How Ticket: Getting the Most out of your Support Ticket System
![How Ticket: Getting the Most out of your Support Ticket System](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/hub/service/Support-Ticket-System-1a.jpg)
According to research by Forrester, 77% of US online adults say that valuing their time is the most important thing that a company can to do provide them with good service. The question then is this: How can a company show its customers that it values their time? The answer is simple. Through efficient service and timely issue resolution, companies can reduce the average amount of time that they take from each customer, demonstrating respect for busy clients, and improving the overall customer experience in the process.
In recent years there has been a rise in customer relationship management (CRM) solutions designed to aid companies in handling customer service more efficiently. Among these solutions are support ticket systems, which are becoming increasingly essential for both small and large businesses to handle high customer demand.
What is a support ticket system, and what is it used for? The term ‘support ticket system’ refers to any computer software package that handles lists of issues for an organisation, usually in a customer service setting. These are invaluable to businesses who are currently facing an increasingly large influx of customer service queries from a variety of different channels. Ticket support systems allow businesses to track and manage customer service cases across every channel, from phone, to email, to social media and more.
What are some of the benefits of support ticket systems?
The world has changed; and with it, the nature of customer service. One need only look at the facts to understand the benefits of a good customer service support ticket system. Consider the following:
![41% of consumers expect a response to an email query within six hours.](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/hub/service/Support-Ticket-System-1b.jpg)
Salesforce Puts Advanced Ticketing to Work for You.
So how does a business get the most out of its ticketing system? When considering various customer service solutions, there are five main characteristics to look for, each of which can be found with Salesforce.
1. A ticketing system should provide fast resolution for customers.
Through case management and omnichannel support, the goal of any effective ticket system should be to help customers faster, and make customer service employees’ jobs easier. These kinds of solutions cut out much of the busy work, allowing employees to dive right into problem-solving with all of the important information to hand. In the same vein, the best ticket systems will also provide productivity tools that will work across the company, for all associates and support reps.
2. A ticketing system should assist with making important decisions.
Using data from customers, ticketing software with AI functionality can actually help with decision making. With tools like Service Cloud Einstein, support teams are empowered to resolve cases faster, and in a way that is more satisfying to customers, thanks to smart metrics. The best thing about these kinds of tools is the ability, through predictive analytics, to provide pre-emptive customer service, limiting the need for customers to reach out for help, and cutting down on response times.
3. A ticketing system should offer self-service capabilities.
Speaking of pre-emptive customer service, self service is an increasingly significant feature of any customer support solution. 72% of customers now prefer self service to resolve their support issues over picking up the phone or sending an email. Providing a self service portal not only frees up time for customer service representatives and saves money, but it is also something that customers are actively looking for as a customer service solution.
4. A ticketing system should support overall business growth.
The ultimate goal of investing in any new tool should be to actively aid in the growth of your business. While it can be argued that customer service software is already inherently achieving this goal — 57% of companies globally can correlate improving customer experience with revenue growth — there are other specific ways in which the best software will help even more.
![57% of companies globally can correlate improving customer experience with revenue growth](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/hub/service/Support-Ticket-System-1c.jpg)
For example, Salesforce service solutions can be used in conjunction with other Salesforce solutions to more effectively scale growth. This is made possible by providing a fuller view of each customer across sales, marketing, apps, service and so on, and thus more informed business decisions.
5. A ticketing system should be customisable.
Though not everyone is necessarily looking for an open source support ticket system, some level of customisation is often required. Technical support ticket systems are an excellent example. Tech support ticket systems often require faster responses and resolutions, more specialised solutions, and greater communication between reps and departments. Thus, an IT support ticket system will need to be customised with relevant tools to tackle these unique problems.
Give your clients the personalised ticket support they need.
Salesforce offers each of these features and more, providing not only the best customer support ticket system, but the best solution to customer relationship management across the board. Through combining Salesforce solutions for marketing, sales, service, application development, analytics, community, and ecommerce, businesses and their clients can enjoy the ultimate cross-channel experience, allowing each customer to have a unique, personalised journey from start to finish.
Customer service is a key brand differentiator. At least 50% of individuals will use a company more frequently after a positive customer experience, and yet 84% say that their expectations had not been exceeded in their last customer service interaction. Businesses need to step up their customer service, and employing the right tools is the right place to start.
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