Call _Ticket Tips and Procedures Redacted

Call and Ticket Tips and Procedures Presentation for

Prior Employer• This presentation has had proprietary information removed, to serve

as an example of my work in creating training material, and to represent my knowledge of and philosophy regarding Help Desk work.

• Please note: This file was designed as a dual-purpose slideshow, to be used both as a live presentation and as self-paced Computer Based Training material (so it’s more verbose than a normal presentation).

Call & Ticket Tips and Procedures

Be sure to speak clearly and with good volume.

Thank the user for calling.Identify yourself.Identify that you are with the Help Desk.

Phone Greeting

Verify caller’s identity (ask for their employee ID). Once the ticketing system pulls up their information, verify their name – make sure it’s the right person.

Doing this step first will allow you to have contact information to call the user back if you have an unexpected phone disconnection.

Example – Survey Response: I did, however, have an issue with the tech who answered

when I called. I am a woman with a low, rather deep voice. I am used to individuals initially referring to me as Sir when on phone calls and they do not know me. However, I told the tech that I was not a man and I believe he twice more addressed me as Sir. I did not appreciate that especially considering I had told him that I was not a man.

Phone Greeting

Scope appropriately – think about the solution to the customer’s real issue, don’t get too focused on the original specifics.◦ Example: A customer called in with a problem with not being

able to connect with her Aironet card. She was at home and had home internet (DSL)/WiFi.

◦ Troubleshooting was focused on getting her online with her DSL.◦ The problem was not really ‘Aironet card doesn’t work’, but

more usefully, ‘Can’t get internet access’. Aironet card issue was probable to be escalated, not solved by CHD.

◦ In this case, we submitted a second level ticket for the Aironet card issue, AND recommended customer contact Cox (DSL) for help with her Cox password. Customer was VERY happy to have alternative path to pursue.

Problem Scoping

Use ‘we’ and ‘us’ terminology to emphasize the cooperative aspects of the troubleshooting process: “Let’s reboot”, or “Now we can ….”

Show empathy – phrases like, “I understand how that can be frustrating,” can go a long way towards smoothing out a rough call and reassuring a customer that we are on their side.

Try to keep the conversation on an end-user level – avoid jargon or overly technical exchanges.

Call Etiquette

If the process took a while, be sure to thank the customer for their patience. This also applies to chats and e-mail tickets.

Ask before putting a customer on hold, and be sure to thank them for waiting when you come back online. Try to keep hold times to a minimum.

Never blind transfer a call. This is rude and unsatisfactory to the person you transferred to, and to the customer (and could also go straight to voice mail – even more unsatisfactory).

Call Etiquette

When closing a call and the associated ticket, it’s a good idea to let the user know they can contact us back for a new ticket if the issue recurs or if they need further help.

Try to maintain a helpful tone – Tell the user we’ll be happy to open a new ticket for them if they need further help.

Remember to be courteous! Our user base is a very friendly and cooperative one – let’s do our part to keep it that way!

Call Etiquette

Be sure to maintain control of the call and stay focused on the customer’s issue.

Try to keep the conversation on topic. The analyst should lead the discussion. Loss of call control may often lead to

much longer call times and delayed issue resolution.

Call Control

Every ticket we process should have one of three possible outcomes, generally speaking:

1. Ticket resolved on this contact.2. Ticket escalated to another support

group (or individual).3. Ticket pending follow-up by analyst

or response from customer – preferably with an action plan.

Ticketing Procedure

We should not be closing tickets if there is no resolution to the issue. Remember, the customer is the decider on whether or not the issue is resolved.

Example: a customer called in for a routine password reset issue, then called back 2 hours later. Prior ticket was open, no notes on why it wasn’t solved on first call or what action needed to be taken next, empty support diary.

Ticketing Procedure

If you receive a call or chat involving an existing ticket that another person has assigned to them:

Use your judgment to determine what gives the customer the best outcome and the best quality of service.

Standard procedure is to offer to assist the customer and, if they agree, to take ownership of the issue and of the ticket. If the customer specifically requests to speak to the original analyst, transfer them over if that analyst is available.

If the ticket is with one of the second level support groups, or you don’t understand what to do next, you can call or IM the current owner to see if they can resume troubleshooting. You can then transfer the customer.

Ticketing Procedure –Callbacks – Existing Tickets

Some times during a phone call, the customer will ask for their ticket to be assigned to a specific analyst on another team. Unless a KB article requires tickets to be assigned to a specific individual, this is not standard operating procedure. ◦ Update the ticket with the customer’s request and let

the customer know their request has been noted in the ticket and that it has been assigned to the appropriate team.

◦ Go ahead and transfer the ticket to the proper group.

Ticketing Procedure – Second Level Callbacks – Existing Tickets

If the ticket is transferred directly to a specific analyst on another team, there is a chance of the customer being delayed service. ◦ The delay could be caused due to the analyst

being out or gone for the day and nobody else on their team seeing the ticket.

