Ticketing integration refers to connecting different ticketing systems together to enable seamless communication and workflow between teams. With the rise of IT service management (ITSM) and various specialized ticketing tools, many organizations find themselves managing multiple ticketing systems for different departments and functions.
Integrating these disparate systems provides a unified view of tickets across the organization, enabling better collaboration and efficiency. Some key benefits of ticketing integration include:
Improved visibility
Connecting ticketing systems provides a single aggregated view of ticket data across the organization. This gives managers and staff greater visibility into the overall workload and status of issues. Rather than having to check multiple systems, ticket activity can be monitored from a single integrated dashboard.
Smooth cross-team collaboration
With integrated ticketing, teams can work together on related issues more easily. For example, a customer service rep can create a ticket in their CRM system that then syncs with the IT support ticketing tool. This helps teams collaborate on a ticket without having to manually communicate ticket numbers back and forth.
Enhanced reporting
Integration enables centralized reporting across ticketing tools. Key metrics like ticket volumes, response times, resolution rates, and staff workloads can be easily monitored and reported on from a single reporting platform.
Improved ITSM processes
When integrated with ITSM processes and tools, ticketing data can help optimize workflows. For instance, integrated ticketing enables seamless ticket escalation between service desk agents and IT technicians. This helps improve incident management processes.
Reduced data silos
Organizations often end up with ticket data trapped in separate systems. Integration helps break down these silos and provides a consolidated data set. This improved data access enables better analysis for trends, recurring issues, and other actionable insights.
Common ticketing system integration methods
There are a few common technical approaches to integrate ticketing tools across an enterprise:
Point-to-point integration
This involves connecting two systems together directly through an API integration. The API allows data to be transferred between the two ticketing tools. For example, when a ticket is logged in System A, key details can be passed to System B via API calls.
Hub-and-spoke model
In this approach, an integration hub or middleware platform acts as a central conduit between multiple ticketing systems. The middleware translates and routes data between the different systems. This provides a scalable way to connect multiple ticketing tools.
Common data model
With this method, data is standardized to a common schema before being shared between systems. Ticketing data is transformed and normalized to the common model. This provides consistency for reporting and analysis. The CDM approach also facilitates system interoperability.
Custom application integration
For more complex scenarios, custom integration apps may be developed to bridge ticketing systems. Custom apps provide workflow automation and advanced data mapping capabilities. This is a more involved integration approach but provides deeper system interoperability.
Key considerations for integration
Some important factors to consider when planning ticketing system integration include:
- User access controls – Carefully plan how user access permissions will carryover across integrated systems.
- Data mapping – Map how ticket fields will align across different schemas and systems.
- Change management – Develop a change management plan for rolling out integration to users.
- Ongoing support – Factor in resources to actively support and enhance the integration solution.
- Compliance – Ensure the integration meets any regulatory compliance requirements.
Challenges with ticketing integration
While ticketing integration provides many benefits, it also comes with some potential challenges:
- Complexity – Managing connections between multiple systems adds layers of complexity.
- Maintenance – Upgrades or changes to any of the integrated systems can break the integration.
- Cost – Developing and managing integrations has both upfront and ongoing costs.
- Older systems – Connecting legacy systems with limited capabilities can be difficult.
- Data consistency – Keeping data consistent and in sync across integrated systems takes work.
- User adoption – Getting users to adopt new integrated workflows requires training and promotion.
Best practices for integration success
Some best practices that can help ensure a successful ticketing system integration effort include:
- Get executive buy-in – Gain leadership sponsorship to ensure stakeholder alignment.
- Involve key users – Include team leads from frontline service and IT teams in planning.
- Start small – Focus initial integration on high-value workflows before expanding.
- Allow time for testing – Conduct extensive user acceptance testing before rollout.
- Plan training – Develop training programs and guides for users on the new processes.
- Monitor adoption – Track usage data and get user feedback to improve adoption.
- Review periodically – Revisit integrations regularly to optimize and enhance them.
Example: Integrating a CRM system and IT service desk
Here is an example of integrating a customer relationship management (CRM) system with an IT service desk system:
Business driver
Enable seamless ticket management between customer service reps in the CRM system and IT technicians in the service desk system.
Integration method
A point-to-point integration using web APIs to connect the two systems.
Key workflows
- Create ticket in CRM – adds ticket in ITSM.
- Technician resolves ticket – updates ticket status in CRM.
- CRM user adds notes – syncs comments to ITSM ticket.
- Close ticket in one system – closes ticket in both systems.
Benefits
- Single view of customer tickets for agents
- Improved collaboration between teams
- Enhanced customer service with visibility
- Better reporting on customer issues
This example demonstrates how connecting CRM and ITSM ticketing helps break down silos between customer service and technical teams. Integration improves workflows while providing a better customer experience.
Key takeaways
- Ticketing integration connects disjointed systems to enable unified workflows.
- Benefits include improved visibility, collaboration, reporting and ITSM processes.
- Common techniques involve point-to-point, hub-and-spoke, and application integration.
- Well-planned change management and training helps drive user adoption.
- Start with high-value workflows and expand integrations over time.
By taking steps to integrate ticketing systems across their technology environment, organizations can enhance service management, collaboration, and efficiency across teams.