Problem It Solves

IT teams often get swamped with repetitive support requests—password resets, software installs, or routine troubleshooting—while more complex issues pile up. Manually sorting and prioritizing these tickets wastes hours, delays response times, and frustrates end users. By using AI to automatically handle straightforward inquiries and route only the complex issues to your team, you reduce ticket volume, speed up resolutions, and let IT focus on high-impact work.

Process Overview

1. An employee submits a support request via an embedded form or email.

2. AI triage analyzes the request to categorize it (e.g., Password Reset, Software Issue, Hardware Request) and searches the knowledge base for a matching solution.

3. If resolved by AI, the employee immediately receives the relevant help article or instructions.

4. If AI can’t resolve it, the request is assigned a priority level (High, Medium, Low), and a ticket is created in your helpdesk system.

5. Zapier notifies the appropriate IT lead via Slack or email about the new, prioritized ticket.

6. When IT resolves the ticket, the status update is logged, and the employee receives an automated closure notification.

Key Features & Capabilities

• AI-Powered Triage
  Automatically analyze incoming requests to determine category (password reset, software issue, etc.) and match them to knowledge-base articles.

• FAQ Deflection
  If the AI finds a suitable help article, it responds instantly, deflecting routine tickets before they reach IT.

• Priority Assignment
  Set up custom rules so AI tags tickets with High, Medium, or Low priority based on keywords (e.g., “server down” = High).

• Automated Ticket Creation
  Create tickets in your helpdesk (e.g., Zendesk, Freshdesk) with all relevant details, assigned priority, and employee metadata—no manual data entry.

• Real-Time Notifications
  Send Slack messages or emails to the on-call IT lead whenever a high- or medium-priority ticket is generated.

• Closed-Loop Reporting
  Track resolution status in the helpdesk and trigger automated closure emails to the requester when the ticket is marked “Resolved.”

Typical Use Cases

• Mid-Sized Company
  Employees submit password reset and VPN requests via a web form. AI responds with step-by-step instructions if possible. If not, Zapier creates a Medium-priority ticket in Zendesk and notifies the IT team via Slack, ensuring critical issues are addressed promptly.

• University IT Department
  Students and faculty report software installation or network issues. AI triage automatically provides links to installation guides or network-troubleshooting articles. Complex issues (e.g., lab server downtime) get escalated to IT with High priority, reducing overall ticket volume and speeding up critical fixes.

Prerequisites & Client Responsibilities

• Helpdesk API Credentials
  Provide API access to your ticketing system (e.g., Zendesk, Freshdesk) so Zapier can create, update, and close tickets.

• AI Triage Service Access
  Obtain API credentials for the chosen AI or chatbot service that will analyze tickets (for example, a conversational AI platform with NLP capabilities).

• Knowledge-Base Connection
  Ensure your existing help articles or documentation are accessible via API or can be exported so the AI can fetch solutions.

• Notification Channels
  Specify where IT leads should receive alerts—Slack channel name or email addresses—for High- or Medium-priority tickets.

• Priority & Escalation Rules
  Define the keywords or patterns that constitute High, Medium, and Low priority so AI can assign tickets correctly (e.g., “urgent,” “down,” “error” = High).

• Team Roles & Permissions
  Identify which team members will handle escalated tickets and who should receive automated closure notifications, so Zapier assigns and notifies appropriately.

Pricing

• One-Time Setup: $500
  (Configure AI triage integration, connect your helpdesk for ticket creation, build and test FAQ deflection and escalation Zaps, and set up notifications.)

• Monthly Support: $100/month
  (Maintain AI and helpdesk integrations, adjust priority/escalation rules as your environment evolves, and troubleshoot any workflow issues.)