Understanding Ticket Prioriisation and Why Your MSP Should Use It
As a business owner or manager, you know how important it is to have reliable and secure IT systems that support your operations and enable your productivity. You also know how frustrating and costly it can be when IT issues occur and disrupt your workflow and customer service. That is why you need a managed service provider who can provide you with the best possible IT service and support, and who can resolve any issues that may arise quickly and efficiently.
But how do you know if your MSP is delivering the best possible service and support to you? How do you know if they are prioritising the issues that matter the most to you and your business, and if they are allocating their resources accordingly? How do you know if they are communicating with you clearly and regularly, and if they are involving you in the decision-making process?
One way to answer these questions is to look at how your MSP handles the requests they receive from you and other customers. Do they use a ticket prioritisation system that categorises and prioritises the requests based on the severity and urgency of the issue, and the impact it has on your business operations and productivity? Or do they use a first-come, first-served method that does not take into account these factors?
I will explain why you should choose an MSP who uses a ticket prioritisation system and how it benefits you and your business. I will also share with you how having a ticket prioritisation system improves the quality and efficiency of service delivery.
What is a Ticket Prioritisation System and How Does It Work?
A ticket prioritisation system is a system that allows an MSP to classify and prioritise the requests they receive from their customers, and to allocate their resources accordingly. It is based on the following principles:
- Each request is assigned a category that reflects the severity and urgency of the issue, and the impact it has on the customer’s business operations and productivity. These categories are usually P1-Critical, P2-High, P3-Medium, or P4-Low.
- Each category has a response time and a resolution time, which are the maximum time frames within which the MSP aims to respond to and resolve the request. These time frames vary depending on the category, with Critical requests having the shortest time frames and Low requests having the longest time frames.
- The MSP monitors and tracks the status and progress of each request and communicates with the customer regularly to keep them informed and updated. The MSP also escalates the request to a higher level of support or management, if necessary, to ensure that it is resolved as soon as possible.
- The MSP reviews and evaluates their ticket prioritisation system regularly and uses feedback from their customers and their own data and metrics to improve and refine it.
The table below shows an example of the categories, response times, and resolution times of a ticket prioritisation system.
What Benefits Does a Ticket Prioritisation System Bring to You and Your Business?
A ticket prioritisation system brings the following benefits to you and your business:
- It ensures that your MSP responds to and resolves the most urgent and critical issues first, and that they allocate their resources accordingly. This minimises the downtime, risk, and loss that you may experience due to IT issues.
- It improves the quality and efficiency of your MSP’s service delivery, as they are able to focus on the issues that matter the most to you and your business, and to provide you with the best possible solutions.
- It fosters a transparent and collaborative relationship between you and your MSP, as they are able to communicate with you clearly and regularly, and to involve you in the decision-making process.
Conclusion
A ticket prioritisation system is a key component of any MSP service delivery strategy; it enables MSPs to provide the best possible service and support to their customers. It ensures that the important and urgent issues are dealt with quickly and creates true transparency between the MSP and the customer around levels of service and delivery
If you are looking for an MSP who uses a ticket prioritisation system and who can provide you with the best possible IT service and support, contact us today and find out how we can help you.