In today's fast-paced business environment, effective and efficient service desk operations are crucial for ensuring seamless employee experiences. Service desk agents play a pivotal role in resolving a wide range of IT-related issues faced by employees, from minor inconveniences to critical system disruptions. The ability to efficiently resolve these issues not only ensures employee satisfaction but also directly impacts the overall productivity of your organization and your Moveworks products.

Why is it important to invest in optimizing ticket resolution processes?

1. Reducing Repetitive Issues: Every day, service desk agents dedicate a significant portion of their time to resolving recurring problems. Robust work notes, closed notes, and actions taken on tickets will help Knowledge Studio identify knowledge gaps for you. By creating employee-facing knowledge articles that empower users to address common issues independently, service desk agents can significantly reduce the volume of repetitive tickets they handle. This, in turn, allows agents to focus their expertise on more complex projects.
2. Supporting Training and Onboarding: Comprehensive documentation of how issues are resolved serves as a valuable training resource for new agents. It accelerates their learning curve, equipping them with insights into proven methods for tackling various IT challenges effectively.
3. Enhancing Efficiency: Streamlining ticket resolution processes leads to quicker issue resolution, minimizing downtime for employees. A well-structured process not only reduces resolution time but also improves the overall quality of support provided.

In this best practices guide, we will explore key strategies and techniques that service desk agents can implement to optimize ticket resolution. By following these guidelines, agents can enhance their problem-solving skills, provide more efficient support, and contribute to the organization's overall success. Let's dive into the best practices that will help your service desk team excel in their roles and deliver exceptional support.

Best practices when resolving tickets

Efficiently resolving tickets is not just about closing them; it's about leaving behind a clear trail of actions taken and solutions provided. Here's why following best practices when writing closure notes is crucial:

✅ A good work note provides actions that an agent took to solve the user's issue.

• Why is this important? Detailed work notes offer transparency into the problem-solving process, aiding future troubleshooting and reducing redundancy. They empower both the service desk team and users.

✅ The agent should mention the exact series of steps used for troubleshooting.

• Why is this important? Providing a step-by-step account of troubleshooting not only aids in recreating successful resolutions but also helps identify patterns, leading to quicker problem-solving in the future.

✅ There are no specific formatting guidelines for writing notes. It can be bulleted steps/paragraphs/multiline steps.

• Why is this important? Flexibility in note formatting ensures that agents can convey information in a manner that suits them best. This encourages effective communication and knowledge sharing within the support team, enhancing overall efficiency.

By adhering to these best practices, you not only close tickets but also contribute to a well-documented and efficient support system, benefiting both your team and the users you assist.

Avoid the following when resolving tickets

While striving for effective ticket closure, it's equally important to steer clear of common pitfalls that can hinder the quality and usefulness of your closure notes. Here's what to avoid:

⛔ Merely mentioning that the ticket was resolved/closed is not enough.

• Why to Avoid? A generic closure note provides no insight into the solution or the steps taken to resolve the issue. This leaves users and future support agents in the dark, potentially leading to redundant work and decreased user satisfaction.

⛔ Avoid mentioning the user's name in the close notes. Refer to the ticket creator as user/agent.

• Why to Avoid? User privacy and confidentiality are paramount. Revealing user names in closure notes can breach privacy policies and undermine trust. Maintaining a consistent and respectful reference as 'user' or 'agent' respects these boundaries.

By steering clear of these common pitfalls, you ensure that your closure notes remain informative, respectful, and aligned with best practices, contributing to the overall efficiency and professionalism of your support operations.

Examples of Good Ticket Notes

Example 1: Clear steps are outlined

Ticket: User reports email not syncing on mobile device.

Ticket Notes:

• Reviewed user's device settings and email configuration.
• Identified email server issues causing sync problem.
• Resolved by updating server settings and syncing device.

Why it's Good:
This work note provides a clear account of the steps taken to troubleshoot the issue, including the problem identification and resolution. It helps future support agents understand the process and facilitates efficient issue resolution.

Example 2: Informative notes

Ticket: User's printer not working.

Good Ticket Note:

• Investigated the issue.
• Found a paper jam.
• Removed the jam and tested the printer.
• Printer is now working fine.
• User informed and issue resolved.

Why it's Good:
The closed note offers a comprehensive account of the problem investigation and resolution, including the specific steps taken. It informs the user of the resolution and provides a clear record for future reference.

Example 3: Solution is mentioned

Ticket: User reports Work or school account problem affecting Office 365 applications (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive).

Good Ticket Note:

• Investigated the issue.
• Checked Accounts > Access work or school settings.
• Identified two accounts listed.
• Disconnected the incorrect account.
• Verified that Office 365 applications are now functioning correctly.
• Issue resolved.

Why it's Good:
This work note provides a detailed account of the issue, including the specific applications affected and the steps taken to resolve it. It offers clarity on the troubleshooting process and documents the successful resolution for future reference.

Examples of Bad IT Ticket Notes

Example 1: Lack of Detail

Ticket: User reports email issue.

Bad Ticket Note:

• Checked user's email.
• Fixed the problem.

Why it's Bad:
This work note lacks essential details, such as the nature of the issue and the actions taken to resolve it. It provides insufficient information for others to understand and replicate the resolution process.

Example 2: Insufficient Information

Ticket: User reported printer problem.

Bad Ticket Note:

• Checked printer.
• Fixed it.

Why it's Bad:
This closed note lacks detail and specificity, making it unclear what the issue was and how it was resolved. It provides minimal information for documentation and future reference.

Example 3: No solution is specified

Ticket: Unable to open Outlook on Mac.

Bad Ticket Note:

• Worked with Keiko, this should be resolved now.

Why it's Bad:
This work note lacks essential details about the nature of the collaboration issue, the actions taken to address it, and the final resolution status. It provides minimal information for documentation and future reference.

Additional Best Practices

• Be Specific: Provide detailed information in your notes. Mention the steps you took to resolve the issue, including any troubleshooting, tests, or actions you performed.
• Use Clear Language: Write in a clear and concise manner. Avoid technical jargon or abbreviations that the user might not understand.
• Include Timestamps: Always include timestamps in your notes to show when actions were taken. This helps in tracking the timeline of the ticket.
• Confirm Resolution: Always confirm with the user that the issue is resolved before closing the ticket. This ensures that the user is satisfied with the solution.
• Document Changes: If you make changes to configurations or settings, document what changes were made and why.