Brave support service against monstrous tickets

Foreword

Customer service can be like a nightmare.
Terrible as ghosts in the night, tickets fly around waiting for the right moment to strike at the very heart of your support team. Some suck your time and energy. Others are dangerous with their poisonous bite: it festers, threatening to infect your team.

Everyone who chooses the honorable way of customer service faces supernatural tickets. Do not be afraid! Arm yourself against these dark forces and you can always defeat them.

This article contains stories about most of the diabolical tickets that our team met. We hope that acquaintance with them and our secret weapon will help you to prepare for a face-to-face battle with any equally monstrous ticket. After that, you can easily earn the coveted "Yes, I am satisfied!" From the author of the ticket.
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Zombie Ticket

Zombie Ticket Profile

What to fear:
Strong desire to eat the brain.
Strength:
Never tired.
Disadvantages:
He has difficulty reading the documentation (he hates to read at all).

Ben's profile

Favorite weapons:
Mobile phone.
Strength:
Patient enough to cope with an immortal horde.

Symptoms
Part of the tickets will never die.

Six months ago I was working the night shift when a letter came from a new client. I thought it was a fairly simple question: opened-closed. She just wanted to know a little about triggers. Quite simple. I gave her a brief explanation and sent a link to the corresponding article on the forum. She did not keep herself waiting and re-opened a similar ticket, this time with a question about macros. No problem! Yes, a bit unusual, but it is simple. I sent her a similar reply and a link to another useful forum article.

After some time, I received a notice that this ticket is open again. She asked me to check if she configured the macros and triggers correctly ... Hmm, very strange. Then I started to get a little nervous. Then she wanted to know how to insert a link to the photo of her cat in the macro - after that I really became scared. The final blow was when she asked if I liked her cat. Horror. Absolute nightmare! My head was spinning. Maybe it comes to the fact that she will consult with me in choosing a husband? When, finally, will my answer be complete enough to close this ticket for sure?

Diagnosis
A satisfactory answer, as it turned out, will never happen: it was Ticket-zombie.

Zombie tickets, or immortal tickets, refuse to die at all. No matter how well you answer the question, the zombie rises from the grave again and again.

Treatment
The main difference between Ticket-zombies and ordinary ones is that it is impossible to cope with them just with an answer, and it doesn’t matter how accurate it is.

You can kill him only one way - a shot in the head. And that means you need to transfer to the phone. E-mail in its nature contributes to the active "rebirth" of zombies. Telephone calls, fortunately, tend to end and are necessary to say goodbye to the ticket once and for all.

I called, answered all her questions, clarified whether everything is in order, and whether the request can be considered closed. It took just five minutes.

Conclusion
In our crazy life, Zombie tickets became a reality. Use the following techniques and be sure that they do not threaten to destroy the walls of your company and eat each brain:

- post instructions and documentation on the information panel so that new users can always understand your products and services
- useful FAQ and forums where customers can find information themselves
-install the "related themes" widget
- provide proactive support

Ticket Hydra

Tiketa Hydra Profile

What to fear:
One customer, numerous tickets.
Strength:
Bad breath, it is very difficult to kill.
Weakness:
Hydra is most vulnerable in youth, so find her and kill as soon as possible.

Hercules Agent Profile

Favorite weapons:
Golden sword merge.
Strength:
Sexy muscles, always in search of potentially problematic tickets.

Symptoms
I was on that side of the mountain, from where I could only see the darkness and the mysterious swamps. I responded to the tickets, from time to time running my fingers through my beautiful hair. And suddenly I saw a ticket from a potential client: she asked if we would be interested to publish one of her posts on our blog. With such requests, there are usually no problems; we receive them all the time. I assigned him to marketing and was confident that the work was done.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the message was returned duplicated: I received one from the initiator of the request and three more from the marketing department. The client received three answers to the same question from three different people and wanted to know what to do now.

All three were puzzled: how could this happen? Fortunately, my beautiful and notorious force resisted such horrors before, and I already knew what kind of beast we were dealing with.

Diagnosis
In our hands was a hydra. Long considered a myth, the hydra raised its nasty head and returned with revenge. With this monster, the response to one ticket leads to the creation of two more. The client thinks that he will receive a quick response if he sends three tickets with one question on three different channels at once:

1. Email:

Can I post my blog post?

2. Twitter:

How can I post my blog post?

3. Support Portal:

I would like to post my blog post. Here is a link to the post.

Naturally, the following happens: one gets a support service, another gets a PR director, and the third gets a marketing manager.

Treatment
In the short term, it is best to give every employee of your company access to complaints, so that everyone is aware of what is happening and can choose who will answer. I would suggest you choose the person with the most beautiful biceps. After that you need to combine all three tickets into one. If necessary, you can contact the client by phone, apologize for the confusion and assure that her question will be answered. In that case, it was "thank you, but no, thank you."

Conclusion
In the long run, consider giving the customer only one contact address or phone number. Contact all departments on your site can provoke a hydra. If this method does not suit you, just be vigilant. Watch for the number of tickets from one initiator, so that he does not send a bunch of identical ones. If you still sent, combine them. Or even this: cut off their heads and burn their wounds with silver. Acts equally well.

Ticket Poseidon

Profile of Tiketa-Poseidon

What to fear:
Tidal wave (see when you see).
Strength:
Controls 75% of the earth's surface. In addition - sharks.
Weakness:
Climate change, oil spills, spring break.

Agent Odyssey Profile

Favorite weapons:
Huge shield and sharp tongue.
Strength:
The ability to think strategically under the influx of tickets.

