We’ve all seen them... those tickets in your help‑desk system that sit around like wily houseguests who never leave. The ones you keep meaning to close, but every time you open it, you sigh a little and think, “Well, not today.” They’re labelled “low priority,” sometimes “waiting on vendor” or “pending client response,” and yet they linger for 3, 4, 5 months (or more) while your SLA numbers wink nervously at you.
Why is this a problem? Because when those tickets age, they drag down your SLA compliance, clog your dashboard, distract your team, and – worst of all – they turn into an endless “should‑we/shouldn’t‑we” loop where nothing actually gets resolved. The result: your queue looks chaotic, your team morale dips, and your client starts wondering if you’ve forgotten them.
According to industry insights, aged tickets are one of the key metrics that signal an MSP’s lack of operational discipline. And when your SLAs become unrealistic or untracked, you’re asking for trouble.
Ready to clean the backlog? Let’s jump into five practical, no‑nonsense ways to tame those eternal tickets, each with enough context so you’ll know exactly when a ticket falls into each category.
1. Reclassify or Escalate Long‑Standing Tickets into Projects
When this applies:
You find a ticket that’s been open for, say, four months, but nothing has really moved forward because the issue isn’t just a quick fix; it needs planning, budget, coordination, perhaps new hardware or vendor cooperation. For example: “Laptop intermittently fails and we keep logging event logs but root cause is unclear” or “Server upgrade deferred for months under this ticket.”
Why this matters:
These tickets are often mis‑categorized as simple support tickets, but in reality they are mini‑projects. Letting them stay as tickets means they languish, because no one explicitly owns them as a project, there's no timeline, no priority, and so SLA stats get skewed.
What to do:
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Create a rule: if a ticket remains open past X days (e.g., 30 or 60) with no obvious resolution path, convert it to a project.
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Document the scope, milestones, budget, deliverables.
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Communicate clearly with the client: “We’re moving this to a project category since it will require new hardware and scheduled downtime.”
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Remove it from the normal ticket queue (so it stops skewing your “active tickets” metric).
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Assign it to a project owner, even if it’s small.
This approach allows you to reclaim your help‑desk queue and prevents these quasi‑projects from hiding in your ticket system.
2. Apply a “SLA Exit Strategy” Policy for Inactive Tickets
When this applies:
Tickets marked “Low Priority,” “Waiting on Client,” or “Pending Vendor” that haven’t changed status in 14, 30, or 60 days. For example: a user asks if vendor can update firmware and then disappears, or you’re waiting indefinitely for client to schedule on‑site time.
Why this matters:
Every day a ticket remains open (even passively) it drags on your SLA archive and gives the illusion of pending work. It's junking up the queue and reducing your “closed tickets” ratio. Metrics experts note that aged tickets are a red flag for service desks.
What to do:
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Define an inactivity threshold (e.g., no update in 30 days).
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Send a final notice: “We haven’t heard from you; we’ll close this ticket in 7 days unless you respond.”
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If no response, close (or move to “dormant” status) with a note: “Closed due to inactivity; reopen if needed.”
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Optionally, bill hourly for re‑opening or convert to a new ticket/project when the issue resurfaces.
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Use reporting: show how many tickets were closed via exit strategy to clean up the queue.
This way, you’re not ignoring the issue, you’re forcing decision‑points and keeping your queue clean.
3. Use Aggressive Client Communication and Accountability
When this applies:
Tickets are open because the client is not responding: “Client to schedule site visit,” “User unavailable,” “Awaiting client approval.” Or the root cause is clearly client side and no prioritization is happening.
Why this matters:
Many tickets stagnate because the client has become the bottleneck (as you pointed out with your experience and echoed in MSP forums). Without client involvement, progress stops, and so does resolution. The backlog grows silently.
What to do:
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At ticket creation: establish the client’s responsibilities. “We require your hardware access by Friday X or we escalate to project.”
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If the client doesn’t respond within a set timeframe, escalate to their manager or account owner.
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Use clear and firm language: “Your involvement is required this week. If we don’t hear from you, we will close this request and re‑submit as a new ticket when you’re ready.”
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Track “client‑response delays” as a metric so you can identify repeat offenders and address contractually or billing‑wise.
You’ll push the client to take responsibility (or give you permission to move on) thus freeing your queue.
4. Revisit Ticket Ownership and Team Assignment
When this applies:
You’ve got tickets that have been open for months, often assigned to the same technician or team with no movement. Maybe the tech is overloaded, maybe the ticket is languishing because nobody is following up.
Why this matters:
Team assignment matters. If a ticket sits with someone lacking capacity or motivation, it’s destined to sit forever. One of the key metrics for MSPs is the “kill rate” (tickets closed vs opened). When it’s low, backlog builds.
What to do:
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Run a weekly review of “tickets open > X days.”
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Reassign stagnant tickets to a “cleanup squad” or rotate ownership, fresh eyes often spark fresh momentum.
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Limit the number of open tickets per technician (e.g., no more than 20) so no one’s drowning.
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Require a weekly update for any ticket older than a set age; for example, “owner must update status or reclassify.”
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Use dashboards to flag tickets “stuck” and send reminders or escalation notices.
By re‑evaluating ownership regularly, you ensure responsibility and progress, and fewer tickets stuck in limbo.
5. Create a “Ticket Triage and Cleanup Day” Every Month
When this applies:
This is a proactive step: a ritual you schedule when your backlog is growing and you want to keep things lean. It’s not just for tickets that fall into trouble; it’s for the whole system.
Why this matters:
Routine housekeeping prevents the backlog from becoming a monster. MSPs show improved performance when aged tickets are reviewed weekly or monthly.
What to do:
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Block off a half‑day (or full day) monthly for the team to focus solely on backlog review.
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Use this time to:
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Close tickets that qualify for the “exit strategy.”
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Convert old tickets to projects.
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Reassign tickets owner as needed.
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Review client communication logs and nudge clients.
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Identify patterns (e.g., too many vendor‑waiting tickets) and adjust process.
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Make it a fun event: celebrate “Longest Open Ticket Closed”, have a leaderboard, offer small prizes for cleanup wins.
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After the session, report on “Tickets closed,” “Tickets converted,” “Tickets escalated,” and showcase impact on SLA and queue size.
You’ll establish a culture of accountability and give your backlog the regular attention it needs, before it spirals out of control.
Bonus Theme: Set Future Expectations & Stay Ahead
While the five strategies above will tackle your current backlog beast, you’ll get even better results if you pair them with proactive expectation‑setting and automation. A few quick ideas:
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Define clear “done” criteria for each ticket.
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Automate “pending client response” reminders.
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Use dashboards to highlight tickets aging beyond thresholds.
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Segment SLAs by priority so “low priority” doesn’t mean “never prioritized.”
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Run quarterly reviews with clients on backlog and ticket health.
These help you avoid future build‑up, and maintain a clean, efficient queue that your team can manage and your clients can trust.