Are you struggling to type by a mountain of buyer help tickets? Think about looking for all of the billing inquiries you obtained yesterday — with none clear approach to categorize them. It could be like on the lookout for a pile of needles inside a much bigger pile of needles.
That is the place ticket tagging in your e-mail ticketing system is available in. With tags, you may add key phrases to your tickets, making them simply searchable and filterable. Need to see all of the billing points from the previous week? A fast search with the “billing” tag might do the trick.
When you’re not tagging tickets but and also you’re unsure the best way to begin, you’ve come to the suitable place. This information will clarify what ticket tagging is, why it is vital, and how one can implement a ticket tagging system to streamline your help operations.
What’s ticket tagging?
Ticket tagging may be very easy: It’s assigning labels or “tags” to buyer conversations in your assist desk based mostly on their content material, context, or sort. These tags assist categorize and set up tickets, making it simpler to handle and analyze buyer interactions. That is significantly helpful when utilizing a shared inbox (like Assist Scout’s), since brokers are shortly capable of pinpoint the important thing info on tickets which will already be in progress.
As soon as an agent has learn by a ticket, they’ll manually apply essentially the most related tag(s) and proceed to resolve the ticket or escalate as obligatory. It’s not essentially the most environment friendly — or dependable — method, however for smaller operations, it is going to suffice.
Alternatively, you may make use of computerized ticket tagging to hurry issues up a bit. In Assist Scout, you do that by utilizing automated workflows to set circumstances and set off actions utilizing “if/then” statements.
For example, if a buyer responds with a foul (or within the case of Assist Scout, ‘not good’) satisfaction score they usually embrace a remark, you may arrange a workflow that provides a negative-comments (or ‘not-good-comments’) tag.
This tag would make it simpler to maintain observe of these conversations with the intention to assign them to a supervisor or senior workforce member to observe up on.
Tags play an important function in buyer help by:
Bettering group: Tags assist categorize tickets, making it simpler to seek out and prioritize them. So you probably have a bug that’s inflicting widespread disruption or an ongoing concern with sure cost choices failing, you may simply discover all the associated tickets.
Enhancing reporting: With tags, you may generate detailed reviews to grasp traits, determine widespread points, and monitor workforce efficiency. Need to know what number of tickets an agent touched final week that have been associated to onboarding matters? Tagging tickets appropriately makes that a lot simpler.
Streamlining workflows: Tags can set off particular actions or workflows, guaranteeing tickets are dealt with effectively. Possibly Jane is supposed to deal with all refund requests. Workflows can assign all tickets tagged with “refund” on to her for extra environment friendly dealing with.
Tips on how to get began: Greatest practices for making a ticket tagging system
Creating an efficient ticket tagging system requires some forethought. Listed here are some greatest practices that can assist you get began.
Outline clear tag classes (however don’t get too particular)
Having classes permits you to segregate tickets based mostly on their matters. However what number of various kinds of matters may very well be lined by an arbitrary tag like “billing concern”?
Off the highest of my head, it might embrace:
The billing system was down.
The shopper’s card is expired.
The shopper’s financial institution rejected the cost try.
These are three distinct points in their very own proper. If that your cost processor had some downtime, you may slender your tickets down by looking for “billing concern,” but it surely’s nonetheless going to be a handbook course of to determine the shoppers affected by the outage.
Then again, “billing concern – cost processor down – server downtime – performing updates” is getting a bit of too particular and is (hopefully) solely ever going for use as soon as. After that one event, it’s simply muddle in your tag record.
“Fee processor failure” is a pleasant compromise. It’s particular sufficient that you may inform immediately what the ticket is expounded to with out being so granular that it might solely ever apply to that one outage that occurred in March 2019.
Begin by developing with some basic classes — billing is an efficient begin — that break it down additional into classes can be used typically. These is perhaps issues like:
Prepare your workforce
Educate your help workforce on the significance of tagging and the best way to apply tags accurately. Some tickets may require multiple tag (resembling “change cost particulars” with a “function request – paypal” tacked on on the finish), however utilizing too many at a time negates the aim of them.
Be sure to have clear standards in place for every tag so your brokers know precisely what to decide on every time. Tags may change over the course of the ticket — what began as a generic “product concern” could also be later identified as a “bug” — so your brokers ought to know when it’s applicable to make adjustments.
Define the advantages your workforce will get from utilizing the system. They could resist at first (extra work!?), however the positives far outweigh the negatives. For instance: If an agent is investigating a possible bug, they’ll discover monitoring down comparable tickets a lot simpler if earlier tickets have been categorized successfully.
