Data-driven technology decisions are available if you know where to look. It is important to leave no stone unturned when searching for opportunities to improve business decisions, especially related to technology. If you are not considering what your workforce spends its time on and what you can do to prioritize or shift major projects, it is most likely costing you. One tool that organizations often do not use to its full potential is an IT helpdesk ticket system.

Leadership often views ticketing systems as work tracking systems and nothing more. The real gold for those who value strategy, long-term vision, and proper workforce management is in reporting capabilities. The value in your IT helpdesk ticket system lies in its data, as it is full of insight into your technological needs. Every time your employees interact with your IT team and create a ticket, a manual interaction occurs. Those manual interactions cost companies quite a lot, mostly in lost time for employees seeking assistance and for IT staff. Your IT team members could be spending this time driving the organization forward instead of working on repetitive requests.

How to use IT helpdesk ticket system data to find areas for improvement

There are a number of questions to ask in order to get a bearing of your IT function's performance and efficiency, but the most valuable answers come from data. Using data from the IT helpdesk ticket system, leaders can assess whether the IT department is asked to solve the same challenge or fulfill the same request repeatedly. They can also determine if employees are frustrated with the service provided. It is important to note, this is not because of the people, but because of the initial challenges they face. Steps to follow in order to uncover answers to these questions and identify opportunities for improvement include:

• Create reports based on ticket subjects or categories.
• If the system has graphing capabilities, use pie charts to check for high volumes of tickets within the same category, time spent on a specific category, incidents by priority, and more.
  • If the system does not chart well, export raw data and use Excel to make a pivot table.
• Use the results to have meaningful strategic discussions with your IT team.
• Outline solutions on a roadmap, and mark possible budgetary items.
• Determine return on investment (ROI) based on the benefits you expect to see. This can include fewer repetitive tickets and less time spent on them.

Constraints frequently discovered and their potential solutions

There are several limitations, whether repetitive requests or larger technology issues, which businesses often identify when completing this exercise with their IT helpdesk ticket system. Many solutions listed have no cost for organizations to implement because they already have these capabilities available existing Microsoft licensing.

• Password resets – Microsoft can handle this for you if Azure AD connect is set up.
• Printer setup – Microsoft has Universal Print, making print management easier than ever for both employees and IT.
• File permissions – Enable employees to manage access to files using a modern approach with Microsoft Teams or SharePoint.
• Computer performance – Microsoft Intune has endpoint analytics, which can help before employees report work blockages from equipment failures.
• Onboarding and offboarding processes – Microsoft can integrate with many HRIS systems to help automate user creation from work HR is already doing.
• Computer refreshes – Ease the computer replacement cycle using Microsoft Autopilot.
• Application installation – Employees should not be administrators of their machines. Use Intune to allow them to install approved apps without threatening security.
• VPN challenges – Remove VPN dependencies by shifting workloads to the cloud with Microsoft Azure.
• Spam and phishing emails – Microsoft Defender for Office 365 allows your users to report events quickly through Outlook. You can also send phishing emails to your own employees to help with awareness and training.

The results of your reporting exercise may include the above items or may surface something entirely new. Overall, the goal is to take action and be meticulous. Without analysis of your IT helpdesk ticket system, you cannot make data driven decisions related to your technology footprint and strategic roadmap.

Citrin Cooperman's Digital Services Practice is experienced in helping clients save time and money through these reporting exercise and implementing changes to improve productivity and efficiency. If you are looking capitalize on the data that lies within your IT ticketing system, or if you would like to begin the process of implementing an IT ticketing system, reach out to your Citrin Cooperman advisor or Kris Scuteri at kscuteri@citrincooperman.com.