After decades of experience in the service management industry and having worked with enterprise giants like Toshiba and Porsche, we’ve seen countless ticket categorization structures in practice. We’ve also seen first hand what works, what doesn’t work, and why.

As you might already know, the ITIL framework does address best practices for ticket categorization. However, ITIL doesn’t identify the elements that are crucial to getting it right. The key to establishing effective ticket categories is two-fold:

1. CONSULT WITH YOUR WIDER TEAM

Setting ticket categories is such a contentious process for many teams because priorities are open to interpretation by various parties. For example, CIOs will often push for categories that allow for meaningful reporting. On the other hand, service agents will want categories that drive their own individual service efficiency. The key to getting it right is involving people from all levels to make sure you address everyone’s core needs.

The result will be ticket categories that deliver on all levels, as well as maximum buy-in across your organization.

2. AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH

Using past tickets to test the suggested category structure is the quickest way to highlight successes or glaring problems. By reviewing service performance on completed tickets, duplications, unnecessary additions, and potentially confusing hierarchy become immediately clear. To echo the previous point, the wider team should be involved here as they may interpret categories differently. Ultimately, you’ll get the feedback you need to set effective ticket categories.

REAL-WORLD BENEFITS

The practical benefits of defining ticket categories this way are clear and measurable, including:

• Tickets are routed more accurately, more quickly and are resolved in less time.
• Transformational change is driven through effective, meaningful reporting.
• Team experts focus primarily on their specialist areas, leading to a higher service desk resolution rate.

Put simply, an effective categorization strategy will drive organizational efficiency, support service level agreements and provide insights into valuable long-term reporting.