What Is The Difference Between Closed Tickets And Solved Tickets?

Nearly three out of five consumers report that good customer service is vital for them to feel loyalty toward a brand. It's clear that customer service is no longer a reactive process. Today, customer service teams proactively monitor requests and complaints, track their progress through resolution, and measure the success of their efforts.

To do this efficiently, they rely on ticketing systems that allow them to create and manage tickets as customers submit inquiries and problems. This ticket serves as a way for the customer service team to track that request from start to finish. 

If you work in customer support, then you know how important it is to keep track of every open ticket. But what about when a ticket is no longer open? Is it considered solved or closed? And what is the difference between the two,? Read on to find out.

What is the difference between solved and closed tickets?

The difference between solved and closed tickets can be confusing, but it's important to understand the distinction so you can properly report on your team's performance.

A solved ticket is one that has been marked as solved by either the agent or the customer but can still be reopened and updated.

This is often used when an agent is confident they've answered the customer's request but wants to give them the option to reopen the ticket if that wasn't the case. Tickets can also be manually reopened by agents even after they've been marked as solved. 

For example, let's say you work in customer service for a e-commerce store, and one of your customers has asked about their order. You answer that their package is on its way and mark the ticket as solved. The customer could then respond with a new inquiry and reopen the ticket, even though it was previously marked as solved.

Closed tickets, in contrast to solved tickets, are locked and cannot be reopened.

They're usually the final stage of the ticket lifecycle. In some custom support software, there may be an intermediate step between solved and closed in which tickets are awaiting review by a manager before they're officially closed out. 

For example, if a customer's order is canceled, then you would mark the ticket as solved since you've answered the customer's question. A manager will then review that solved ticket and mark it as closed when they're satisfied with the outcome.

Should a ticket be marked solved or closed?

When deciding whether to mark a ticket as solved or closed, consider the following: 

• Is this issue resolved to the customer's satisfaction? 
• Are all relevant questions answered? 
• Is there any additional follow-up required? 

If you answered yes to all three, then it's time to close out that ticket for good. Confusing the two terms in reports can be very misleading, so be sure you're using them correctly.

And always remember: when in doubt, ask your manager! 

Why is it important to understand the difference between these two tickets?

When looking at customer support reports, it's important to understand the difference between the two metrics for a variety of reasons: you can look at what percentage of tickets are reopened, the time from ticket creation to solved VS the time from ticket creation to closed, and so on.

Measuring the differences between solved and closed tickets — along with some other customer support measurement strategies — give you a better understanding of the customer service process, allowing you to make improvements where necessary.

For example, if you notice that it takes an abnormally long time for tickets to close, it may be time to re-evaluate your customer support process, workflows and escalation strategies.

On the other hand, if you see that the majority of solved tickets are reopened, it's a sign that your agents need additional training. It may also indicate that your team needs additional technology or workflow restructuring to better support customers. For example, are your agents equipped with the right tools and resources to accurately resolve customer issues, or do they have to search through multiple sources to find the right answer?

Conclusion

By understanding the difference between a solved ticket and a closed ticket, you can avoid confusion and accurately report on your team's progress. Tickets can be either solved or closed depending on the situation, but usually, if all relevant questions have been answered and the customer is satisfied, it's time to close out that ticket for good.