What is a Ticket System, and Why Does Your Company Need It? 

What is a ticket system, its main features, and how does it work in a company?

A ticket system is software for automatically processing customer requests. Users can reach out through any communication channel set up by the company: phone, email, website chat, or social media. After that, their question is converted into a ticket with a unique number, which simplifies tracking the request.

Main stages of working with ticket systems in companies:

• when a customer reaches out, the system automatically creates a ticket with all the information: customer data, problem description, etc.;
• a responsible employee is assigned to resolve the user's issue;
• the manager works on the problem, communicates with the customer, and updates the ticket;
• if necessary, other employees are involved;
• after resolving the problem, the ticket is closed and marked as completed;
• the supervisor performs data analysis related to the ticket: how long the customer waited for the manager's response, how much time was needed to resolve it, etc.

Differences between traditional customer service and a ticket system

To better understand the advantages of a ticket system, it's worth starting with the disadvantages of traditional service:

• decentralized information storage in emails, letters, messengers, or simply on sticky notes on the desk;
• a specialist might simply forget to pass a customer's request to a colleague or notify the user that their issue has been resolved;
• it's difficult for supervisors to track how specialists are working on requests;
• employees may not understand who exactly is working on a customer's issue if multiple executors are assigned.

As we can see, traditional service takes a lot of time and is completely unprotected from the “human factor.” A ticket system is a solution that solves these problems and improves company efficiency:

• information is stored centrally;
• no request will be lost since it has a unique number, status, responsible person, and deadline;
• reports, analytics, and dashboards for supervisors are automatically generated;
• the customer sees the progress of their issue resolution;
• employees understand who is working on the task.

Automating customer service processes with a ticket system

Using ticket systems allows you to automate some routine processes. For example, the system can automatically notify users about changes in their request status. Managers don't have to constantly inform customers about progress or worry about forgetting someone. And users always receive timely information about their request and see that it's being worked on.

You can also automate ticket distribution among team members. One option is for requests to automatically go to the employee who specializes in the customer's problem. For example, if a customer needs consultation about document processing, the request is automatically directed to the document management department specialist. You can also set up request distribution based on managers' workload. Whoever has fewer tasks gets the new request.

Ringostat's customer support department uses an AI bot to automatically process simple requests. This reduces the team's workload, allowing them to pay more attention to other requests. If a question goes beyond the bot's capabilities, it transfers the question to the support department. So no request will be lost.

Ticket system integration with other systems — how does it work?

After integration with IP telephony, customer requests received during phone calls will automatically enter the ticket system. Ringostat also offers a convenient app for processing phone calls and messages from messengers and website chat in a single interface. When using Ringostat Smart Phone, all requests will be conveniently transferred to the system.

Integration with CRM allows managers to immediately see customer data and the complete picture of interaction with them. For example, request history. If Ringostat AI is also connected, key moments from previous communications will be stored in the CRM. This helps improve service quality since the specialist will already have an understanding of the customer and their problems. Also, thanks to centralized information storage, you can easily transfer a request to another specialist. They'll quickly get up to speed with the ticket processing since they'll have the entire history of interaction with the user.

Call tracking and data analysis — why is it important?

Thanks to the ticket system, supervisors have a complete picture of specialists' interactions with customers. This allows them to assess workload, timely notice deviations from deadlines and company regulations, etc. For example, if there are many tickets in the system and employees are overloaded, it's a signal that it's time to expand the staff. An employee resolving requests in two days instead of one might be a sign they lack knowledge or experience. So additional training needs to be organized.

AI-powered conversation intelligence from Ringostat helps find out if customers are reaching out repeatedly with the same problem. For example, you can set up the solution to respond to keywords: “doesn't work,” “contacting again,” “issue not resolved,” etc. The supervisor can review these requests to find the cause of the issue as quickly as possible. If you don't eliminate process imperfections or employee incompetence in time, you can lose customers and revenue along with them.

Benefits of a ticket system for small and large companies

Small companies might think they receive few requests and don't need a ticket system. But a missed request or lack of communication history with a customer can lead to losing them. For example, a manager communicated with a user in a messenger that only they had access to. Suddenly, the employee had circumstances that prevented them from working for a while and, accordingly, didn't log into the work account.

