Creating a seamless support experience begins with how users interact with your service portal. At Clovity, an Atlassian Gold Solution Partner, we specialize in optimizing Jira Service Management (JSM) to ensure your organization delivers exceptional support. Whether you’re managing IT requests or handling non-IT inquiries, our tailored demos showcase how well-defined request types can transform your service portal. Let us demonstrate how our expertise can enhance both IT and non-IT use cases, empowering your support teams and delighting your users.

Why Request Types Matter

Request types are the foundation of your service portal’s structure. They determine how users communicate their needs and how support teams respond. Well-defined request types provide:

• Clarity for Users: Clear categories help users describe their issues accurately and quickly.
• Streamlined Workflows for Teams: Proper categorization routes tickets to the right teams, reducing miscommunication and delays.
• Consistent Reporting: Structured data enables accurate analysis of trends and performance.

By optimizing request types, organizations can create a user-friendly portal that supports both customers and support staff.

Steps to Optimize Request Types in JSM

Step 1: Analyze User Needs

Start by understanding the common types of requests your team handles. Gather input from:

• Historical Data: Review previous tickets to identify recurring themes.
• User Feedback: Ask users about their experiences with the portal and any challenges they’ve faced.
• Support Teams: Get insights from agents about frequently asked questions and common ticket errors.

For example, you might discover that users often submit technical issues, access requests, or billing inquiries. Identifying these categories lays the groundwork for your request types.

Step 2: Group Similar Requests

Combine related issues into broad categories to avoid overwhelming users with too many options. For instance:

• Group “Password Reset” and “Account Unlock” under a single “Account Access” request type.
• Merge “Invoice Requests” and “Payment Disputes” into “Billing Support.”

Keep the number of request types manageable while ensuring all common issues are covered.

Step 3: Use Clear and Intuitive Labels

Labels are the first thing users see when interacting with your portal. Use straightforward language that avoids technical jargon. For example:

• Instead of “Authentication Failure,” use “Can’t Log In.”
• Replace “Access Provisioning” with “Request Access to a System.”

This approach ensures that users can quickly identify the appropriate request type without confusion.

Step 4: Customize Forms for Each Request Type

Custom forms help gather the right information from users upfront, saving time for support agents. Tailor each form to the specific request type:

• For IT Issues: Include fields like “Device Type,” “Error Message,” and “Steps Taken.”
• For Access Requests: Add fields for “System Name,” “Access Level,” and “Manager Approval.”

Predefined fields ensure that agents have all the necessary details to resolve tickets efficiently.

Step 5: Define Workflows for Each Request Type

Once request types are set, map out workflows that reflect how your team handles each type of request. For example:

• Simple Requests: Auto-assign tickets to a specific team or agent.
• Complex Requests: Route tickets through multiple stages, such as validation, approval, and resolution.

Align workflows with your team’s processes to ensure a smooth resolution path for every ticket.

Step 6: Test the User Experience

Before launching your optimized request types, test the portal from a user’s perspective:

• Navigate through the portal to ensure request types are easy to find.
• Submit test tickets to confirm that forms capture the necessary information.
• Verify that tickets are routed correctly according to workflows.

Gather feedback from a small group of users and make adjustments as needed.

Tips for Maintaining Optimized Request Types

Regularly Review and Update

As your organization evolves, so will the types of requests you handle. Schedule regular reviews to:

• Add new request types for emerging needs.
• Retire outdated request types to avoid clutter.
• Refine workflows based on team feedback.

Monitor Usage Analytics

Use JSM’s analytics tools to track how users interact with request types. Identify:

• Popular request types that might benefit from enhanced workflows.
• Low-usage request types that could be consolidated or removed.
• Bottlenecks in workflows causing delays.

Train Support Teams

Ensure your support agents understand the purpose of each request type and the workflows behind them. Provide training on how to handle tickets efficiently and contribute to improving the portal over time.

Encourage User Feedback

Invite users to share their experiences with the portal. Simple feedback forms or periodic surveys can reveal valuable insights for further optimization.

Benefits of Optimized Request Types

1. Improved User Satisfaction

Clear and intuitive request types make it easy for users to submit tickets. They spend less time navigating the portal and feel confident that their issues will be addressed promptly.

2. Reduced Resolution Times

Custom forms and tailored workflows ensure that tickets are routed correctly and contain all necessary information. This minimizes back-and-forth communication and speeds up resolution.

3. Increased Team Efficiency

Support teams can focus on solving issues rather than clarifying vague tickets or reassigning miscategorized requests. Optimized workflows distribute workloads evenly and reduce bottlenecks.

4. Actionable Insights

Structured request types provide consistent data for reporting and analysis. Teams can identify trends, improve processes, and allocate resources more effectively.

5. Scalability

As your organization grows, a well-organized portal can accommodate increased ticket volumes without overwhelming users or support teams.

Real-World Example

A growing healthcare organization faced challenges with their JSM portal. Users struggled to find the right request types, and support teams often received incomplete or miscategorized tickets. By optimizing their request types, the organization achieved:

• 30% Reduction in Ticket Handling Time: Improved forms and workflows ensured accurate submissions.
• Higher User Satisfaction Scores: Surveys revealed that 85% of users found the portal easier to navigate.
• Better Resource Allocation: Analytics helped the team identify areas needing additional support.

How Clovity Can Help

As an Atlassian Gold Solution Partner, Clovity specializes in helping organizations maximize the value of Jira Service Management. Our team can assist you in:

• Analyzing your current portal and identifying areas for improvement.
• Designing intuitive request types and workflows tailored to your needs.
• Training your team to maintain and enhance the portal over time.

Contact us today at sales@clovity.com or visit our website at atlassian.clovity.com for a personalized demo and find out how we can tailor a solution that fits your team’s unique needs.