◦ This could be troublesome for the Help Desk in the event the customer’s issue gets raised to a higher level support group.


If a customer calls back to request a ticket close, don’t claim and close it if another department now has the issue.

Document the customer’s call in the support diary so the other department knows the ticket can be closed.

This helps protect the integrity of survey responses.

Ticketing Procedure – SecondLevel Callbacks – Existing Tickets

A user may call back for status on an existing ticket that is outside our team.

If the ticket has been assigned, refer the caller to the assignee.

If the issue is urgent, try to phone the assignee and conference or transfer the user.

Put a request for status into the ticket support diary. If the issue is urgent, use the Message Center to send an e-mail directly to the assignee.


A user may call back for status on an existing ticket that is outside our team.

If the ticket has not been assigned, refer the caller to the Group Manager.

If the issue is urgent, try to contact the Group Manager on the phone and conference or transfer the user.

Request status through the Message Center, using the Group Manager’s info.


Calls may need to be escalated to another support group if the resolution of the customer’s issue at Level 1 may not be timely.

Be sure to utilize all your resources before escalating:◦ KB◦ SME Line◦ Co-workers◦ Prior tickets for the same user

Many times, the wording of the ticket will give you an idea that the user has had the same issue before – it will read like a ‘template’.

◦ Google/Bing Search

Ticketing Procedure – Escalation

Use your judgment before escalating. Take into account factors like:

◦Current call volume.◦Calls currently on hold/in queue.◦Likelihood of resolution of the issue.◦Issue’s urgency.◦User’s demeanor.◦Is progress being made on the issue? This would be a good reason to

continue when otherwise reasonable.

Ticketing Procedure – Escalation

The Help Desk will occasionally get a ticket transferred back that has been in another team’s queue for a substantial time.

Ask a SME or Team Lead if you have any questions on the ticket.

“Vintage” Tickets

Check to see if there are any tickets for the customer in the system since the “vintage” one was entered, addressing the issue. If so, close the “vintage” one as a duplicate. Be sure to reference the other ticket number when doing so.

Check the directory to determine if the employee is still an active employee. If not, close the ticket.

If the ticket does not have a duplicate and the customer is still an active employee, escalate to Level 2, with notes reflecting the process prior to escalation.

“Vintage” ticket procedure

If you are following up, chatting, or pulling a ticket from e-mail, check to see if the customer has a ticket in the system since their last contact – the issue may be resolved already.◦ Comment from a customer: I guess you all do

not communicate in the help desk. This issue was resolved by Jeff M and followed up by someone else and now you. Please close the issue.

◦ This was over-communicating and decreasing customer satisfaction.

Ticket Processing Tips

When pulling tickets from e-mail, check to see if the user has submitted multiple tickets. ◦ This may indicate duplicate submissions.◦ Please pull any duplicates to avoid having two analysts

contacting the user on the same issue. This could be confusing and may appear unprofessional in the user’s eyes.

Please document thoroughly, particularly on an issue that has not yet been resolved. ◦ This helps your teammates if the customer calls back in. ◦ If you have ideas on what you can try next, document

that, as well.


When processing a phone or chat ticket or pulling from e-mail, always be sure to assign the ticket to yourself immediately. ◦This helps avoid multiple contacts to the

user from more than one analyst. Verify phone numbers, e-mail addresses,

and room/office locations – you might save another department a LOT of time with just a few seconds of your time.


Make the best use of your e-mail responses through Message Center. If you have any idea what the solution is, e-mail instructions to the customer, rather than just using the canned ‘please contact us back’ response.

If there’s any information the customer can provide that can help expedite solving the problem (version of software or of Windows, exact error, etc.), ask them specifically for that information in your outbound e-mail.


If you see an e-mail bounce come into your Outlook mailbox, check to see if one of your outgoing messages is the one bouncing. If so, you may need to rely on phone communications. ◦ Keep in mind, it’s best to phone someone with an e-mail issue

and to e-mail someone with a phone issue (in most cases). Watch for losing the ticket assignment. There are

various changes you can make in the ticket (for example, changing the Product on the Description tab) that will knock out the contents of the Assigned To Group, the Assigned to Person, or both.


There will be times when customers specify that they need a call-back at a certain time. It’s a good idea to make sure the customer understands this is not an absolute commitment. You might be on a call or unavailable at any given time.

Please do not commit to call-back times for either other Help Desk personnel, or other groups.

We do not know the lead time that others have and should not commit on their behalf.

Callbacks

Use multiple contact methods (phone, cell, e-mail) as appropriate.◦ Always think it through – it’s best to call someone

with an e-mail issue in most cases. It’s usually better to e-mail someone with a phone problem.

Try and touch your open tickets each day, and be sure to document each touch.

Even a simple e-mail saying, “We’re still researching your issue,” can both insure SLA compliance and reassure the customer.

