2.4 Assigning Service Requests

Basics​

Assigning a ticket is the process to decide who is going to be responsible for working on the ticket. Without an assignment, no one is accountable for completing the ticket. The steps in the Service Initiation phase might occur fairly quickly, like within a few minutes or less, especially if your ITSM system can automatically assign some requests or when the IT staff member handling Service Requests understands your department’s SLT and SLA and who is available to work on them.

You should know the following terms:

  • Date and time stamp
  • Response time
  • Root cause
  • Reactive vs Proactive Support

Ticket Logging

Generally, to assign a service request, a ticket is created that then supports the documentation of your department’s handling of the situation throughout the request’s lifecycle. Your IT Department should have a SOP that includes the level of detail required to initiate a ticket. There should be enough detail so that whomever receives the request has sufficient information to address the ticket.

During the processes of identifying the need for technology service and submitting a ticket, an initial diagnosis has been conducted and a SLA and SLT classification has been assigned. Your ITSM system should date and time stamp tickets so that tickets can be recorded and tracked. Some common types of information that can also be documented for a ticket includes:

  • The customer’s name;
  • The contact’s name, if different from the customer’s name;
  • Contact information (i.e., phone number and e-mail address);
  • The customer’s description of the issue;
  • The environment in which the issue exists;
  • How many devices/people are impacted by the issue;
  • All information pertaining to attempted resolutions already made; and
  • Any commitments made to the customer.

Throughout the ticketing process, IT staff should keep in mind the famous catchphrase from the popular character Joe Friday on the television show Dragnet, “Just the facts, ma’am.” Only capture the facts and verified information about the ticket without adding personal opinions. Also, remember to create and update the ticket knowing the customer may read what you’ve written, avoiding acronyms, emoticons, slang, or negative comments about the customer or the product.

Proactive Support

Many IT Departments may focus on response time and try to ensure that tickets are resolved as quickly as possible; however, anyone responsible for assigning tickets should also take a view towards long-term solutions and fixing the root cause of tickets. When the same or similar issues are reported, if your focus is on a quick response time, you may be missing a larger issue, that when resolved, could minimize or even eliminate additional similar requests over time. That larger underlying issue is the root cause.

Consider two types of problem management:

  • Being reactive focuses on responding to problems as they arise in the school system.
  • Being proactive focuses on seeking out improvements to the system of services provided by the IT Department before the problem occurs. Preventative action minimizes issues and streamlines services.  

Here are additional resources you may find useful:

Complete the following task or self-assessment:

  • Who assigns service requests in your department and how?
  • How can the process be implemented effectively and efficiently so every staff member is able to complete their best work?