Trouble ticketing systems | Their benefits, key components, and top 10 software solutions
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Did you know that 73% of customers say valuing their time is the most important aspect of good customer service?[1] And yet, many companies struggle to meet this expectation, often resulting in frustrated customers and lost business.
A trouble ticketing system can help solve this problem by organizing and prioritizing customer inquiries, ensuring fast and efficient resolutions.
But it doesn’t stop there—86% of B2B buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience[2]. This means delivering efficient, high-quality support isn’t only about keeping customers happy—it can also directly impact your bottom line.
A trouble ticket system allows businesses to streamline their support processes, helping you deliver the kind of service that keeps customers satisfied and willing to invest more in your brand.
In this blog, we’ll cover:
- What a trouble ticket system is.
- The key components that make a ticket tracking system effective.
- The best software options available to help you improve your customer support.
By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to choose the right ticket management system for your business.
Key takeaways
- A trouble ticketing system is a software platform that centralizes and organizes customer issues, enabling businesses to efficiently manage and resolve tickets for improved customer satisfaction.
- An effective trouble ticket system includes ticket creation and submission, categorization and prioritization, assignment and routing, status tracking and escalation, and resolution and closure.
- Implementing a trouble ticket system offers numerous benefits, such as faster resolution times, increased operational efficiency, and enhanced decision-making based on data insights.
- When evaluating trouble ticket software, consider factors like issue handling, communication transparency, automation capabilities, scalability, and AI-powered analytics to ensure it meets your business needs.
- Key metrics to monitor for optimal performance include ticket volume, first response time, resolution time, first contact resolution rate, and customer satisfaction scores.
- By leveraging the right trouble ticket system, businesses can transform their customer support from a cost center into a profit center, aligning with the growing importance of delivering exceptional customer experiences.
What is a trouble ticketing system?
A trouble ticketing system is a software platform that centralizes and organizes customer issues, enabling businesses to efficiently manage and resolve tickets. By automatically assigning tickets to agents based on expertise and priority, trouble ticketing systems streamline issue resolution, leading to faster response times and improved customer satisfaction.
Primarily used by customer service teams, a trouble ticket system helps resolve low-level issues while also storing important customer information. The end goal as always is to improve customer satisfaction, ensuring repeat business by resolving issues in a timely and effective manner.
What is the trouble ticket process?
The key components of a trouble ticket system include a user-friendly interface that allows for easy ticket updates and status tracking, multi-channel support integrating email, phone, and chat communications, and workflow automation for streamlined ticket assignment and prioritization.
1. Ticket creation and submission
The trouble ticket system begins with ticket creation and submission. Customers or employees can easily submit their issues via a self-service portal, email, or other channels. A system that minimizes form-filling and automates ticket creation maximizes productivity by allowing agents to focus on solving issues rather than processing requests.
2. Ticket categorization and prioritization
Once a ticket is created, the next steps are categorization and prioritization. Ticket categorization ensures that issues are grouped into relevant categories, such as software bugs or billing queries. Automated prioritization—based on pre-defined rules—ensures urgent matters are addressed first, preventing critical delays and improving overall efficiency.
3. Ticket assignment and routing
Ticket assignment and routing are crucial for ensuring that the right team or agent handles each issue. Automation helps assign tickets based on keywords or categories, speeding up the process and ensuring no ticket is overlooked. A well-designed ticket management system ensures smooth routing without unnecessary manual intervention.
4. Ticket status tracking and escalation
Tracking ticket status in real-time provides both agents and users with visibility into the issue’s progress. Escalation processes are automated to ensure that tickets not resolved within a set time frame are addressed promptly, thus avoiding SLA (service level agreement) violations.
5. Ticket resolution and closure
Finally, a ticket is resolved and closed after all necessary actions have been taken. A good system should allow for end-to-end management, meaning the same agent can handle a ticket from start to finish, improving accountability and resolution times. Linked tickets help resolve related issues together, streamlining the process further.
Collaboration between agents and customers is facilitated through various communication channels, including live chat, email, and even screen-sharing options. A comprehensive ticket tracking system integrates these channels, providing a unified interface to handle all communications and ensuring that no information is lost in transit.