Symptoms
Keep the rule: never incur the wrath of Poseidon. This guy has no sense of humor. Once I mentioned that the Pacific Ocean is “not such a big deal,” and the next day we were flooded with tickets, calls, tweets, Facebook posts and chat rooms. They all dealt with one thing: a hitherto unseen error. Apparently, the Pacific has many friends.

Diagnosis
It was no less than a flood: the rapid flow of client appeals. They all came at the same time and on the same topic. The explanation could be only one thing - Poseidon's revenge. I said: this guy has no sense of humor.

Treatment
The first thing to do is emerge from the water. Social media managers let them answer on all fronts: "We know about the problem and do everything to fix it." At the same time, respond to all requests equally and forward them to the appropriate department. This will give you plenty of time to resolve the issue productively. If an extra minute appears, eat a slice of cheese.

Conclusion
The best thing you can do is build a lifeboat. As soon as you find out about a problem that may flood your contact center, add it to your usual crash template.

Ticket vampire

Vampire Ticket Profile

What to fear:
Vitamin D deficiency.
Strength:
Night vision.
Weakness:
The first rays of the sun.

Agent Van Helsing profile

Favorite weapons:
Wooden stake named Trigger.
Strength:
Always knows what time it is.

Symptoms
Agent Van Helsing Diary, May 3, Pennsylvania

It began one morning, just after dawn. We received a negative comment from a client from distant lands, who was still waiting for an answer to his question. The next morning, with the first rays of the sun, an unsatisfactory assessment from a client from the other end of the world appeared, to the question of which was answered, albeit out of time. This lasted for two weeks: frustrated clients and bad grades, always first thing in the morning and always from distant lands.

Diagnosis
Finally, our wise mentor spoke up. “You are prepared flawlessly,” he said. “We are dealing with nothing more than Vampire Ticket.”

He began to tell us that vampire tickets scour in the night, much later than the working day ends, and get into our field of vision only the next morning. Clients from different time zones send us questions, and they have to wait for the beginning of our working day to get an answer.

Treatment
Vampire tickets must be dealt with right away, otherwise they may spin out of control.

Solve them in priority. Set up an automatic reminder for employees to respond as soon as human capabilities allow.

Conclusion
Ultimately, you will want to do away with vampire tickets once and for all. If they really hate sunlight, use the “follow the sun” model - provide support 24/7 whenever possible. The healing rays of the sun will prevent a vampire from making a ticket. If this is not possible, create an automatic trigger: inform customers that they have applied outside working hours and will receive an answer as quickly as possible.

Tick ​​mummy

Tiketa Mummy Profile

What to fear:
Incredibly outdated queries.
Strength:
May cause ancient spells.
Weakness:
Ball Macro.

Agent Alex's profile

Favorite weapons:
Pen: stronger than the sword and ideal for communication with customers.
Strength:
Indifferent to meaningless questions.

Symptoms
Buddy, have you ever gotten a tick covered in dust and at the same time felt like you were cursed? It is said that if you have been working for a long time in support, in the end you will come across such an intricate ticke that it seems as if you are deciphering hieroglyphs. The client will ask you about a function that you have never heard of, an unfamiliar tariff, people who no longer work here, or will suggest promotion of your company, the need for which has long sunk into oblivion.

Diagnosis
I must admit, a terrible situation. However, it may well happen: Mummy tickets! These tickets will be sent by those who became a client in the early days of your company long before you started working there. It is not uncommon that they remember and ask about plans, functionality or promotions that have not existed for a long time.

Treatment
You can assign a ticket to your grandfather, but it is better to create macros for requests that mention obsolete items. An automatic answer will help to clear the symptoms, but only communication can cure the mummy.

Conclusion
If you find that you get too many Ticketing Mummies, this is a sign that it’s time for you to communicate with customers. Newsletters, blogs, regular updates in social networks - all this will ensure you that even the oldest customers are aware of changes, for example, the tariff plan.

Werewolf ticket

Profile Weekend Ticket

What to fear:
Fangs that appear out of nowhere, hair on the back.
Strength:
Insatiable thirst for blood.
Weakness:
Kindness of young beautiful girls.

Agent Belle's profile

Favorite weapons:
Silver bullets. In addition, the advice of a local shaman.
Strength:
Fast mind and firm character.

Symptoms
The client has written an error. He was friendly and cordial, like a good old neighbor. We tried to reproduce the bug, but could not. When we told him about it, he became angry. He began to scream, growl and howl threateningly at the moon. Any attempt to solve this problem or soften his anger seemed only to inflame his rage more and more. I looked out the window and noticed that today is the full moon ...

Diagnosis
When a client attacks, there is only one explanation: A werewolf ticket.

Nice and friendly - in one moment he turns into a screaming madman. It seems there is no way to calm him down or talk in such a disgusting state.

Treatment
In this case, take a bigger gun: call the shaman to help him relax and cure his thirst for blood. A senior manager or director will do; they are well trained in the art of taming a wild beast. It should be noted that often customers put their discontent to the public. If a negative post or tweet appears, your weighted silver bullet should be a weighted answer. Answer where the customer has posted a complaint, and try to solve the problem publicly. Convince customers that your company is doing everything to help. It is very important not to allow him to bite the rest and create new werewolves.

Conclusion
You can't beat them all. We could not, in particular, deal with this werewolf. It happens. We tried our best, but it's still there somewhere. Deal with the idea that some situations can get out of control. Especially with werewolves. The main thing - learn, improve and move on. And do not let him bite yourself, otherwise you too will turn into a werewolf.

Epilogue

Perhaps the customer service lands seem a bit intimidating. Even the best customer support faces tickets that don't seem to fit into a normal workflow. Stop being afraid! Lead this battle to the best agents, accumulate experience and do your best to prepare for even more difficult tickets. Sometimes they come back ...