The result? The user is “knocking on closed doors” and not getting a response. They might immediately go to more organized competitors. Or first try to contact other specialists who know nothing about them or their problem. The customer has to answer the same questions and wait even longer for their issue to finally be resolved. This user will likely go to competitors in the future.

Large companies, on the contrary, have many departments, employees, and requests. Without a centralized system, requests get lost between different communication channels. For example, a customer wrote an email, called the sales department, and then left a request on the website. As a result, each department separately processes their question. When the user is asked the same thing three times, it will reduce trust in the company.

What to consider when choosing a ticket system?

Choosing the right ticket system is an investment in the future of your customer service. The fewer problems and questions arise during interaction with the system, the more efficiently the team will work. Here are the key criteria to consider when choosing a ticket system.

Security and data protection

The system will have access to confidential customer and company information. Its loss will lead to both financial and reputational damage. No one will work with a business that doesn't care about protecting sensitive data. So it's critically important to check the following:

• encryption of communication channels with TLS/SSL protocols to protect data during transmission between user and server;
• information storage in data centers with Tier 3 security level and above;
• ability to configure different access levels to minimize the threat of information leakage;
• recording ticket actions in logs to track changes;
• creating backups to restore information in case of technical failures, etc.

If the ticket system developer has an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate, it's a “green flag” meaning the business is focused on maximum protection of customer data. Like the Ringostat IP telephony platform, which recently received the international information security standard of the latest version.

Scalability

Business constantly works on expanding market influence. And as the number of orders grows, so does the number of tickets, and the need to hire new team specialists appears. So immediately choose a ticket system that can be easily scaled depending on business needs. Otherwise, you'll have to buy a new one over time.

Interface convenience

The ticket system should be intuitive, as it's a helper for employees, not an obstacle to fulfilling customer requests. New team members should be able to start working quickly, not spend a lot of time learning the system.

Each ticket should immediately display important information: priority level, current status, assignee, and deadline. Such visualization helps effectively manage requests and evenly distribute workload among team members.

Another essential characteristic is the minimum number of actions to perform typical operations. Main functions — responding to requests, changing ticket parameters, applying ready-made templates — should be accessible in one or two clicks. This not only saves time but also reduces the likelihood of errors when working with large volumes of requests.

Mobile version availability

A mobile version is critically significant for companies with 24/7 support. Managers can promptly respond to critical situations, even while on business trips or working remotely.

Sometimes an employee might need to go to the post office or warehouse, to another office, to a meeting. Having a ticket system adapted for mobile phones means they'll always be connected.

Technical support

No matter how reliable and convenient the system is, difficulties may arise during its use. Or there might simply be a need to make changes to settings that require involving ticket system developer specialists. If you wait a long time for a response from the technical department, it will slow down the company's work. Especially when the problem prevents processing requests.

So choose a ticket system developer that guarantees quick technical support response. For example, Ringostat IP telephony clients receive a response within two minutes.

Mistakes to avoid when implementing a ticket system

Some supervisors make common mistakes that reduce employee motivation and productivity when working with the ticket system. We've prepared recommendations to help you avoid this.

1. No matter how intuitive the system is, don't ignore team training. It's better to immediately familiarize managers with the tool than have them waste time later searching for and applying needed functions on their own.
2. If you're not sure how to set up automation in the ticket system, it's better to contact technical support for advice and help. For instance, poorly thought-out ticket distribution among employees will bring chaos to work.
3. Don't ignore ticket system updates — they're aimed at improving the tool's performance. With each new version, errors that might have occurred in previous ones are fixed, and new features are added.

The future of ticket systems — what changes await us?

The future of ticket systems is closely linked to artificial intelligence development. According to Gartner research, 80% of companies already use AI to improve customer service. The artificial assistant learns quickly, adapts to business specifics, and constantly develops. Ringostat's customer support department also uses AI to analyze customer service quality.

At the end of the conversation, the employee receives a result from artificial intelligence that helps understand which skills they should improve. And the supervisor has an additional tool for controlling the quality of customer work.