These key components set the stage for evaluating advanced features that distinguish the best systems, and make way to understand which is the right solution for your unique business needs.
The benefits of implementing a trouble ticket system
A trouble ticket system transforms customer support by:
Enhancing efficiency: Automate organization and prioritization of requests, reducing resolution times.
Boosting productivity: Ensure issues are addressed by the most relevant team members.
Providing data-driven insights: Inform strategic decisions with deep analytics.
Improving collaboration: Break down silos for a more cohesive support environment.
Enabling proactive support: Analyze trends to anticipate and prevent issues before they occur.
Optimizing resources: Allocate efforts more effectively, improving operational efficiency.
By implementing such a system, you’re not just solving problems faster—you’re creating a smarter, more responsive support strategy that drives customer satisfaction and operational excellence. Let’s understand the top benefits further
1. Improved customer satisfaction and loyalty
By automating ticket prioritization, a trouble ticket system ensures faster resolution times. Personalized support tailored to each customer’s context helps improve customer experience.
For example, Uniphore used DevRev’s ticketing system to proactively address root causes before they become customer-facing issues, strengthening customer trust and reducing recurring problems.
- Faster resolution times
- Proactive issue prevention, increasing customer loyalty
2. Increased operational efficiency and productivity
Ticket management systems streamline support workflows and allow teams to focus on complex tasks rather than sorting completed issues. Automated workflows reduce the risk of duplicated work, leading to better resource allocation and improved productivity.
At Goodmeetings, integrating their ticket system with Slack eliminated inefficiencies by allowing teams to manage customer interactions within a single platform.
- Automated workflows that minimize manual input
- Better resource allocation and balanced workloads
3. Improved decision-making and continuous improvement
A ticket tracking system provides actionable insights through data analytics, helping teams identify recurring problems and improvement opportunities. These insights inform decisions that lead to continuous enhancements in support and service.
The real magic happens when insights inform decision-making processes. With complex data at their fingertips, support teams can make informed choices that lead to measurable improvements in service outcomes. It’s a cycle of continuous enhancement driven by real-world data and customer interactions.
A complete guide to trouble ticket systems: 10 best trouble ticket software
With a variety of solutions available, you can find a system that suits your specific needs, whether it’s for IT service management, customer support, or product-related queries.
In this section, we’ll review the 10 best trouble ticket software options available today, exploring key features, pricing, ideal use cases, and the pros and cons of each platform.
1. DevRev
AI-native trouble ticket platform offering intuitive, scalable, and customizable capabilities to support the development of customer-centric companies.
Key features:
When choosing a trouble ticket system, you need one that goes beyond the commoditized features. DevRev’s trouble ticket capability excels in all of these areas with its AI-powered tools, customizable workflows, and seamless integrations with product development. Let’s explore what makes DevRev a top choice:
1) AI-powered ticket prioritization and smart suggestions
DevRev’s AI goes beyond prioritizing tickets based on urgency and also considers sentiment, severity, and issue type. The system uses the Turing bot to suggest next best actions, pulling from external sources and knowledge base articles, ensuring support teams handle each case efficiently. Spotnana, a DevRev user, saw a significant reduction in manual effort by using AI to automate responses to repetitive queries.
As Shikhar, Spotnana’s co-founder, noted, “DevRev has centralized our workflows. Our team loves it because it allows us to support our customers better.”
2) Integration with product development for root cause analysis
DevRev stands out with its deep integration between customer support and product development teams, ensuring faster and more effective root cause analysis. By connecting these teams, DevRev helps businesses quickly identify and resolve recurring product issues. For example, Uniphore’s support team collaborated more closely with their product teams using DevRev, simplifying operations and reducing recurring problems. This integration provides a streamlined approach to addressing customer issues at their source, improving long-term resolution.
3) Advanced analytics and reporting
With DevRev, businesses get real-time insights through an integrated analytics dashboard. The system tracks critical metrics like ticket resolution times, customer sentiment, and overall support performance.
As Vinod from Uniphore put it, “DevRev tells me: Why do I have this problem? Where is it coming from? What do we do to prevent it?”
