Everything you need to know about an MSP ticketing system
Are you an MSP looking out for a ticketing system? But you are unsure of which one to choose to drive your business goals? Search no more. We have got you everything you need to know about an MSP ticketing system.
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As an MSP, your job is to ensure that your clients face minimum to no IT-related issues. While this can be achieved with good remote monitoring software and proactive IT support, things start to fall apart on the communication front.
Enter MSP ticketing system. It allows businesses to streamline their IT operations and provide timely resolutions to any issues that arise. It lets your technicians effectively manage their workload and prioritize tasks, resulting in increased productivity and customer satisfaction. Let’s delve deeper into what an MSP ticketing system is, why you need one, how it works, and much more in the upcoming sections.
What is an MSP ticketing system?
MSP ticketing system refers to a software or a solution built for MSPs to keep track of customer issues, complaints, and requests from a single place. It is a singular system that will act as a bridge between you (the MSP) and your clients. Used right, an MSP ticketing system can go on to become the backbone of your operations, helping you improve efficiency and boost productivity.
MSP ticketing software makes it easier for support technicians to assign and prioritize tickets and provide resolution to customers efficiently.
How is it different from a normal ticketing system?
An MSP ticketing system and a normal ticketing system are almost identical with a few differences.
A normal ticketing system is built for a wide variety of industries for a range of purposes including customer support, event management, or transportation services. This can be used by MSPs and other companies alike.
On the other hand, an MSP ticketing system is specifically designed for IT service providers to manage client requests and issues related to their IT infrastructure. It helps to streamline processes for managing and resolving IT incidents, problems, and service requests.
While the normal ticketing system can also be used by MSPs, it doesn’t however offer all capabilities that an MSP needs. These MSP ticketing systems will include integrations with other ITSM tools, such as IT asset management, remote monitoring and management, patch management, and configuration management, cybersecurity solutions and much more to provide a more comprehensive IT service management solution. An MSP ticketing solution offers all the relevant integrations that an MSP needs to run their business successfully.
Why do MSPs need a ticketing system?
A good ticketing system will help MSPs keep track of their service delivery and help offer the best support to their clients. It helps them monitor incoming support issues from the beginning to the end.
1. Streamline tickets from different channels
A good ticketing system will keep track of all your incoming support requests, be it by phone, email, or chat in a single place. Your technicians can have context of requests coming from different channels in a single window. This saves technicians from having to juggle between multiple windows and can get straight into solving the issue without having the customer repeat the issue over and over again.
2. Improves efficiency with automation
A ticketing system is packed with automation capabilities to resolve tickets faster. It lets you automate routine tasks including categorizing requests, assigning tickets to the appropriate technician, and escalating when a critical issue arises. You can also set up alerts to keep technicians aware when a support ticket is created.
3. Resolve common queries faster with self-service
Self-service lets customers get resolutions to common queries on their own without waiting for an agent. A ticketing system will help you build a self-service offering with ease. Customers can get access to the knowledge base, FAQs, and service catalogs and get faster resolution. This in turn also reduces the number of incoming ticket queries.
4. Keep track of your metrics
What better way to analyze your performance than measuring your performance against a set of metrics? A good ticketing system will offer insights into support request volume, response times, customer satisfaction metrics, and more. It offers you a 360-degree view of your team’s performance and it also helps you collect customer feedback. This can also be on a rating scale. This valuable information will help you optimize operations, identify areas of improvement, and make better business decisions.
How does an MSP ticketing system work?
The working of an MSP ticketing system is similar to that of a normal ticketing system. Here’s how it goes.
Ticket creation → Ticket Assignment → Ticket Management → Ticket Resolution → Ticket Analysis
Ticket creation: Clients raise an issue via any of the available support channels including phone, email, or chat, and that gets converted into a ticket in a ticketing system. This ticket will contain all the required information about the issue.
Ticket assignment: Ticketing systems can automatically assign tickets to technicians based on predefined rules like workload or skillset.
