The ticket lifecycle

A ticket tracks the progress of a single issue or workflow instance through the helpdesk, for example, a customer complaint. A ticket action is a course of action available to the ticket.

Although you can configure the helpdesk to perform many different actions, each ticket progresses through the same basic stages in the ticket lifecycle:
  1. The ticket is raised, for example, by an operator, in CAT or by a workflow.
  2. Ticket actions are performed, for example, an operator assigns the ticket to another operator or Smile sends a notification to a customer.
  3. If no further action is required for a period of time, the ticket is placed on hold. The ticket remains on hold until the hold elapses or a customer contacts you about the ticket.
  4. The ticket is closed after all ticket actions are complete or the workflow ends.

Note that an operator or customer can re-open a closed ticket if an issue recurs.

The following flowchart gives you an overview of the actions in the ticket lifecycle.

Figure: The ticket lifecycle

Flowchart of ticket lifecycle