Your customers expect a lot from your IT services. And for your service desk, this can mean inboxes overflowing with requests \u2014 each one apparently more critical than the last. If your service desk is dealing with a never-ending influx of email requests from end users, then it’s time to switch to a dedicated tool for email ticketing.<\/p>\n
This blog will give you the low-down on email ticketing systems, how they work, their advantages, and the different types of email ticketing systems out there.<\/p>\n
First things first, let\u2019s get our definitions straight. When we refer to an email ticketing system, we\u2019re referring to a dedicated software solution or tool for handling email requests \u2014 not a traditional email inbox. An email ticketing system is a tool that IT teams can use to automatically organize, prioritize, track, and resolve the requests that customers send via email.<\/p>\n
When it comes to communication channels, email isn\u2019t going anywhere. According to a recent survey, the majority of customers prefer to communicate with businesses via email<\/a>. But working with only an email channel and no structured process for handling end user requests can lead to lost emails, miscommunication, and a whole lot of manual work for your agents.<\/p>\n Email ticketing systems make it easier to handle email requests quickly and efficiently. And with automatic routing and prioritization capabilities, you\u2019re less likely to lose track of important emails from your customers.<\/p>\n This way, service desks can manage email requests with more structure and transparency.<\/p>\n With an email ticketing system, you can:<\/p>\n Managing requests from a traditional email inbox makes getting a clear picture of what needs to be done almost impossible, as Roots found before implementing TOPdesk<\/a>. With no structured system for managing your requests, responses can be delayed \u2014 or worse, customer requests can get lost altogether.<\/p>\n Email ticketing systems can bring some much-needed organization to your service desk and put an end to inbox chaos, sparing both your end users and your team from a headache.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re working with a traditional email inbox to manage incoming requests, you’re likely spending too much time on mundane, manual work. Making sure that an end user request gets routed to the right person, manually prioritizing every email request, writing status updates \u2014 these things take valuable time that could be better spent elsewhere.<\/p>\n Automating these processes using an email ticketing system allows your team to focus on more rewarding tasks and making a real difference for your end users.<\/p>\n If your inbox is already overflowing and unorganized, are you likely to spot that critical request at the bottom of a pile of password resets and other lower-priority customer issues? Probably not. Enabling your team to address critical issues first helps them to organize their own work and makes sure that the end users who are most in need get helped first. It\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n Email ticketing systems automatically prioritize email requests based on urgency and the likelihood that the issue will disrupt your business operations \u2014 so your team can address the emails that need immediate attention first.<\/p>\n A traditional email inbox gives you absolutely no overview of how your service desk is performing. An email ticketing system doesn\u2019t just make it easier to handle incoming email requests when they arise \u2014 it can provide you with the data you need to keep improving your services. With comprehensive reporting capabilities, email ticketing systems allow you to identify trends in your services, monitor your service desk\u2019s performance and spot areas where there\u2019s room for improvement.<\/p>\n Unlike traditional email inboxes, email ticketing systems are designed to help you get back to end users quickly and stay transparent with clear communication, all of which makes for a better customer experience. Automatic routing means that your end user will get a quicker response from the person who is equipped to help them, putting an end to email ping-pong and long waiting times. And you can keep them in the loop with real-time updates on the status of their request, giving them some much-needed reassurance that their issue is being dealt with. Implementing service automation<\/a> can further enhance the efficiency of your email ticketing system.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a wide range of email ticketing systems out there, designed to suit a variety of business needs. Finding the right one for your organization depends on the kinds of customer requests your service desk receives, as well as how many requests you normally receive day to day.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a brief rundown of a several types of email ticketing systems available:<\/p>\n Technically speaking, this isn\u2019t an email ticketing system. But some smaller support teams and businesses with a lower volume of requests do opt to handle their end user requests using a shared inbox.\u00a0 This allows multiple team members to access and respond to the same set of emails from end users. They’re very easy to set up and provide a single point of contact for end users.<\/p>\n But without any features to route and assign tickets to specific agents, service teams using shared inboxes often have to deal with \u201corphaned\u201d tickets, which never get picked up, or \u201ccollision\u201d, where two agents unknowingly work on the same ticket at the same time. This makes for a confusing and even frustrating experience for both end users and agents.<\/p>\n A help desk system is a more advanced tooling solution for email ticketing, which converts incoming emails into tickets which can be assigned, prioritized, and tracked until they are resolved. Help desk tools often include features like automated responses, reporting, and integrations with other tools.<\/p>\n IT service management (ITSM)<\/a> systems like TOPdesk are similar to help desk systems but are specifically designed for managing IT services. Unlike standard help desk systems, these tools usually include key features for managing IT services, based on ITSM processes. A few examples of ITSM processes include:<\/p>\n Of course, service management isn\u2019t just for IT. Enterprise service management (ESM) systems<\/a> extend the principles of IT service management to other areas of an organization, such as HR and facilities management. With a single platform for processing requests, service departments can collaborate more easily, communicate better, and solve problems more quickly.<\/p>\n There are so many email ticketing systems out there. To find the right one for your IT team, you need to look at factors like user-friendliness, features, support and more. Here are a few of the top email ticketing solutions on the market:<\/p>\n Best suited for: Large organizations with complex ITSM needs that want a fully customized ITSM solution.<\/p>\n Key features:<\/p>\n Wondering how ServiceNow matches up to TOPdesk? Check out this blog for a comparison of ServiceNow vs. TOPdesk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Best suited for: Enterprises and large organizations looking for a dedicated ticketing system for external customers.<\/p>\n Key features:<\/p>\n Best suited for: Small to medium-sized businesses.<\/p>\n Key features:<\/p>\n Wondering how Freshdesk matches up to TOPdesk? Check out this blog for a comparison of Freshdesk vs. TOPdesk.<\/a><\/p>\n Best suited for: IT teams who want to make continual, high-impact improvements to their services.<\/p>\n Key features:<\/p>\n On the hunt for an email ticketing solution but no clue where to start? Check out our tool selection overview<\/a> for tips on comparing tools.<\/p>\n TOPdesk\u2019s ITSM solution puts all your requests into one place, making them easier to manage, prioritize and track. Our tool automatically converts emails into tickets and assigns them to the appropriate team or agent based on predefined rules, making it a great option for email ticketing.<\/p>\n The advantages of managing email ticketing with TOPdesk include:<\/p>\n With TOPdesk, multiple team members can work on the same ticket. Real-time updates can be added directly to the ticket, ensuring everyone is on the same page and has access to the latest information. Bringing your service teams together boosts communication, making it easier to share tasks, workflows, best practices and knowledge – and ultimately help customers better.<\/p>\nHow does an email ticketing system work?<\/h2>\n
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What advantages do email ticketing systems offer?<\/h2>\n
1. Bring some order back to your inbox<\/h3>\n
2. Automate manual work<\/h3>\n
3. Prioritize team members\u2019 workload<\/h3>\n
4. Keep an eye on your performance<\/h3>\n
5. Improve customer experience<\/h3>\n
What types of email ticketing systems are out there?<\/h2>\n
Shared inboxes<\/h3>\n
Help desk systems<\/h3>\n
IT Service Management systems<\/h3>\n
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Enterprise Service Management Systems<\/h3>\n
4 email ticketing solutions currently on the market<\/h2>\n
ServiceNow<\/h3>\n
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Zendesk<\/h3>\n
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Freshdesk<\/h3>\n
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TOPdesk<\/h3>\n
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TOPdesk for email ticketing<\/h2>\n
Easy collaboration<\/h3>\n
A one-stop shop for all your customers\u2019 needs<\/h3>\n