Ticket management: In this stage, the technician analyzes the ticket and updates the ticket with the tags and other relevant notes. The technician can also request extra information from the user to resolve the issue.
Ticket resolution: Here, the technicians will resolve the issue and close the ticket. If the issue is still prevalent, it will be escalated to the right team or senior technicians to get it resolved.
Ticket analysis: This is the final stage where the ticket is analyzed to identify trends, common queries, and also the performance of technicians against the metrics to deliver a better service experience to the clients.
Top 7 features to look out for in an MSP ticketing system
There are multiple MSP ticketing systems available in the market right now. But there are a few features you should
1. Multi-channel ticket creation
Gone are the days when support was offered only via a single channel either phone or email. Customers now reach businesses via multiple channels. This makes it crucial to have a ticketing system that will help you keep track of all support requests in a single window.
2. Time tracking
This is quite an essential feature for MSP technicians as it helps them keep track of the time spent on a particular ticket. You can define your Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and work towards accomplishing it.
3. Integration capabilities
While integrations aren't very crucial, it really does enhance your tool stack when you use multiple tools for your service delivery. If you use an external RMM system, having an MSP ticketing tool that easily integrates with other RMM vendors in the market can help you seamlessly handle multiple tools.
4. Priority view
Priority view is a great addition to your ticketing tool to keep track of your tickets and stay on top of your metrics. This view shows a clear view of tickets that have been assigned, and ones that are overdue, and oversee the progress and level of importance. This will help the technicians balance their workload more efficiently.
5. Collaborative capabilities
Managing an MSP business involves multiple stakeholders and at times involves more than one person to resolve an issue. Your MSP ticketing system should enable you to collaborate with your agents and third-party vendors when required.
For instance, the Side Conversations feature offered by SuperOps lets you manage all your communication with vendors and external stakeholders be it a ticket, project, invoice, or quote from a single window.
6. Custom ticket tags
When you receive multiple tickets, some might easily get lost away in the clutter. Having custom ticket tags will let technicians prioritize, categorize, and group tickets based on their preferences. This helps boost productivity and deliver resolutions to customers more systematically.
7. Mobile application
When offering field support, having a ticketing system on the go will come in handy when needed. Having a ticketing system that has a mobile application will help them easily access ticket details, billing information, and others from their mobile devices. The mobile app should support both iOS and Android operating systems.
3 important factors to consider before choosing an MSP ticketing system
Vendor support: Every MSP ticketing vendor out there has a comparable feature set. But when it comes to providing support when in need, there are hardly a few vendors who you can count on. How well does the vendor support you across various channels? Are they available when you need them? Are they quick to respond? These are a few questions to get answers to before choosing the one for you.
Pricing: Cost efficiency is an important factor to consider when choosing a software, especially in times of this economic downturn. You need to choose a software that offers the features needed to run your business successfully without drilling a hole in your pocket.
Scalability: Your business needs to grow. And so you need a software solution that scales as you grow to better cater to your business needs. Your software should support faster integrations to stay reliable with the current trends and growth.
Pro-tip: Choose a software that offers a free trial. This lets you play around the software and understand how it suits your business without any commitments. SuperOps offers a 14-day free trial which lets you take our platform for a ride. And the best part is there are no strings attached.
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What are the different MSP ticketing tools available in the market?
Every client has different needs and every MSP uses different workflows, tools, and software to serve their clients. A compatible ticketing tool is needed for efficient support and service delivery. Here are a few popular ticketing systems available in the market.
1.SuperOps
SuperOps is a truly unified, future-ready PSA-RMM platform built for fast-growing MSPs. It is also packed with IT documentation and project management to give technicians access to a full-suite MSP tool. SuperOps offers a modern ticketing platform to help technicians deliver exceptional IT services.
It offers automation capabilities to assign tasks and eliminate routine tasks without manual intervention. With context-rich ticketing, you can resolve client issues rapidly. With a lot more interesting features, SuperOps starts from $59 per month.
