Are you struggling with a ticket backlog? Don’t know where to start? You’re not alone. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about tackling a ticket backlog. We’ll discuss how to create a plan, prioritize tickets, and manage your time effectively. Plus, we’ll provide tips and tricks for staying organized and keeping your backlog under control. Let’s get started!
What is a Ticket backlog?
A ticket Backlog is a collection of customer support requests that remain unresolved beyond the expected timeframe. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including a lack of resources, prioritizing, or simply forgetting about the tickets. Regardless of the cause, a backlog can create problems for both the customer and the company. Customers may become frustrated with the wait time, while the company risks losing its business. To avoid these problems, it is important to regularly review the ticket backlog and take action to address any outstanding issues.
Why Is It Important For Startups To Track Ticket Backlog?
For startups, it is important to track ticket backlog for a few reasons.
First, it helps to identify areas where customer support is falling behind and customers are not being helped in a timely manner.
Second, it can be used to gauge the level of customer satisfaction. If the number of tickets in the backlog is increasing, it may be an indication that customers are not happy with the level of support they are receiving.
Finally, tracking the ticket backlog can help to identify trends and patterns in customer support requests.
By understanding these trends, startups can make changes to their processes and procedures to better meet the needs of their customers.
How do you calculate ticket backlog?
[ sum of unresolved tickets open longer than (#) days ] = (#) Ticket Backlog
For calculating backlog first, determine the normal timeframe for resolving tickets, then add up all unresolved tickets that have been open longer than this time period.
Additionally, track how long the longest backlogged ticket has been unresolved by subtracting its open date from today’s date. That equation looks like this:
Today’s date – ticket open date = (#) Days Longest Backlogged Ticket has been Open
This will provide the total number of days the longest backlogged ticket has been open, which you can use to assess your team’s performance.
What factors affect ticket backlog?
It is important to understand the factors that can influence ticket backlog because too many unresolved tickets in your ticket backlog can lead to unsatisfied customers.
Time of the year
The time of year can have a significant effect on the number of tickets that are backlogged.
Businesses that experience a surge in sales during the holiday season may find themselves overwhelmed with customer service requests.
For example, during the summer months, there are typically more people traveling, which
can lead to a higher volume of customer service requests. Additionally, during holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, customer service representatives may be overwhelmed by the influx of holiday shoppers.
As a result, the ticket backlog may increase during these times of the year. Conversely, during slower periods, such as January and February, the ticket backlog may decrease.
Customer base
The customer base definitely affects ticket backlog. Businesses with a large customer base are likely to have more ticket backlog than those with a smaller customer base.
If there are more customers, then more tickets come in and the backlog grows. On the other hand, if there are fewer customers, then the backlog will be smaller.
Company’s focus on new product development
The company’s focus on new product development can also affect the ticket backlog. If the company is focused on developing new products, then it will likely have fewer resources available to address customer issues, resulting in a larger ticket backlog.
Ticket resolution time
The company’s overall support philosophy can impact the ticket backlog. For example, if the company is committed to resolving all customer issues as quickly as possible, then the backlog will be smaller than if the company takes a more relaxed approach to customer support.
By understanding the factors that affect ticket volume, you can develop a system that works for your business and helps to keep your customers satisfied.
Why is ticket backlog important?
In any customer service-based organization, one of the most important metrics is the ticket backlog. This metric helps to measure how well the organization is keeping up with customer demand. A high ticket backlog indicates that customers are waiting longer for their problems to be resolved, which can lead to frustration and even defections.
On the other hand, a low ticket backlog indicates that the organization is able to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. In order to make sure that customers are happy and loyal, it is essential to maintain a healthy ticket backlog.
By regularly monitoring this metric, organizations can ensure that they are meeting customer expectations and delivering a high level of service.
Advice from Customer Support Experts
“When you’re dealing with a backlog of customer support emails, responding quickly is key – even if you can’t provide an immediate resolution.” – Len Markidan, Head of Marketing at GrooveHQ.
“Backlog is critical because every unresolved issue means there is a customer who needs to be serviced, and each instance carries an associated cost.” – Marci Reynolds, EVP of Service Delivery and Customer Experience at ACI Worldwide.