This level of transparency helps businesses make data-driven decisions to continually improve their customer support efforts.
4) Customizable workflows and automation
Every business has unique needs, and DevRev’s customizable workflows accommodate that. Tickets can be routed based on sentiment, severity, or other criteria to ensure the right team addresses the right issues. Plus, the automation features reduce manual tasks like assigning tickets or sending updates.
5) Omnichannel support for a unified experience
DevRev’s omnichannel support consolidates customer inquiries from platforms like email, Slack, and WhatsApp into a single inbox. This ensures that no issue is missed, providing a unified experience across all channels.
The combination of AI-driven insights, automation, and seamless integrations helps businesses transform their support operations into something more proactive and customer-centric. By focusing on intelligent ticket management, DevRev enables teams to solve problems faster and provide a better overall experience for both businesses and their customers.
Pricing: Starts at $9.99 per month with a 45-day free trial.
Target audience: Suitable for businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises. DevRev is ideal for teams seeking advanced SLA management, AI-driven automation, and a unified communication platform.
| Pros |
|---|
| AI-driven automation reduces manual effort. |
| Seamless communication across channels. |
| Transparent pricing without hidden fees. |
2. HubSpot Service Hub
Best for: Companies already using HubSpot’s CRM system.
Features:
- Unified help desk with seamless CRM integration.
- Ticket routing via AI-powered chatbots.
- Shared inbox for managing communications across teams.
- Personalized support and email templates.
Pricing: Free tools are available, with paid plans starting at $18 per month.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Integrated with HubSpot CRM for unified customer management. | Limited workflows without the paid plans. |
| Free tier offers a range of helpful tools for small teams. | Branding restrictions in the free version. |
3. Intercom
Best for: Companies focusing on chat-based customer support.
Features:
- Conversational support through live chat, automation, and pop-ups.
- Centralized inbox for managing all customer conversations.
- Automated responses for improved efficiency.
Pricing: Starts at $65 per month.
| Pros | Con |
|---|---|
| Robust live chat features. | Higher pricing may not suit small businesses. |
| Excellent for proactive customer engagement. |
4. Zendesk
Best for: Larger enterprises looking for a help desk solution.
Features:
- Comprehensive ticket management for multi-channel support.
- Advanced reporting and analytics.
- Live chat and knowledge base for real-time support.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per month.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Extensive integration capabilities. | Higher cost, with some features only available on more expensive plans. |
| Scalable for growing businesses. | Initial learning curve compared to simpler systems. |
5. ProProfs Help Desk
Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses seeking an affordable and simple help desk.
Features:
- Multi-channel ticket management (email, chat).
- Straightforward reporting features.
- Self-service knowledge base for customer support.
Pricing: Starts at $15 per month.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable pricing with essential help desk features. | Limited advanced features compared to competitors. |
| Simple and easy-to-use platform. |
6. Freshdesk
Best for: Small businesses aiming to scale their customer support.
Features:
- Omnichannel support across email, social media, and chat.
- Automated responses to streamline ticket handling.
- Flexible configurations to meet specific business needs.
Pricing: Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $19 per month.
| Pros | Con |
|---|---|
| Freemium model provides a no-cost entry point for small teams. | Capabilities may require higher-tier subscriptions. |
| Automation enhances support efficiency. |
7. Zoho Desk
Best for: Small businesses looking for a cloud-based solution with CRM integration.
Features:
- Basic and advanced ticket management.
- Integration with Zoho’s CRM and other business tools.
- Multilingual support and comprehensive reporting.
Pricing: Starts at $14 per month, with a freemium option.
| Pros | Con |
|---|---|
| Great for teams using Zoho’s suite of products. | Limited feature set for businesses with more complex needs. |
| Affordable pricing. |
8. Jira Service Management
Best for: IT teams needing specialized IT ticketing systems for narrow usecases.
Features:
- SLA tracking and ITIL workflow automation.
- Deep integration with Confluence for knowledge management.
- Optimized for IT service requests.