2. Halo PSA
Halo PSA offers a ticketing system that allows MSPs to manage customer issues and support requests. The ticketing system enables MSPs to track customer issues, assign them to the appropriate team member, and resolve them effectively.
With Halo PSA's ticketing system, MSPs can set up customized workflows, including ticket prioritization, escalation rules, and notifications, ensuring that customer issues are resolved according to agreed-upon service level agreements (SLAs).
Cons
Halo PSA is not an unified MSP platform and so MSPs will have to integrate with another RMM platform.
The cost of using the Halo PSA tool is on the higher side, especially for MSPs with smaller client bases or limited resources.
3. N-able MSP manager
N-able MSP Manager's ticketing system is a powerful tool for MSPs looking to improve their customer support capabilities, increase efficiency, and deliver exceptional customer service. With N-able MSP Manager's ticketing system, MSPs can track customer issues, assign them to the appropriate team member, and resolve them quickly and effectively.
N-able MSP Manager's ticketing system also includes a knowledge base, which enables MSPs to provide customers with self-service options, such as articles, FAQs, and video tutorials.
Cons
N-able does not offer a unified PSA-RMM solution which limits MSPs from leveraging all the capabilities of an MSP tool.
It is a complex tool with many features and functionalities, which may make it difficult for some MSPs to learn and use effectively.
4. Zendesk
Zendesk is a customer service and support platform that provides MSPs with a range of tools to help them manage and resolve customer issues efficiently.
With Zendesk, MSPs can streamline their support operations, automate workflows, and manage all customer interactions from a single platform. This includes features such as ticket management, self-service portals, live chat, and reporting/analytics
5. Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a comprehensive customer support platform that provides MSPs with a range of tools to manage and resolve customer issues, including ticket management, knowledge base, self-service portals, live chat, phone support, and more.
With Freshdesk, MSPs can streamline their customer support operations, automate workflows, and collaborate effectively with their teams. Freshdesk offers features such as ticket prioritization, SLA management, and time tracking, allowing MSPs to meet service level agreements and resolve customer issues quickly.
While Zendesk and Freshdesk are good ticketing solutions, they might not be suitable for MSPs looking for a unified solution. Having these ticketing systems would still require MSPs to integrate with other third-party apps for a PSA and RMM solution.
Still confused? Here’s a detailed guide on MSP ticketing tools |
Why SuperOps should be your next MSP ticketing system?
SuperOps offers a ticketing system that is built exclusively for MSPs. As discussed above, a normal ticketing system is more suitable for businesses offering customer support. SuperOps offers ticketing along with all functionalities that MSPs might require to run other parts of their business. Moreover, SuperOps offers a unified PSA-RMM which enables MSPs to get access to a full-suite MSP platform.
With a unified PSA-RMM platform, all incoming requests, issues, tickets, and incidents can be tracked and managed in one central location. This helps technicians effectively manage workload and prioritize based on urgency and importance.
It helps you streamline your workflows. With automated ticket assignment, the tickets can be assigned to the right technician based on the skillset, workload, etc.
With automation, you can automate routine tasks to improve technician efficiency and reduce human error.
Having a unified PSA-RMM will help you improve collaboration and accountability. You do not have to switch between multiple tools to get a single job done. For example, If a client raises an issue with a laptop or server issue, the issue gets converted to a ticket. In a normal ticketing system, the technician will respond to the ticket on the ticketing system and then switch to an RMM tool to fix the asset issues. You can eliminate this with a unified MSP tool.
You can get access to your complete reporting dashboard which is not just related to your ticketing functionalities. You can get detailed reports on your overall performance with your clients which helps you make better decisions for your business and boost client satisfaction.
SuperOps enables every MSP to run a profitable business by saving hours and improving efficiency. Powered with automation, it offers a unified PSA-RMM platform to solve modern MSP problems.
Why choose a normal ticketing system when you have a ticketing system built for MSPs?
