There are more and more requests for customers to come in every day, each person thinks the other person has handled it, in the end no one does, the ticket stays dormant for a week. Sounds familiar, right? If you want every request to be handled consistently, without errors, and with measurable efficiency, then a standard ticket handling process is what your customer service team needs. So what steps does that process include and what should each step do?
The standard 6-step ticket processing process (or ticket processing life cycle) is a chain: receiving → classifying → assigning → processing → confirming → closing the ticket. Each step has a goal, a responsible person, and a specific timeline. Applying all 6 steps, businesses no longer have "tickets lying dormant" and always know which requests are where. Zenify data shows that organizations that standardize ticket processes save up to 35% in operating costs.
TL;DR
- 6 steps: reception → classification → assignment → processing → confirmation → close.
- Each step needs a target time and a responsible person.
- The "confirmation" step is easily skipped but determines whether the customer is satisfied or not.
- Closing a ticket is a meaningful step: it indicates the job is done and there is measurement data.
- Start from paper/simple process, no need for software right away.
Step 1: Receive
Goal: every request is recorded, no omissions.
Automatically create tickets from all channels: Zalo, Facebook, email, livechat, hotline.
Record immediately: who is the customer, what channel, what request, time.
Send automatic response: "Your request has been received, we will respond within X".
Target time: instant upon receipt.
Step 2: Triage
Goal: know what type of request it is and its priority.
Type of request: information request, complaint, warranty, technical...
Priority level by frame (see Ticket priority matrix):
- Urgent: major complaints, impact on revenue/reputation.
- Normal: asking for information, simple requests.
Attach SLA corresponding to priority level.
Target time: minutes after reception.
Step 3: Assign
Goal: one ticket has exactly one owner.
Assign to the appropriate person with the right skills (technical questions → technical; complaints → competent person).
If multiple people touch the ticket, there is still one person who is ultimately responsible.
Automatically assign by turn/skill if the system supports it (see Smart ticket assignment).
Target time: immediately after classification.
Bước 4: Xử lý (Resolve)
Goal: solve the problem at the root, don't give a "speech" answer.
Find out the context: view customer history, ticket history (see Customer Profile 360).
Answer the question correctly, with specific implementation steps.
If not yet processed: update the status to "processing", do not leave the ticket silent.
If necessary to escalate: according to the process (see What is Escalation?).
Target time: according to SLA of each type.
Step 5: Confirm with the customer (Confirm)
Goal: ensure the customer is satisfied with the resolution.
Ask the customer: "So has your problem been solved yet?"
If the customer is not satisfied → go back to step 4, do not close.
If the customer is satisfied → send a short thank you note.
Target time: within the day after processing.
Bước 6: Đóng ticket (Close)
Goal: record completion and generate measurement data.
Close the ticket when the customer confirms satisfaction or no longer responds after a waiting period (eg 3 days).
Note the solution for documentation for next time (see Knowledge base for helpdesk).
Ticket closing data feeds reports: resolution time, first-time resolution rate (see Helpdesk reports should be viewed weekly).
Mẹo triển khai quy trình
In addition to the 6 steps above, you should remember a few more tips to make the process run smoothly from day one:
Start simple: write the process on one page and post it for the entire customer service department.
One owner per ticket: the most important rule to remember.
Step 5 must not be skipped: Confirming with the customer is what turns "resolved" into "customer satisfied".
Weekly short meeting to review ticket backlog, not letting the backlog silently swell.