How an Automated Ticketing System Streamlines Processes and Enhances Efficiency for Businesses

Traditional ticketing systems are reaching a breaking point: Manual ticket routing and resolution processes just can’t keep up as today’s as teams juggle support tasks and manage hundreds of complex business applications.

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone: Benchmark data across a range of industries shows that IT support teams are dealing with high ticket volumes with some teams managing hundreds if not 1000+ tickets monthly.

As your company grows, the drawbacks of manual or only semi-automated employee support functionalities become crystal clear: lengthy resolution times, inconsistent service, and support teams bogged down by repetitive requests.

Automated ticketing systems powered by artificial intelligence can help. 

These systems can intelligently sort, route, and in some cases, even solve common support issues without human intervention. By doing so, these systems help organizations and support teams work more efficiently while also solving issues faster for employees too.

What is an automated ticketing system?

To better understand how they can help, let’s start by defining automated ticketing systems.

An automated ticketing system is software that manages the creation, processing, and resolution of support tickets with reduced human involvement. 

These systems serve as a central hub for IT and HR support operations, creating a structured process for tracking and addressing employee issues and service requests throughout their lifecycle.

Conversely, manual ticketing systems refer to more traditional approaches of handling support, where human agents manage almost every step of the process. When an employee submits a request, a (human) support agent has to manually categorize it, assign it to the right team, track its progress, move to any escalations if need be, and send updates. 

While this method relies on trusty human judgment, it’s often slow, inconsistent, and takes up a lot of resources, leading to bottlenecks and high Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR), especially as ticket volumes grow.

Automated ticketing systems improve manual processes

Automated ticketing systems make things more efficient by using predefined rules and workflows. They can automatically sort tickets based on keywords, send them to the right team, and trigger notifications at different stages. 

While they’re certainly an evolution from manual processes, these systems can still have their limits. 

For instance, your standard automated ticketing system can typically only handle the scenarios in their programmeing. Plus, they aren’t designed to adapt to new situations or understand more complex support requests. This ultimately results in IT teams still needing to triage incoming tickets.

How does an AI automated ticketing system work?

AI-powered ticketing systems are the next big step, using artificial intelligence to make your support processes smarter, faster, and more flexible. 

To keep things clear, we'll call these advanced tools "AI-automated" or "AI-powered" ticketing systems to set them apart from basic rule-based automation.

Unlike simple automation, many these systems can:

• Understand natural language requests, even when phrased casually or inconsistently
• Learn from past ticket data to categorize more accurately over time
• Adjust to changing patterns without requiring constant manual updates
• Make decisions based on context and multiple factors
• Resolve many issues autonomously without human assistance
• Generate ticket processing analytics and recommendations for improvement

The process typically works like this: When an employee submits a ticket (via email, chat, portal, or other channels), the AI system analyzes the content to understand what the employee needs. 

It then categorizes the request, assigns the appropriate priority level, and either resolves it automatically using predefined resolution workflows or escalates it to the right support team.

Manual vs. AI automated ticketing: What's the difference?

The difference between manual and AI-powered automated ticketing is clear when you look at the key metrics that matter to both support teams and employees:

And what about the cost? Implementing an automated ticketing system can have upfront costs. But in the long run, it can save companies thousands if not hundreds of thousands (or more!) dollars by increasing efficiency and reducing the need for large support teams or expanding headcount. 

Key benefits of an automated ticketing system for IT & HR support

Rising ticket volumes, more complex issues, and growing demands for speedy service are putting increased pressure on support teams. 

With the shift toward hybrid and remote work environments, these challenges are becoming even more pronounced. AI-powered automation provides an effective solution, offering a range of transformative benefits:

Reduce Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) with AI-powered automation

The most immediate benefit of AI-powered ticketing systems is dramatically faster resolution times. By automating the triage, routing, and even resolution of common issues, these systems can:

• Provide instant responses to employee inquiries 24/7
• Automatically resolve routine tickets without human intervention
• Reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR) from hours to seconds

For example, instead of waiting hours or days for IT support to reset a password, an employee can submit a request through an AI ticketing system and then have it resolved right away.

These agentic automation systems are able to verify the user's identity, execute the password reset according to security policies, and notify the employee — all without a human support agent ever touching the ticket.