Pricing: Free for up to 3 agents, with paid plans starting at $20 per month.
| Pros | Con |
|---|---|
| Excellent for IT service management. | Focused more on IT, making it less versatile for non-IT teams. |
| Strong integration with Jira’s project management tools. |
9. LiveAgent
Best for: Startups or small businesses needing limited live chat and ticket management.
Features:
- Live chat and ticket management across multiple platforms.
- SLA management and ticket prioritization tools.
- Customizable chat and call widgets for customer interactions.
Pricing: Starts at $9 per agent per month, with a free version available.
| Pros | Con |
|---|---|
| Budget-friendly with solid live chat functionality. | Limited scalability for larger enterprises. |
| Free version with basic features. |
10. ServiceNow
Best for: Large enterprises needing comprehensive IT service management.
Features:
- Complete ticketing and asset management system.
- Advanced SLA tracking and workflow automation.
- Enterprise-grade automation and incident management.
Pricing: Starts at $100 per month.
| Pros | Con |
|---|---|
| Highly customizable and scalable. | Higher price point with advanced features. |
| Comprehensive IT service management features. |
While evaluating a trouble ticket software, multiple factors are to be considered:
- Issue handling: Look for a system that systematically acknowledges and prioritizes customer issues.
- Communication transparency: Ensure that the system provides clear communication throughout the resolution process, reducing misunderstandings.
- Automation: Evaluate how well the system automates routine tasks like ticket assignment and SLA tracking.
- Scalability: Make sure the platform can grow with your business, handling increased volumes of customer inquiries.
- AI and analytics: Consider tools that leverage AI and machine learning to improve efficiency and provide actionable insights.
Selecting the right trouble ticket system can significantly improve your customer support operations, ensuring timely and efficient resolution of issues, and ultimately boosting customer satisfaction.>
5 performance metrics for trouble ticket system monitoring
Monitoring key performance metrics for a trouble ticket system is important in support teams to ensure sustainable growth and identify gaps in their processes. Below are the most essential metrics to track for optimal performance:
1. Ticket volume
Ticket volume measures the number of incoming service requests and is crucial for understanding workload distribution. For instance, Uniphore, which supports over 1,500 customers across 20 countries, recognized the need to go beyond simple ticket tracking. By leveraging tools like DevRev, they shifted from simply managing ticket numbers to focusing on proactive support and problem-solving, ultimately transforming their operations.
- Why it matters: Monitoring ticket volume helps you plan resources better. Focusing on reducing unnecessary tickets can free up your team for more meaningful work.
2. First response time (FRT)
FRT measures how quickly a support agent responds after a ticket is submitted. A fast response not only builds trust but also demonstrates efficiency. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance’s support team, for example, reduced their average response time by 95%—from 48 hours to under two—after implementing DevRev’s session replay tool.
- Why it matters: Fast responses reassure customers that their issues are being addressed, preventing frustration and improving customer satisfaction
3. Resolution time (time to resolution - TTR)
Resolution time tracks the total time it takes to fully resolve a ticket. Organizations that streamline this process see significant gains. Goodmeetings, for example, used DevRev to unify their support and development teams, drastically reducing communication delays and improving resolution times.
- Why it matters: Faster resolution times boost both team productivity and customer satisfaction by resolving issues efficiently. Tools like DevRev’s session replay and ticket clustering help teams quickly identify root causes, speeding up resolution times.
4. First contact resolution (FCR)
First contact resolution (FCR) measures the percentage of tickets resolved in the first interaction. High FCR rates reflect the ability of a support team to solve issues without escalation.
- Why it matters: A high FCR rate means fewer follow-ups and happier customers, as issues are resolved quickly and effectively.
5. Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
CSAT reflects how happy customers are with the support they receive. Companies like Aditya Birla Capital have seen significant improvements in CSAT after implementing DevRev’s real-time session replays and heatmaps, reducing app crashes by 30% for their 25 million users.
- Why it matters: CSAT is a direct measure of how well your support team is meeting customer expectations, making it one of the most important metrics to track.
By regularly monitoring these key performance metrics—such as ticket volume, first response time, resolution time, and customer satisfaction—you ensure that your issue tracking system is both efficient and customer-focused. The end result? A ticket management system that not only resolves issues quickly but also enhances the overall customer experience, making your support team a true asset to the organization.
