Use data to drive better service
Fast replies and clear resolutions build trust, but how do you know if you’re meeting customer expectations? Helpdesk’s reporting tools give you visibility into ticket volume, response times, and common customer issues. These insights help you set benchmarks, identify bottlenecks, and make decisions that strengthen your brand reputation.
Get to know your core reports
Helpdesk reports give you a full picture of your support performance. Click on each tab to learn about the different views that help you track activity, identify trends, and highlight areas for improvement.
Total volume
The graph view shows trends in ticket volume and response times across a selected date range. For example, you might notice a spike in Returns tickets right after a product launch, signaling a fulfillment issue.
Metric cards
High-level metric cards show totals and averages, such as resolved tickets, average response time, and average resolution time. If your average response time is creeping up, that could be a sign to use macros or routing rules to save time.
Agent performance
The agent performance table highlights each team member’s workload and speed. This helps you balance assignments across your team and identify where extra training or resources may be needed.
Tag performance
Tag reports show which issues come up most often and how long they take to resolve. For instance, if Shipping tickets take twice as long to resolve as Returns, you can investigate with your logistics team to prevent future delays.
Turn insights into action
Reports are more useful when they drive improvements. Click on each dropdown to learn about practical ways to use Helpdesk data to refine your support process.
Benchmark your performance
The first step in measuring success is to understand where you are today. Use the reporting dashboard to track your average first response time and resolution time across all tickets. These metrics provide a baseline you can use to set goals. For example, if your average first response time is currently 12 hours, you might aim to bring it down to 6 hours.
By monitoring these benchmarks week over week, you’ll see if changes you make, like using macros or adjusting team coverage, are making a measurable difference.
Identify common issues
Next, use the tag performance report to uncover recurring themes in your customer conversations. Automatic tags such as Returns, Shipping, or Product-specific can quickly show you which problems are driving the most support volume.
If you notice a 40% increase in Returns tickets in a single week, that could indicate that customers are confused by your return policy or that a product defect needs attention.
Acting on these insights, whether by updating your Help Center content or collaborating with your fulfillment team, helps prevent repeat issues.
Balance team workload
Agent performance reports make it clear how tickets are distributed across your team. These insights help you spot imbalances, like one agent consistently handling twice as many tickets as others. If that happens, you may want to adjust your round robin settings, update your routing rules, or provide additional training.
Beyond workload, these reports can also highlight individual performance trends over time. For example, if an agent’s average resolution time is significantly higher than others, it may be a signal that they need extra guidance or support. On the other hand, strong performers can be recognized and their approaches shared with the rest of the team. Framing these insights as opportunities for coaching and growth keeps the focus on building confidence and improving the customer experience, rather than placing blame.
Improve with automation
If your benchmarks reveal slow response times, it may be time to introduce automation tools like macros and smart routing.
Macros let you respond to common questions, like shipping delays or return instructions, in just a few clicks, cutting down the time agents spend typing out repetitive replies. Smart routing automatically directs tickets to the right team or individual based on customer segments.
Together, these tools streamline your workflows and free your team to focus on complex, high-value conversations.
Share insights across teams
Finally, don’t let support insights stay siloed in Helpdesk. Share what you learn with other teams so the entire business can benefit.
For example, a spike in Product-specific tickets can highlight a gap in product instructions that your product team can address, while recurring Shipping issues can signal a need for operations to investigate delays.
By turning support data into cross-team collaboration, you can solve root problems and prevent future tickets, creating a better experience for your customers and reducing the burden on your support team.