One of Slack's many use cases includes a ticketing system—a one-stop solution for managing queries, complaints, and requests. 

In this blog post, you will see how you can transform your Slack workspace into an efficient, effective ticketing system. In the end, you'll be able to say goodbye to the hassles of traditional ticketing.

Ready? Let's get to reading!

What is a Ticketing System?

Before jumping into the nuts and bolts, it's essential to understand what a ticketing system is. 

At its core, a ticketing system is a management tool that handles and organizes incoming user queries or issues reported by customers or employees. It's a vital part of customer service management and IT service management. 

Traditional ticketing systems offer a centralized way to track problems, monitor progress, and ensure timely resolution.

Now, how does Slack fit into this scenario? 

Benefits of using Slack as a Ticketing system:

• Enhanced Customer satisfaction and Response efficiency: Teams are empowered when support systems integrate into their existing workflows. Automating routine tasks leads to the swift handling of requests, and each team can manage their inquiries independently through organized queues and strategic routing across various departments.
• Streamlined Approvals with key stakeholder engagement: Including external collaborators directly in the ticketing process allows for a clearer view of ticket history and quick responses, ultimately speeding up approvals.
• Centralization of email and chat-based ticket management: A unified system to handle tickets received via email and chat ensures comprehensive request coverage and enhances response coordination.
• Real-time ticket updates via chat for informed tracking: Tracking ticket progress and communicating updates to end-users and agents through platforms like Slack or Teams aids in achieving quicker resolution times.
• Insights through actionable performance reports: Using Slack to monitor key metrics such as ticket volume, response and resolution times, and agent performance can lead to continuous improvement in service quality.
• Transforming Slack messages into trackable tickets: Chat messages can be easily converted into formal tickets using simple emoji shortcuts or slash commands. So that you can avoid context-switching and manual logging of requests.
• Empowerment of teams for autonomous request management: By setting up tailored queues and directing tickets to appropriate departments within the organization, each team can efficiently handle their specific requests.

Using Slack as a Ticketing System:

Slack isn't a traditional ticketing system, but with some tweaks, integrations, and the right tools, it can serve the same purpose. Plus, it can make ticketing more interactive by allowing Conversational ticketing, making ticket resolution even easier and more direct.

Let's see what are the key components for using Slack as a ticketing system:

1. Dedicated Slack channels
2. Integrations
3. Support workflows

1. Dedicated Slack channels:

The first step is to create dedicated channels for ticket stakeholders. Separating those channels will ensure that regular communication and problem management do not clash or overlap in your Slack workspace.

So, who are these stakeholders? Primarily, Requesters and a team of Support Agents. 

As a first step, you should set up two channels: The first is for requesters to open inquiries and the other is for the support team which will serve as the central hub for tracking and managing all issues. 

2. Integrations:

A range of integrations and Slack-compatible bots can transform Slack into a ticketing system. These bots enable ticket creation directly from Slack, and tickets can also be categorized and assigned to the right team or individual.

Actioner provides a Slack integration for teams using Zendesk–Conversational ticketing with Zendesk. It is highly compatible with Slack and serves as a bot to turn your Slack into a ticketing system.

If you’re using another tool then Zendesk, you can also create a Slack app for it. You can build automated workflows, modify them, and more.  

For those who are not using a third-party ticketing tool, Actioner also provides a free database–Actioner tables that integrate with Slack. So that you can store and manage your data as you wish, and access data without leaving Slack.

3. Support workflows:

With the required Slack integrations, team members can run support workflows, and take necessary actions in Slack.

For example, you can create tickets directly in Slack, either by calling Actioner and selecting Create ticket workflow, filling the pop-up form, reacting to a message with a ticket emoji, or automatically when a certain keyword is used in a message.

Actioner then converts your form inputs or Slack messages into actionable tickets.

Check our blog: Internal support workflows with Zendesk Slack integration

Additionally, support workflows provide notifications and follow-ups on tickets. These enable you to fully utilize Slack as a ticketing system.

Contextual notifications:

For no ticket slips through the cracks, you need to get ticket notifications in Slack. 

For example, Actioner notifies a triage channel, and provides regular updates about pending tickets. 

These notifications, messages sent by Actioner bot, allow your support agents to easily and quickly capture the required context.

Follow-up actions

It’s also important to take the next best action during a ticket resolution process. Actioner notifications provide your support team with smart suggestions on follow-up actions. Right through the message sent by Actioner, you can make updates on a ticket as you wish. 

This way you can use Slack as your ticketing system because you can take all necessary actions in Slack. 

And if you’re already using a ticketing tool such as Zendesk or Freshdesk, you don’t need to switch to those tools’ interfaces.

💡You can easily customize your support workflows using Actioner’s visual workflow designer, change follow-ups, or notification content according to your preferences.

Start using Slack as your ticketing system today!

With dedicated Slack channels, integrations, flawless support workflows, and enabled notifications & follow-ups, you can track and manage the entire ticket lifecycle in Slack.

You can then manage, categorize, and assign these tickets within Slack. Respond to tickets, update the status, or close tickets once resolved. You can do them all without leaving Slack.

Already using Zendesk as your ticketing system? You can get started using Zendesk Slack integration right away:

1. Install Zendesk app from Actioner app directory.
2. Connect to Zendesk and Slack.
3. After successful connections, you'll be creating a webhook for Actioner to track ticket events in your Zendesk account and 3 Slack channels will be created:
   #actioner-default-queue: The channel for notifications of requests the command /actioner raised in Slack and Zendesk.
   #actioner-requests: The channel for users in your Slack workspace to raise their requests.
   #actioner-triage: For notifications of requests raised from the #actioner-requests channel.

Looking to build a ticketing system on Slack? Let’s join Actioner community and chat!