How to turn your customer support into a profit center?
Gartner’s prediction [3] for 2025 is becoming reality with the customer service function’s shift to being viewed as a profit center as opposed to being considered a cost earlier. This change reinstates the importance of delivering exceptional customer experiences, and choosing the right trouble ticket system plays a key role in this transformation.
With Turing AI-powered ticket prioritization, DevRev helps your team focus on the most urgent and impactful issues—taking into account both urgency and customer sentiment. The platform’s seamless integration between support and product teams ensures that recurring issues are addressed at the root, preventing them from becoming more significant problems in the future.
Additionally, DevRev’s omnichannel support consolidates queries from multiple channels—whether it’s email, chat, or text—into a single inbox, so your team can ensure every customer gets the help they need without anything slipping through the cracks. And with real-time analytics, you can monitor key metrics like resolution times and customer satisfaction to continually improve your support operations.
Want to see how DevRev can help turn your support team into a profit center? Schedule a personalized demo today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trouble tickets are digital records used to track and resolve issues reported by users. They serve as a communication channel between the customer and the technical support team, allowing for collaborative problem-solving. An efficient trouble ticketing system enables companies to quickly and accurately document issues, leading to faster resolution times and improved customer satisfaction. By implementing a well-designed trouble ticketing system, companies can streamline their issue reporting process, ultimately resulting in quicker problem resolution and enhanced customer experience.
Ticketing systems are widely used by customer service teams, IT departments, and help desks across industries. They’re also valuable for any department managing internal or external requests, such as HR for employee inquiries or facilities teams for maintenance requests. Essentially, any team that handles ongoing queries, technical issues, or service requests can benefit from a ticketing system to keep track of issues, streamline responses, and improve team efficiency.
A ticketing system is important for organizing and prioritizing customer inquiries, enabling businesses to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. By centralizing communications and streamlining workflows, a ticketing system reduces resolution times, improves customer satisfaction, and allows support teams to focus on meaningful interactions rather than repetitive tasks. It transforms support operations into a structured, efficient process, helping businesses retain loyal customers and reduce support costs.
V1: There are three main categories of trouble tickets: problem tickets, request tickets, and change tickets. Problem tickets are created when users encounter issues that require immediate attention, such as system malfunctions or login difficulties. Request tickets are submitted when customers need access to resources they don't currently have, like software installations or remote support. Change tickets are generated when users request modifications or enhancements to existing services. Additionally, tickets can be prioritized based on urgency, with high-priority tickets demanding prompt action, medium-priority tickets allowing for short delays, and low-priority tickets being addressed later. V2: There are three main categories of trouble tickets: problem tickets, request tickets, and change tickets. Problem tickets arise when users face issues that require swift resolution, such as hardware failures or general inquiries. Request tickets are created when customers need access to resources they don't presently possess, like new software or virtual support. Change tickets are initiated when users desire alterations or improvements to the services they currently receive. Tickets can also be categorized by urgency, with high-priority tickets necessitating immediate attention, medium-priority tickets permitting brief delays, and low-priority tickets being handled at a later stage.
A well-crafted trouble ticket should contain several key elements to ensure efficient problem resolution. These include a descriptive subject line, the customer's name, the date and time of ticket creation, a clear description of the issue along with troubleshooting steps already taken, the ticket status (open or closed), relevant attachments or screenshots, a list of involved users, information about scheduled outages or changes, and a unique ticket number for easy tracking and organization.
While a ticketing system can streamline support, it comes with challenges such as managing high ticket volumes, ensuring accurate ticket prioritization, and integrating seamlessly with other tools. Additional challenges include maintaining communication transparency across channels and customizing workflows to suit specific business needs. Overcoming these challenges requires selecting a system that’s both flexible and robust, ensuring it supports operational goals without creating bottlenecks.
When choosing a ticketing system, look for features like automated ticket assignment, multi-channel support, and customizable workflows. Other critical features include real-time tracking, escalations for unresolved tickets, and analytics that provide data-driven insights into performance. These features help support teams respond more effectively, making the system adaptable to evolving business needs while improving both response times and customer satisfaction.