Callbacks

First call resolution is one of the key stats by which our performance is judged. ◦ Try to minimize the necessity of callbacks by

keeping your first call resolution as high as possible.

◦ It’s more efficient for you, more satisfying for the customer, and better for the company.

◦ It’s a win/win/win. Use the ticketing system call-back function

to get e-mail reminders to call the customer back.

Callbacks

If you call back to a user and get voice mail, be sure to leave a voice mail message so that they know the Help Desk attempted to contact them.

If you have a desk phone number and a cell number, try to call (and leave a message if necessary) on both.

Use Directory Services to look up phone numbers as needed.

Callbacks

Keep a set of standardized, common responses in whatever format you find convenient. It’s much more efficient to copy and paste than to retype every time. This is also a good idea for e-mail tickets, and even for phone tickets.

Phone calls take precedence over chat.

Chat Tips

The Support Diary is a very important part of our process.◦Please document thoroughly, particularly

for ‘one-off’ issues. If the customer has the issue recurs months later, they’ll usually expect a quick fix by referencing the old ticket.

◦Part of being a good team player is to not make your teammates redo your work – the support diary is a big part of that.

Ticketing System Tips – Support Diary

There are employees who can see our support diaries, so be mindful of that possibility and make sure your entries are professional in tone.

Document the support diary in the bulleted list (dash) format to enhance readability.

Ticketing System Tips – Support Diary

Here is the description from a customer with a SharePoint issue:◦ “cannot connect to sharepoint site.”

The only substantive entry in the Support Diary is:◦ “Let me know if all is well after the reboot.”

There is nothing in the ticket to indicate what SharePoint site this is or what was actually done.

The user called back about 5 weeks later.

Ticketing System Tips – Support Diary: Example

Here is the new description for the SharePoint issue:◦ “User needs to access a SharePoint site.

https://company.com/sites/learning/. User had access previously, but is now unable to get in. User is accessing this from a personal machine.”

The entry in the Support Diary is:◦ “- Advised user to put domain name\ in front of userID

when logging in to override default domain (system is pulling local system name in as domain).

◦ - User confirms this worked.◦ - Prior ticket #XXXXXXX.”

Ticketing System Tips – Support Diary: Example

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 12:30:06 PM Detailed Description is: I am trying to send an excel file to

someone outside of the company and when I do somehow the header and footer is being removed.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 12:35:02 PM - asked customer if she could send me the file - customer mentioned that would be ok - customer sent file over, opened file, no header or footer. - attached file to ticket. - asked customer if she would mind holding - customer ok with this - calling sme line

Ticketing System Tips – Support Diary: Example of a Very Good Entry

New Detailed Description is: I am trying to send an excel file to someone outside of the company, and when I do, somehow the header and footer is being removed.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 1:13:33 PM - took some time on hold for the sme line - asked customer if it would be okay for me to call her back - customer ok with that - spoke with Jack on the sme line - Jack advised to contact the customer and try to get an original copy of the file or at least a screen

shot of what the file is supposed to look like so that we may determine what exactly is happening - thanked and disconnected - contact customer and asked to see if I could get an original copy of the document - customer mentioned that was fine - used the \\computername\c$ run command to copy file - opened file to review it - the file that the customer sent in the email and the file I copied from her machine are identical - thanked customer and asked if once more it would be okay for me to call her back - customer ok with this - thanked and disconnected - calling sme line once more


Tuesday, February 12, 2013 1:31:32 PM - talked to Jack on the sme line once more - advised that I was able to get a copy of the original file - after reviewing the original file and the one the customer sent me the header and

footer was not stripped - the header and footer had been either reset or hidden - forwarded a test message that Jack had sent me - show header and footer and then save file with another name - customer was able to see the header and footer - advised to rename the file I just sent her and then send that out to the customer - if the customer could see the header and footer, great - if she could not then do this first - go to Insert tab and click on header and footer to display the header and footer - if still no header and footer then the firewall was causing these issues - customer ok with that - sending customer email to wait for update.


02/12/13 13:31:30: Callback date of 02/13/13 has been set.

The following e-mail was sent to: user, and a Copy to Message Text: Meghan,

Per our conversation, please let me know how things go with the new .xls file you are sending out.

If the person receiving the file still cannot see the header and footer please let me know so that we may escalate your ticket.

Thanks and Regards, John Bunslack Help Desk Analyst


If you are copying e-mails into the support diary, do a Reply or Forward first, then also copy in the header information. ◦ This provides a time stamp for the communication.

Drive your e-mail communications through the Message Center, rather than replying directly in Outlook. ◦ This maintains a central repository in the ticket of

accurate (and time-stamped) documentation. ◦ You may want to copy/paste with the Reply/Forward to

catch at least the last communication from the customer and paste that into the bottom of your new Remedy message.

Ticketing System Tips – Support Diary and Message Center

Thank You!

Q & A

Documents

Call _Ticket Tips and Procedures Redacted