Try to think about the last time you had to submit a ticket to your IT Helpdesk. Was the service fast? Did the helpdesk technician already know how to solve your problem prior to accessing your device? Did you try any troubleshooting steps like closing the software or rebooting your device? Did you receive an error message?
Often times helpdesk technicians support a variety of software and networks. Providing them with relevant details to your specific situation can improve their effectiveness greatly. There are a few things you can do prior to submitting your ticket that will increase the likelihood the technician will fix the problem quickly saving you time and frustration.
1. If you received a specific error code trying to complete a task and are able to recreate the error after restarting the software; Providing a screenshot of the error and the steps taken to create it will allow the technician to research the problem and find some possible solutions before contacting you.
2. Inserting a proper subject line. Often times there is a triage technician in charge of assigning your ticket to the proper technician or tier of technicians. Having a subject line that accurately describes your problem will help them assign and categorize your ticket quickly.
3. Providing relevant information. A vague description in the body of your ticket can make it difficult for the technician to solve your problem. IE Need password reset. This doesn't let the technician know what software, or website you need your account reset for. Requiring them to contact you for clarification rather than proceeding with the reset.
4. Usually tickets are sent in via email to the support desk software. Though this seems like a normal email to you it is formatted into a ticket and displayed in a ticketing dashboard to your help desk technicians. There are a few things that will help make sure you ticket or response is seen quickly. Try to keep each ticket submitted in its' own email chain. Replying on a resolved past ticket or replying in a new email chain each time will cause either an old ticket to be re-opened at the bottom of the stack or create a new ticket each time you reply. Either one can cause confusion for the triage technician or cause your ticket or response to not be seen quickly.
5. Screenshots are one of the best tools you have to accurately show the problem to your helpdesk. Taking a screenshot on a Windows PC can be accomplished by pressing Windows+Shift+S key then drawing a box around the information you want to share. Once the screenshot is taken it can be inserted into the body of your ticket request using Ctrl+V.
These five tips can help make sure your tickets are resolved quickly and accurately!