Here's Why It Matters for Your Business
As a business owner, there are a million things on your plate. From managing employees to keeping customers happy, the last thing you want is to get bogged down by IT issues. But here’s the reality—your IT system is the backbone of your business. And when things go wrong, service tickets pile up.
Understanding how much time is spent on service tickets and the number of tickets being created isn’t just a “nice to know” thing—it’s essential for your business’s efficiency and bottom line. If you’re not tracking these numbers, you could be losing money, slowing down productivity, and frustrating both your employees and customers.
Let’s break it down and see why these numbers matter and how MSP Align can help you stay on top of them.
What Are Service Tickets and Why Do They Matter?
Service tickets are requests for IT support. They could be about anything from a printer not working to a major server issue. Every time an employee has an IT problem, they submit a ticket, and your IT provider or internal team works on fixing it.
Sounds simple, right? But here’s the catch: the more tickets you have, the more time and money you’re spending on IT issues. If your team is spending hours upon hours fixing problems instead of doing their jobs, that’s a big problem.
Tracking service tickets helps you:
Identify recurring issues – If the same problem keeps popping up, it might be a sign of a bigger issue that needs to be addressed.
Measure IT efficiency – How fast are issues being resolved? If tickets are piling up, your IT provider might not be keeping up.
Reduce downtime – The longer IT problems take to fix, the more productivity suffers. Tracking time spent on service tickets helps you minimize delays.
Manage IT costs – Every hour spent fixing IT issues is an hour not spent on growing your business. Knowing your numbers helps you cut unnecessary costs.
How Tracking Time Spent on Service Tickets Saves You Money
Let’s say your team submits an average of 100 service tickets per month. If each ticket takes an hour to resolve and you’re paying an IT provider $100 per hour, that’s $10,000 per month just to fix IT issues! Many businesses will pay a flat rate based on the number of employees or devices. We talk more about IT service pricing in our blog “How Much Do IT Services Cost for Small Businesses?”.
Now imagine if you could cut that in half by identifying inefficiencies. That’s $5,000 saved every month, or $60,000 per year. That’s money that could be used for hiring, marketing, or growing your business instead of just fixing problems.
Plus, IT downtime is costly in other ways. If an employee can’t work because their system is down, that’s lost productivity. If your customer service team can’t access their software, customers are waiting longer for help—and that can hurt your reputation.
How Do You Know If Your IT Provider is Doing a Good Job?
If you don’t track service tickets and resolution times, you have no way of knowing if your IT provider is actually doing their job well. Many business owners assume their IT provider is handling things efficiently, but without real data, it’s just a guess.
Here are some red flags to watch for:
Tickets take too long to resolve – If your team is waiting days for simple fixes, it’s time to ask why.
The same issues keep coming back – A good IT provider doesn’t just fix problems; they prevent them from happening again.
You’re paying too much for IT support – If your costs are rising but service isn’t improving, you may not be getting a good deal.
How MSP Align Can Help You Take Control of Your IT Costs
This is where MSP Align comes in. Our services help businesses like yours source, compare, negotiate with, and manage IT service providers. Instead of guessing whether you’re getting the best service for your money, we give you clear data and expert advice.
Here’s how we help:
Analyze your IT needs – We look at your current service tickets, IT spending, and pain points to figure out what’s working and what’s not.
Find the best IT providers – We research and compare IT service providers to make sure you get the best value for your money.
Negotiate better contracts – Many businesses overpay for IT services without realizing it. We help you negotiate contracts that save you money.
Monitor performance – We track how well your IT provider is doing and hold them accountable.
Reduce IT headaches – We take the burden of IT management off your shoulders, so you can focus on running your business.
Take Action: Start Tracking Your IT Service Numbers Today
If you’re not already tracking your service ticket numbers and resolution times, now is the time to start. Here’s what you can do right away:
Review your current IT support process – How are service tickets being handled? How long do they take to resolve?
Gather data – Look at how many tickets are created each month and how much time is spent fixing them.
Identify problem areas – Are certain issues coming up repeatedly? Are certain fixes taking longer than they should?
Talk to your IT provider – If you’re seeing inefficiencies, it’s time to ask questions and hold them accountable.
Work with MSP Align – If you need help in managing your IT service provider, we’re here to help.
IT service tickets might seem like a small detail, but they can have a huge impact on your business. Knowing how much time and money is spent on IT issues helps you improve efficiency, cut costs, and hold your IT provider accountable.
With MSP Align by your side, you don’t have to figure it out alone. We help businesses streamline their IT services, saving time and money while ensuring smooth operations. If you’re ready to take control of your IT costs, reach out to us today.
Because at the end of the day, knowing your numbers isn’t just smart—it’s essential for success.