Increased efficiency and reduced workload for IT and HR teams

Beyond speed, automated ticketing systems significantly reduce the workload on support teams by handling routine, repetitive tasks. This delivers several operational benefits:

• Support staff can focus on complex, higher-value issues that require human expertise
• Teams can manage higher ticket volumes without increasing headcount
• Better workload management can mean less burnout and lower turnover rates among support staff

According to Salesforce, 79% of IT leaders think generative AI can help lighten team workloads and cut down on burnout. 

And it can: With AI handling routine tickets, support staff can spend more time on what matters — like solving high-level challenges, contributing to strategic initiatives, and driving innovation within the organization. 

Improved employee experience through 24/7 self-service

Your employees want the same fast, convenient service at work that they get as consumers in their personal lives. AI-powered ticketing systems make this possible with self-service options that let employees solve problems on their own time:

• Conversational AI interfaces allow employees to request help using regular, everyday language
• Knowledge base integration offers helpful info and step-by-step solutions
• Omnichannel support ensures employees can get help however they prefer — chat, email, portal, or even voice

When employees can solve their own problems quickly without waiting in a support queue, satisfaction levels rise dramatically. 

For example, an employee experiencing issues with a video conferencing app before an important meeting can quickly interact with an AI assistant, receive troubleshooting steps, and resolve the problem themselves — all in a fraction of the time it would take to get human support.

Actionable insights with real-time reporting & analytics

It's not all just ticket processing, though. AI-powered ticketing systems also generate valuable data that can drive continuous improvement:

• Identify recurring issues that might indicate systemic problems
• Analyze peak support times to optimize staffing
• Track resolution rates and satisfaction metrics across different teams and issue types
• Predict future support needs based on historical patterns

Understanding the employee experience can be tough when relying on traditional methods like surveys or basic analytics from support tickets.

Moveworks’ Employee Experience Insights (EXI) bridges the gap in this understanding with data. Using advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, EXI analyzes unstructured data in support tickets to uncover actionable insights about employee challenges at scale. 

With EXI, companies can tackle issues proactively, boost workplace efficiency, and improve satisfaction — all through data-driven insights.

Discover how to clearly measure, quantify, and elevate your employee experience with insights.

Common use cases for automated ticketing systems

Automated ticketing systems bring plenty of benefits to organizations, and there are a few common scenarios where they really add value:

IT help desk support & incident management

IT support is one of the more established areas for AI-powered ticketing systems, with plenty of opportunities to automate every step of the support process.

• Software access requests: Automatically verify eligibility and provision access based on role and policies
• Password resets: Securely verify identity and execute resets without agent involvement
• Application troubleshooting: Guide employees through resolution steps for common software issues
• Equipment requests: Process hardware requests, check inventory, and route appropriate approvals

Outage communication is another area where automated ticketing systems can make a subtle, yet major impact. 

Let's say there's a drop in system performance or a network outage. These types of incidents can easily generate an influx of IT support tickets. By leveraging AI, organizations can streamline the process, escalate the issue to the appropriate parties, and provide timely, automated updates to impacted employees.

This extends to IT asset and access management. Managing tech assets and access rights can be a tricky task, especially for growing organizations. Automated ticketing systems can help streamline and organize workflows that might include software and hardware license management, inventory updates, and access provisioning and deprovisioning.

HR employee support & service requests

HR departments face many of the same challenges as IT: high volumes of repetitive requests that divert attention from more important work. AI-powered ticketing systems can automate many common HR processes, like:

• Benefits inquiries: Provide personalized answers about benefits eligibility, coverage, and enrollment
• PTO requests: Process time-off requests, check team calendars for conflicts, and route for necessary approvals
• Payroll questions: Answer common questions about pay schedules, tax withholding, and direct deposit changes
• Onboarding tasks: Coordinate the multiple steps in employee onboarding across departments
• Policy information: Provide up-to-date information about company policies and procedures

By automating these everyday tasks, HR teams can spend more time on important things like talent development, employee engagement, and shaping the organization.

Learn how HR leaders can automate employee support with AI.

Facilities & workplace service requests

With global and hybrid work models on the rise, managing workplace facilities is getting more complicated. Automated ticketing systems can help simplify things:

• Desk reservations: Allow employees to book workspace in advance with automatic confirmation
• Meeting room scheduling: Coordinate room bookings, A/V equipment, and catering services
• Maintenance requests: Route building maintenance issues to appropriate facilities staff
• Equipment repairs: Track the status of repair requests and provide updates to employees

These automated workflows help make sure any physical workspace issues get sorted quickly, letting employees stay comfortable and productive whenever they are in the office.

