, reporting can help identify blockers and pain points and be used as the basis for Problem Management and continuous improvement practices.

9. AI capabilities

Artificial intelligence is leading the way when it comes to technology innovations that help enhance the efficiency, precision, and user satisfaction of service processes.

The implementation of AI-driven features introduces intelligent automation and predictive insights, leading to the simplification and streamlining of Ticket Management in the IT support domain.

This includes functions such as summarizing tickets, creating knowledge article drafts, and suggesting improvements to agents answers. This way, it doesn't just improve the workflow for support agents but also heightens the overall experience for end-users.

How to implement a ticketing system: 5 tips and best practices

Implementing a ticketing system is one of the most important actions you can take in improving IT service provision to your organization. We have an ITSM implementation checklist to help you out, but in short, remember the following:

Know your organization

Every business is different. Take the time to research the market and find a tool vendor that will work with you to deliver a ticketing service that will best meet your organization's and its users' needs.

Involving stakeholders from various departments in the selection process can ensure that the system you choose addresses the needs of all users, not just IT. It can also help you secure buy-in from the get-go, making the implementation smoother and more successful.

Know your requirements

We've discussed the main ones in the previous section. Before you start looking at solutions, sit down with your help desk and tech support teams, and watch them work support tickets through the entire lifecycle in case a requirement or way of working needs to be captured.

Documenting these requirements in detail will help you avoid any last-minute costly surprises. It's also beneficial to prioritize these requirements, distinguishing between must-haves and nice-to-haves, to guide your decision-making process.

The tool is not a silver bullet

Don't forget that the tool is there to make life easier for your end-users and support team. If your processes are broken, having a new ticketing system won't fix that, no matter how sparkly and new it is.

A new system can only amplify what’s already in place—good or bad. Therefore, take the time to review and refine your workflows, ensuring they are logical, efficient, and aligned with best practices.

Keep it simple

Just because you can automate something doesn't necessarily mean you should. Overcomplicating the system from the outset can overwhelm users and lead to resistance, ultimately slowing down adoption. Start simple while you and your end-users get accustomed to the tool, and add more automation and process improvements over time.

The bottom line

The reality is that a ticketing system will enable your IT support teams to handle support requests more effectively and efficiently, delivering better outcomes to end-users. It will help you manage, control, and protect your IT infrastructure, keep costs under control, and plan for future challenges. 

When selecting ticketing system software, don't forget to keep in mind your company's needs and must-have features such as automation, integrations, and self-service capabilities – they will make the difference in the long run, we can assure you!

Lastly, if you want to know if InvGate Service Management is the right tool for your organization, our experts are ready to jump in and answer your questions!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ticketing in tech? 

Ticketing keeps track of end-users' issues and requests, ensuring nothing is lost, ignored, or forgotten about.

What is an incident in a ticketing tool?

An incident is a type of ticket that refers to break-fix work. ITIL best practice defines it as an interruption to or degrading normal service levels.

What is an email ticketing system?

An email ticketing system is a system that is used to generate tickets from end-user emails.

Which software is used for ticketing?

ITSM tool software is used for ticketing systems.

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