Third Insight - The Importance of Data Segregation

The Wheels of Ticketing - Desk Stories

The Importance of Data Segregation

Data segregation

In ticketing systems, data segregation organises data into logical groups or categories to reduce ticket backlogs and resolution time and improve the overall customer support experience.

Segregated data is useful data 

Why is data segregation vital for your ticketing system?

In a help desk environment, data segregation may involve categorizing support tickets according to factors such as customer type (e.g., VIP clients, regular users), department (e.g., sales, IT, customer service), issue type (e.g., refund, warranty) or sensitivity levels (e.g., confidential, public). This structured approach ensures that only authorised agents can access sensitive information, mitigating the risk of data breaches and safeguarding customer privacy.

 

Additionally, segregating ticket data can improve efficiency. Support agents can focus on tickets relevant to their department or expertise, leading to faster resolution times and a more streamlined workflow. It also allows management to generate more accurate reports and insights, as they can easily analyse trends and performance metrics within segregated groups.

Improves performance by reducing the amount of data users must interact with and focusing on relevant information.

In the second insight, we discussed the concept of Layouts, which provide businesses with a versatile and efficient way to implement and manage their services. Desk offers a variety of pre-built layouts and customizable templates designed to cater to different customer support requirements. The advanced multi-layout feature enables companies to quickly create compelling user experiences that accommodate multiple services at a lower cost. By leveraging these layouts and templates, businesses can significantly improve their support processes while prioritising what truly matters: their customers' satisfaction. 

A story for better interpretation

Segregate your data - A help desk story

Once upon a time, a small but dedicated team in a bustling tech company managed customer support through a ticketing system called "HelpNow." As the company grew, so did its customer base, leading to an overwhelming influx of support tickets. Although the team worked diligently, the increase in tickets created clutter. 

Once efficient, the HelpNow system became cluttered with old tickets, unresolved issues, and duplicate requests. Customer satisfaction started to decline as users waited longer for their problems to be resolved. Frustration lingered not only in the hearts of customers but also within the support team, which found it increasingly challenging to navigate the cluttered ticketing system.

One day, the lead, Monica, called for a meeting to address the urgent situation. "We need to organise our data," she announced. The team discussed various strategies, but Monica had a vision of what needed to be done—a systematic approach to decluttering their HelpNow system.

The first step involved reviewing and categorising all existing tickets. The team deleted the tickets archived for more than six months without follow-up, since they likely belonged to resolved issues. They set a clear deadline for this task, recognising that focused teamwork was integral to tackling the backlog. Each team member was assigned a category of tickets to review. They achieved this by creating custom views and sharing them with the team.

 

During this process, the team discovered an unexpected treasure trove of information. They also realised that some bugs needed urgent attention, leading to prioritised fixes for the product. With this discovery, Monica created a new layout, naming it the Bug Service Layout, and made it available for internal purposes.

 

As the organising data event continued, the team also acknowledged the importance of customer communication. They crafted an email update to inform existing customers with pending tickets about their efforts to improve support quality. Customers appreciated the transparency and felt confident that their concerns were being taken seriously.

 

After two weeks of hard work, their system was transformed. The volume of old tickets had been dramatically reduced, and the remaining tickets were prioritised and categorised effectively for quicker solutions. Customer agents could easily navigate the system and focus on resolving issues rather than wading through a resolution maze.

 

Reports generated from the organised data helped Monica and her team identify trends in customer inquiries and revamp their product support process and resources accordingly. Inspired by their findings, they implemented a new self-service help widget to empower users with immediate solutions. 

 

The results were incredible: response times dropped, customer satisfaction surged, and the support team thrived in their more organised environment. The HelpNow system became a case study in transforming mess into clarity, demonstrating the power of segregating unnecessary data to unveil the valuable.

In a ticketing system, various departments and services play crucial roles in contributing to customer support's overall efficiency and effectiveness. In Zoho Desk, multiple services in your business can be achieved using multiple layouts. You can segregate your customer tickets using departments if your company runs across numerous business units/regions and involves various support processes. By recognising the importance of each department in ticketing, businesses can create a more holistic and responsive approach to customer service. 

Summing up

Data segregation is not just a one-time effort; it requires ongoing attention to ensure the integrity and reliability of customer information. 

Establishing clear protocols and guidelines for data segregation will help agents understand their responsibilities and stay accountable for maintaining valid data. 

Please stay tuned for more Desk Module stories.

 

Cheers,

 

Kavya Rao

The Zoho Desk Team

Also read:

• Second Insight - Let's talk Layouts
• First Insight - Find your Fields
  

• Topic Participants

• Kavya Rao Addepalli

  

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