When HR and IT Join Forces: The Epic Quest to Teach Everyone How to Log a Ticket
Picture this: You’re knee-deep in tangled cables, halfway through saving the office from an imminent Wi-Fi meltdown, and suddenly—ping!—someone’s at your desk, clutching their laptop with a look of pure panic. “Hey, could you just reset my password real quick?” they ask, blissfully unaware of the ticketing system, your focus, or the fact that you’re not the IT fairy godparent here to grant tech wishes on demand.
If you’ve worked in IT (or have ever had to log a helpdesk ticket), you know this scenario all too well. But what happens when the endless stream of direct requests finally pushes IT to the brink—and HR steps in to save the day? Let’s dive into one company’s brilliant solution that turned workplace chaos into ticketing harmony.
The Wild West of Tech Support: BYO (Bring Your Own) Requests
In the sprawling digital frontiers of large organizations, IT teams are the unsung heroes. They keep the servers humming, the printers printing, and the emails flowing. But for the tech support crew at one company (as recounted by Reddit user u/speddie23), there was a persistent villain: staff who refused to use the official service desk. Instead, they’d sidle up to IT staffers in the hallway, bombard them on Teams, or simply blurt out their tech woes mid-coffee break.
The IT team, ever the professionals, had set up a streamlined system for submitting requests—email, online portal, or phone call. But staff kept finding… alternate routes. And when gently redirected to the proper channels, the dance began:
“How do I do that?”
“It’s asking me for a description. What do I type?”
“It wants my phone number. Do I put my phone number there?”
As it turns out, the ticketing system wasn’t just a hurdle—it was an Everest-sized challenge for some, whether due to technophobia, stubbornness, or sheer “I don’t wanna” energy. The result? IT either spent fifteen minutes coaching each person through the process or, more often, just caved and handled the request themselves. Productivity: zero. Frustration: sky-high.
Enter HR: The Unexpected IT Ally
Now, anyone who’s survived annual compliance training knows that HR has a secret weapon: mandatory e-learning modules. You can’t start your job—or sometimes even leave for lunch—without passing that “Workplace Safety” pop quiz.
So, what if HR’s training magic could be harnessed for tech support? That’s exactly what happened. The IT and HR dream team joined forces to create the “Contacting IT” course—a crash course in how to log a ticket, complete with a quiz at the end. No pass, no peace.
The rollout was glorious. All new hires had to complete “Contacting IT” before their first day. Veterans had six weeks to finish—or face the wrath of HR’s follow-up emails. Suddenly, “I don’t know how to log a ticket” was met with a polite, “I see you’ve completed the module—perhaps you need a refresher?” Or, for the particularly forgetful, “Please see your manager to request retraining.”
The Power of Process (and a Little Passive-Aggression)
Let’s take a moment for some analysis. Why did this work so well?
- Clear expectations: With a standardized training, there was no ambiguity. Everyone knew the official process.
- Accountability: “I’m not good with computers” was no longer an excuse; you’d been trained, and your manager would know if you needed extra help.
- Empowerment (or, at least, less hand-holding): Staff had a resource to refer back to, reducing the pressure on IT to provide Ticket Logging 101 every time someone had an issue.
And, let’s be honest, there’s a certain satisfaction in being able to gently redirect repeat offenders with a “per my last email” energy—only now, it’s “per your completed training module.”
The Secret Sauce: IT and HR, Best Frenemies Forever
This story isn’t just about IT woes or HR’s love of quizzes. It’s a case study in cross-departmental teamwork. When IT’s repeated nudges weren’t moving the needle, HR’s structure and authority got everyone in line. The result? Tech support could finally get back to, well, supporting tech, not teaching Ticket Logging for Dummies.
Conclusion: Ticketing Zen Achieved
So next time you’re tempted to bypass the helpdesk and ambush your friendly IT guru, remember: there’s probably a hard-working team—and a mandatory training—behind that polite smile. And if you’re an IT pro still fighting the good fight, maybe it’s time to call in HR for reinforcements.
Have you experienced the wild world of ticketing systems (or the chaos of ignoring them)? Share your funniest or most frustrating tech support stories in the comments below. And remember: when in doubt, log a ticket!
Have your own tales from tech support? Drop them below—just don’t forget to submit a ticket first!
Original Reddit Post: It's great when HR has IT's back