Commonly assessment tags
Assessment and replace your tags to maintain them related and helpful. Do not forget that cost processor outage again in March 2019? It was very helpful to have a particular tag for it on the time so you may monitor what number of tickets have been associated to the outage. In July 2024, making use of this tag to new tickets is as helpful as a teapot constructed from chocolate.
It’s inconceivable to ascertain each single tag you’ll want from the beginning — particularly if your organization repeatedly launches new options. Likewise, it’s too straightforward to go mad and have tags for each eventuality, with most by no means getting used.
When you’ve got any area of interest tags which can be solely used possibly a few times a 12 months, think about rolling them right into a extra generic “different” or “miscellaneous” class. Tags which have by no means been used? Chuck them — you may all the time create them once more if they’re wanted.
Widespread ticket tagging use circumstances
Ticket tags will be extremely versatile. Listed here are a number of widespread examples — confronted by help groups throughout all industries — exhibiting how they can be utilized successfully.
Precedence tagging
Create a tag like “pressing” or “excessive precedence” to spotlight tickets that want rapid consideration.
Utilizing these along with workflows will be certain that these tickets will all the time be seen shortly. You may phase out your pressing tickets right into a separate view that your workforce lead displays, otherwise you may arrange a workflow that sends a message to your help workforce’s Slack channel every time an pressing ticket is available in.
Matter-based tagging
Tags resembling “cost processor failure” or “change cost particulars” can assist categorize tickets based mostly on the character of the inquiry. When you discover a sudden inflow of tickets tagged as “cost failed – examine,” you will have a bug or an outage in your arms.
Figuring out it early permits your engineers to get on it earlier than it impacts too many individuals!
In the same vein, tagging conversations based mostly on the broad matter they’re associated to also can assist you to determine the areas your prospects are having essentially the most bother in (in addition to the areas your help workforce is spending essentially the most time on). You can too use customized fields to assist with this. Tags are extra versatile, which might have advantages, however customized fields provide you with extra structured knowledge to investigate afterward.
Buyer segmentation
Buyer segmentation tags assist categorize tickets based mostly on the kind of buyer, enabling tailor-made help.
For example, tagging a ticket with “VIP” may then kick off a workflow to route your VIP prospects to the highest of the queue or to a senior help agent, guaranteeing swift and high-quality help. Tagging a ticket from a free trial consumer with “trial” can point out on your workforce a must be proactive about offering further steering to assist them get began along with your product effectively.
Overcoming challenges: When ticket tagging goes incorrect
As I’ve already touched on a number of occasions, whereas ticket tagging is useful, it may possibly go incorrect if not applied correctly.
Widespread pitfalls embrace:
Inconsistent tagging: Totally different workforce members use diverse tags for a similar concern.
Misspelled tags: Guide tagging can result in errors and inconsistencies.
Tag overload: Too many tags could make the system cumbersome and complicated.
Happily, every of those challenges will be solved.
Use tagging tips
Present clear tips to your workforce on the best way to tag tickets. When you observe the steering above and actually nail your core tag classes, there shouldn’t be a lot confusion with regards to selecting the most effective match.
Keep in mind that an agent’s notion of a difficulty is a associated pitfall to this. For example, a buyer may e-mail you with a difficulty they’re having along with your product. One agent may even see this as a possible “bug,” whereas others may even see it as a buyer merely needing steering (“buyer how-to”). You’ll want to classify what kind of points fall below every class, and element the events the place tagging could change all through the course of a ticket.
Moreover, outline a transparent course of for including tags. You could wish to hold this privilege to your self or a chosen few individuals to keep up consistency and keep away from duplication. You don’t need muddle like:
Placing easy tips in place can scale back the noise attributable to misspelled ticket tags and make discovering the right tags far simpler.
Implement tag automation
Utilizing automated workflows, and even investing in specialised software program to assist automate tagging, can assist a ton. Automated ticket tagging will scale back confusion, provided that the apps observe clearly outlined logic and reasoning to assign essentially the most applicable labels.
They’re additionally a lot faster than an agent doing it manually, rushing up your CX significantly.
Common audits
Conduct common audits to wash up and streamline your tags.
As talked about above, it’s straightforward to build up loads of tags which can be both hardly ever used, by no means used, or just aren’t wanted anymore. Commonly assessment your record (we recommend quarterly) and take away something that’s surplus to necessities.
Ticket tagging is a vital piece of the puzzle
A wise ticket tagging method makes your workforce extra environment friendly and higher organized, helps automate components of your help course of, and provides you higher insights into why your prospects are reaching out and how one can greatest meet their wants.
Ticket tagging alone received’t clear up your prospects’ issues, but it surely’s a key a part of constructing a buyer help technique that helps your workforce ship nice customer support.
