Cloud Based IT Ticketing System

An IT service desk is broader in scope and places more emphasis on helping IT staff members provide a service from a technical standpoint. A service desk can be more strategic than a help desk by fixing issues, adding new services, and maintaining existing services, rather than simply fixing issues (as would be the case of a help desk). IT service desks also tend to be more focused on business needs than the end user’s immediate issues.

A help desk, on the other hand, can be a subsection of a larger service desk and is focused solely on helping end users solve their technology problems. A help desk is tactical, not strategic. Core help desk principles include serving as a single point of contact for IT issues, ticketing and resolution, and incident escalation to other units within the business.

Help desk software is important because it helps IT staff provide robust support for end users—which is especially key for MSPs. The ability to provide strong customer support builds your business reputation, fosters stronger relationships with customers, and can ultimately help increase your bottom line. The benefits of help desk software include, but aren’t limited to

• Resolving tickets more quickly by empowering IT members to work collaboratively
• Providing better visibility to help ensure all tickets get resolved
• Helping MSPs meet service level agreements (SLAs)
• Helping resolve issues faster by creating a knowledge base using information from tickets
• Providing a seamless experience for end-users
• Increasing technician productivity and efficiency

A cloud-based IT ticketing system is a customer service tool, typically included in web help desk software, that helps MSPs and staff manage their tech support cases. A cloud-based IT ticketing system allows support teams to generate a ticket that documents the user’s request or issue, and allows managers to route these tickets to the appropriate team members.

Ticketing systems also automatically generate a detailed service history that makes it easier to troubleshoot issues later. IT staff can look back on previous logs stored in the ticketing system to find out how similar issues were solved in the past and then try those solutions first, helping them resolve issues more quickly.

First, the cloud-based ticketing system creates a ticket that records the details of the user’s request. Once the ticket is created, IT staff can work on resolving the issue. When the issue has been resolved, the IT staff can notify the user via an update. When the issue has been officially resolved, the IT staff or the user can mark the ticket as closed.

When using N‑able MSP Manager, the technician can quickly create a ticket using the Quick Ticket feature. For example, when browsing through a client’s assets, a ticket can be created without having to leave the page. The system can also be configured to automatically create a ticket if a user submits it via email. Additionally, email correspondence between technicians and the user will be captured within the ticket.

A cloud-based ticketing system is hosted on cloud servers. Data is stored and backed up on cloud servers, and cloud providers take care of maintaining and managing the cloud. Billing options vary, but cloud-based ticketing systems are generally less expensive than on-premises ticketing systems because service providers don’t have to worry about purchasing or maintaining systems.

On-premises ticketing systems are installed on servers owned by you, which may mean that you have more control over security features and updates than with a cloud-based solution. However, on-premises solutions are more expensive due to the associated upfront hardware costs, maintenance, upgrades, licenses, and more.

IT help desk ticketing systems are beneficial to MSPs in three key ways:

1. Organization: IT help desk ticketing systems help MSPs organize, catalog, and tackle high numbers of tickets. Staff members can handle multiple cases at once because they’re clearly labeled and can be prioritized based on urgency.
2. Communication: IT help desk ticketing systems move all communications to a single thread, so staff members don’t have to toggle between different channels to get a full picture of the issue. Ticketing systems provide one centralized place in which all communication lives, meaning information won’t get lost among multiple emails or other message threads.
3. Accessibility: With streamlined communication between your technicians and your users, and improved technician collaboration, tickets can be resolved more quickly.

Staying on top of support tickets is essential for any MSP, but knowing how to prioritize those tickets to retain customers and ensure continued satisfaction across the board can be a challenge. The good news is that there are a number of easy-to-implement practices you can adopt today to better prioritize your workflow and manage your service desk.

Best practices to improve support queue management include categorizing tickets based on urgency, monitoring and automating workflows, and encouraging self-service whenever possible. You can also categorize customers by urgency and VIP status, set up an easy way to keep customers informed, and use template messages to ensure a more streamlined process.

It’s even easier with a dedicated tool, such as N‑able MSP Manager, which helps you automate the ticket management process and ensure your IT service representatives always have the support they need.

For more information, head over to our Guide on Best Practices for Ticket Management