What Is A Good Ticket Backlog?
A good ticket backlog is one that is small and manageable, meaning that customer support is able to keep up with the demand. This can be achieved through a number of methods, such as increasing staff, automating processes, or improving communication.
In some cases, a backlog may be unavoidable, such as during periods of high volume. However, by keeping the backlog small and manageable, customer support can ensure that all tickets are addressed in a timely manner.
Benchmark Data for Ticket Backlog
Surprisingly, not many IT support organizations track their ticket backlog metrics. Consequently, benchmarking data concerning backlogged tickets is limited. For reference, the following table shows approximate performance targets for the top quartile of IT support organizations:
Tickets that are more than 30 days old are not accepted and the objective is to maintain a backlog of zero for tickets beyond this age. It is imperative that all tickets are attended to within this time frame.
What is an example of a ticket backlog?
The ticket backlog of a particular support team can be measured in terms of absolute tickets and percentage of monthly volume. For level 1 support, the most common metric for tracking is the average end-of-day ticket backlog as a percentage of daily ticket volume. This involves determining how many open tickets remain at the end of each day compared to the total number of tickets handled on that day. For higher support levels, the ticket backlog metrics include segmenting tickets by age – those less than 10 days old, between 10 and 30 days old, and greater than 30 days old.
For example, a hypothetical field services group with a total monthly ticket volume of 2000 will have 200 open tickets which are less than 10 days old, 100 tickets that are 10-30 days old, and 300 tickets that are older than 30 days. the ticket backlog report of this example might look like this.
What are tips to decrease ticket backlog?
A ticket backlog can quickly become a problem for any organization that relies on ticketing to track and resolve customer issues. When tickets start to pile up, it can become difficult to prioritize and address the most urgent issues. As a result, customers can become frustrated and start to look for alternatives.
There are a few things that organizations can do to decrease their ticket backlog and keep their customers happy.
An efficient ticketing system
In any customer service-oriented business, an efficient ticketing system is crucial to maintaining a good relationship with customers. When customers submit tickets, they expect a prompt and courteous response. However, if tickets are not managed efficiently, they can quickly start to pile up, creating a backlog that can be difficult to clear.
This can lead to frustrated customers and higher levels of churn. An efficient ticketing system can help to reduce ticket backlog by automating many of the tasks involved in ticket management.
Adequate training of staff
In the customer service industry, training is especially important. Customers want to know that they are speaking with knowledgeable and helpful representatives who can resolve their issues in a timely manner. Unfortunately, many customer service departments are understaffed and overwhelmed with tickets.
This can lead to long wait times and frustrated customers. However, when staff members are adequately trained, they are better equipped to handle a high volume of tickets and provide efficient and effective customer service. As a result, training can help to reduce ticket backlogs and improve customer satisfaction levels.
Clear priorities and procedures
One way to help reduce the risk of ticket backlog is to have clear priorities and procedures in place. By knowing what needs to be dealt with first, and by having a set process for dealing with tickets, it can be easier to keep on top of the backlog and ensure that things don’t get out of hand.
This can provide a big boost to any organization’s efficiency and help to keep everyone happy.
By taking these steps, organizations can help to ensure that their ticket backlog does not become a problem.
How to quickly clear ticket backlog?
A huge backlog of tickets can create a nuisance for any customer service representative. It can make you feel like you’re never going to get through them all, and the longer the backlog gets, the harder it is to keep up.
If you find yourself in this situation, there are a few things you can do to clear your backlog quickly.
First, take a look at your priorities and see if there are any tickets that can be resolved immediately. These should be your top priority.
Then, start working through the backlog systematically, taking on a certain number of tickets each day until they’re all cleared.
Finally, reach out to your colleagues and see if anyone can help you with the workload. With a bit of effort, you’ll be able to get through that backlog in no time.
The Bottom Line
A backlog is a condition that reflects an imbalance between the demand for and availability of tickets. Excessive ticket backlogs can indicate significant problems within an organization’s customer service department. This guide provides an overview of how to identify, assess, and resolve issues related to ticket backlogs.