As a consumer or employee, one of the most frustrating problems that can arise in the course of a work day is forgetting a password. Understandably, this issue does not happen multiple times a day, and really only happens once or twice per person.
However, when a single person has multiple accounts in varying places, keeping track of what string of letters and numbers that this specific service needs in order to access its information can be problematic.
On the IT side, these calls come in with a regularity that necessitates a quick and painless process to get the user into the system. This solution needs to get the user back to their work, limiting the time lost from putting in the request to its resolution. A help desk ticketing system is vital in creating an effective pipeline to resolve this issue.
Types of Tickets Filed by a Help Desk Ticketing System
The definitions used by IT groups for certain kinds of tickets center around the size and complexity of the problem. Some of these classifications include:
- Incident
- A brief disruption of a person’s “standard operation of a service” that causes a decrease in service quality
- Service Request
- A request to IT for information, advice or a relatively small change
- Change Request
- A particular type of request to change the structure or type of services being rendered to the user
Help desk workers across the industry tend to agree on what the terms incident, service request, and change request mean. The question is, where does the password reset fit in?
Defining Password Resets Affects Help Desk Ticketing System
A password reset is widely considered a service request. This distinction comes from the consideration that the actual service being rendered by the company is not being disturbed. There is no issue with the network or program that can be solved, only the user being unable to access it.
Some would argue that a password reset is an incident because it involves “degradation in the quality of service,” with the user being unable to access the account and information.
However it is defined, it is important to resolve password resets quickly and, preferably, automatically. Many companies are pushing toward automated or user-enabled password resets; this enables the request to be solved without the help of an IT worker, rather than managed as an incident requiring IT input.
This strategy of self-service can be applied to other service requests, through the use of Knowledge Base searches, FAQs, and automated routing of requests. Incidents will still require IT workers to respond quickly, but for service requests, an automated system can take on some of the work, providing many benefits to both users and the IT department.
By implementing automated responses to service requests, such as password resets, IT workers can focus on incidents and more demanding service requests or change requests.
Help Desk Ticketing System: Take the Tools to Task
Regardless of how a password reset is defined, the conclusion is that a company’s help desk ticketing system needs to be as quick as possible, allowing the user to get back to the work at hand. User-enabled solutions are an answer, and some SharePoint-enabled help desks have built in modules for this issue. The tools are there, but it is up to each company to define this problem to better serve their customers.
Scott Restivo has worked in the IT industry for over 20 years. A certified systems engineer, with CNE, MCSE, and CCNA designations, he consulted to major corporations and the military …read more
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Crow Canyon Systems.
