Support tickets
What are support tickets?
Support tickets represent:- Technical issues
- Bugs and errors
- Broken functionality
- Problems needing fixes
- Performance issues
- Can be client-submitted
- Can be created internally
- Full workflow (New → Accepted → Scheduled → In Progress → Awaiting Review → Resolved)
- Requires scheduling and assignment
- Time logged against ticket
- Testing and verification needed
When to use support tickets
Use support for:- Website or app broken
- Feature not working
- Error messages appearing
- Integration failing
- Performance degraded
- “Checkout button not working”
- “Product images not loading”
- “Email notifications not sending”
- “Search returning no results”
- “Mobile menu not opening”
Support ticket workflow
1
Submitted
Client or team creates ticket
2
Triaged
PM accepts and prioritizes
3
Scheduled
Assigned to developer with estimate
4
Fixed
Developer resolves the issue
5
Tested
PM or QA verifies fix
6
Resolved
Client notified of resolution
Support ticket fields
Essential details:- Title - Clear description of issue
- Description - Full context and steps to reproduce
- Priority - Based on impact
- Stores affected - Which sites impacted
- Screenshots showing issue
- Error messages or logs
- Steps to reproduce
- Expected vs actual behavior
Escalation tickets
What are escalation tickets?
Escalations flag internal concerns:- Scope creep issues
- Delivery delays
- Quality problems
- Service complaints
- Internal only (team members)
- Not visible to clients
- For team coordination
- Full workflow possible
- May or may not need scheduling
- Focus on resolution and documentation
When to use escalations
Use escalations for:- Client requesting work beyond retainer
- Unrealistic expectations
- Delivery falling behind commitments
- Quality issues needing management attention
- Client dissatisfaction
- “Client keeps adding features to retainer scope”
- “Project delayed due to client feedback loops”
- “Client unhappy with recent deliveries”
- “Unclear boundaries on what’s included”
Escalation types
Select all that apply to the situation: Scope Creep:- Work requested beyond agreement
- Unclear boundaries
- Client assuming things included
- Need to reset expectations
- Work falling behind schedule
- Missed commitments
- Client expecting faster delivery
- Resource constraints
- Work not meeting standards
- Client dissatisfied with output
- Repeated bugs or problems
- Need process improvement
- Communication problems
- Relationship tension
- Client expressing frustration
- Need management intervention
Escalation workflow
1
Team flags
Team member creates escalation with details
2
PM reviews
PM accepts and assesses situation
3
Action plan
PM coordinates with CSM and management
4
Address issue
Steps taken to resolve concern
5
Document resolution
How issue was handled, lessons learned
6
Resolve
Mark resolved with summary
Escalation ticket fields
Required:- Client
- Title - Brief summary of concern
- Escalation type(s) - Nature of issue
- Priority - Severity
- Description - Full context
- Action taken - What’s been tried already
- Specific examples or evidence
- Timeline of events
- Impact on client relationship
- Suggested next steps
Escalations are about awareness and coordination. The goal is to address concerns proactively.
Question tickets
What are question tickets?
Questions represent simple information requests:- How does something work?
- Where can I find X?
- What is the status of Y?
- Can you explain Z?
- Can be client-submitted
- Can be created internally
- Simplified (New → Accepted → Resolved)
- No scheduling or assignment
- Answer provided directly
- Fast turnaround
When to use questions
Use questions for:- Information requests
- How-to guidance
- Status checks
- Clarifications
- Simple answers
- “How do I access the admin panel?”
- “What’s the status of the homepage redesign?”
- “Where can I find the brand guidelines?”
- “Can you explain how the discount codes work?”
Question vs support
Choose Question when:- No work needed, just an answer
- Can be answered immediately
- No code or design changes
- Simple information
- Something is broken
- Work is needed to resolve
- Investigation required
- Testing needed after fix
Question workflow
1
Submitted
Question asked
2
Accepted
PM or CSM accepts
3
Answer provided
Response added via comment or resolution summary
4
Resolved
Marked resolved with answer
Question ticket fields
Required:- Client
- Title - The question
- Priority - How urgent the answer is
- Description - Additional context
- Contact users - Who to respond to
- Attachments - References
Choosing the right type
Decision tree
Is something broken?- Yes → Support ticket
- No → Continue
- Yes → Question ticket
- No → Continue
- Yes → Escalation ticket
- No → Consider if Help Desk is appropriate
Type comparison
| Aspect | Support | Escalation | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | Client or Internal | Internal only | Client or Internal |
| Purpose | Fix problems | Flag concerns | Get answers |
| Workflow | Full (6 statuses) | Full (6 statuses) | Simple (3 statuses) |
| Requires work | Yes | Maybe | No |
| Scheduling | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| Visibility | Client can see | Internal only | Client can see |
Creating tickets: step by step
Support ticket example
1
Select type
Choose “Support”
2
Select client
Choose affected client
3
Add title
“Product filter not working on collection pages”
4
Set priority
P2 - High (impacts user experience significantly)
5
Add description
“When users click filter options on collection pages, nothing happens. Issue started yesterday. Affects all collection pages across all stores.”
6
Stores affected
“Main Store, Outlet Store”
7
Attach screenshot
Upload screenshot showing the issue
8
Submit
Ticket created, team notified
Escalation ticket example
1
Select type
Choose “Escalation”
2
Select client
Choose client of concern
3
Add title
“Client requesting features outside retainer scope”
4
Escalation types
Select “Scope Creep”
5
Set priority
P3 - Medium
6
Add description
“Over the past 3 weeks, client has requested 5 new features. Each was presented as ‘quick add’ but totals ~20 hours. Need to discuss scope boundaries.”
7
Action taken
“Clarified on calls that features are extra scope. Client unclear on retainer vs project work.”
8
Submit
Escalation created for PM/management review
Question ticket example
1
Select type
Choose “Question”
2
Select client
Choose client asking
3
Add title
“How do I update the homepage banner?”
4
Set priority
P3 - Medium
5
Add description
“Client wants to update promotional banner for sale event.”
6
Contact user
Select specific client contact
7
Submit
Question created, can be answered quickly
After creation
Ticket appears in system
New tickets:- Listed in Help Desk table
- Filtered by status, type, priority
- Searchable by title or ID
- Notifications sent
Next steps
Support tickets:- Wait for PM to accept
- Will be scheduled and assigned
- Team member will fix issue
- Management reviews
- Coordinates response
- May schedule if work needed
- Answered quickly
- May be resolved same-day
- No scheduling required
You can view ticket status at any time. Add comments if you have additional information to share.
Troubleshooting
Not sure which type to choose
Not sure which type to choose
If something is broken, use Support. If you need information, use Question. If you’re flagging a concern internally, use Escalation.
Can't select certain fields
Can't select certain fields
Some fields only appear for certain ticket types. Escalation type only shows for Escalations, etc.
Made mistake on ticket type
Made mistake on ticket type
Tickets cannot change type after creation. Create a new ticket with the correct type and close the incorrect one.
Client can't create escalation
Client can't create escalation
Escalations are internal only. Clients cannot create or see escalation tickets. This is by design.
Unsure what priority to set
Unsure what priority to set
Ask: Is revenue impacted? Is it blocking users? P1 = yes to both. P2 = yes to one. P3 = minor impact. P4 = cosmetic.