How to implement an automated ticketing system in your organization

Implementing an AI-powered ticketing system takes thoughtful planning for a successful rollout — and more importantly, successful adoption. Here’s a straightforward approach to help you get it right:

1. Assess your organization's support needs

Before selecting a solution, thoroughly evaluate your current support operations:

• Audit existing workflows: Document current ticketing processes, identifying pain points and bottlenecks
• Analyze ticket data: Review historical ticket volumes, categories, and resolution times to identify automation opportunities, as well as success metrics for measuring the impact of automation
• Gather stakeholder input: Consult with support teams, end users, and leadership about priorities and concerns
• Identify integration requirements: Determine which existing systems need to connect with your ticketing solution

This assessment phase is important for setting realistic expectations and spotting the best automation opportunities. It also helps identify the signs that your organization could, in fact, benefit from an automated ticketing system, such as:

• Support teams consistently struggling to meet SLAs
• High volumes of tickets for the same, basic issues
• Employees reporting frustration with support response times
• Support agents spending more time on ticket assignment than actual problem-solving
• Difficulty scaling support operations to match organizational growth

2. Choose the right automated ticketing solution

Now that you have a clear understanding of your needs, you can evaluate potential solutions more effectively:

• AI capabilities: Take a closer look at how advanced each solution's AI key features are, especially the accuracy of their NLP and the strength of their machine learning capabilities
• Integration options: Make sure that the system can connect with your existing technology stack (ITSM, HRIS, collaboration tools, etc.)
• Customization flexibility: Find solutions that are customizable and can fit your ideal workflow automations and language
• Scalability: Choose a solution that can grow with your organization's needs
• Security and compliance: Verify that the system meets your data protection and regulatory requirements, especially if you work in a highly-regulate industry
• Analytics and reporting: Evaluate how well the system delivers insights about support operations.
• User experience: Try out the interface that both support teams and end users will be using.

When choosing a vendor, think about more than just your current needs — consider future growth, too. Top solutions like Moveworks provide flexible AI capabilities that can grow and adapt as your organization changes.

3. Integrate with existing IT & HR systems

Integration capabilities are essential for successfully implementing any automated ticketing software. It needs to be compatible with your current ITSM/HRIS platforms, communication tools, authentication systems, knowledge bases, and workflow tools. 

Bringing these systems together creates a unified setup that streamlines operations and cuts out redundancies while keeping things user-friendly by integrating with tools that your team already uses.

Take, for instance, Robert Half, which used a Moveworks-powered campaign to promote Microsoft Teams. This led to a 6X increase in adoption across the company in just four months. 

Users who were once hesitant started working together online, and the IT team handled the spike in support tickets without a hitch. The company is now moving toward a fully virtual workplace that fits the needs of its employees.

4. Train teams & optimize workflows

The final implementation phase focuses on getting your solution into the hands of your team while continuing to refine processes:

• Support team training: Ensure IT and HR staff understand how to configure, monitor, and optimize the system
• End user education: Messaging to employees on how to interact with the new system effectively
• Process refinement: Continuously improve workflows based on performance data
• Content development: Develop and fine-tune knowledge articles and resolution scripts to boost automation rates
• Feedback loops: Keep the communication channels open and gather feedback from team members to further improve the system

This phase is less about technical implementation and more focused on user adoption and change management. Continuing to improve the system means involving your team in the process and gathering feedback to make the experience better for everyone.

The future of automated ticketing systems: Agentic AI & beyond

The evolution of automated ticketing systems is entering a new era with agentic AI, which can make decisions, solve problems, and learn independently.

Unlike traditional AI, agentic AI dynamically responds to new situations, offering capabilities like predictive issue resolution, contextual understanding, autonomous problem-solving, cross-system coordination, and continuous learning. 

These advancements are changing the support teams operate, making it possible to spot and fix problems before employees even report them, ultimately creating smoother, more efficient experiences.

Transform your IT & HR support with Moveworks

Moveworks enables proactive, AI-powered ticket management to make it easier for you to resolve help desk ticketing faster, free up IT and HR teams, streamline your operations with helpful insights, and offer 24/7 multilingual self-service options that users love.

This technology goes beyond cost savings, enabling employees to overcome obstacles quickly and focus on more meaningful work.

With the right automated ticketing system, you can do more than meet today's support challenges — you can build a foundation for the intelligent workplace of tomorrow.

See how Moveworks can transform support operations: Request a demo to experience the power of AI-powered ticketing for yourself.