DWS Service Desk Rescue Series: Cherry Picking - The Danger of Avoiding Difficult Tickets

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It's easy to understand why customer support agents might want to avoid difficult tickets. These tickets can be frustrating and time-consuming, and they don't always offer the most positive outcome. Cherry picking, in the context of customer support, is the act of avoiding difficult or time-consuming tickets. While it may seem like a harmless way to manage one's workload, cherry picking can actually have a number of negative consequences for both the company and the customer. If left unchecked, cherry picking can lead to some very negative consequences for a company.

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For starters, cherry picking can create an uneven distribution of work among support agents. This can lead to burnout among agents who are constantly dealing with the most challenging tickets, while other agents are left with a lighter workload. This can foster resentment among team members. Cherry picking can also cause customers to feel like they are being treated unfairly, as some will inevitably end up with tickets that are more difficult to resolve. It can lead to a deterioration of the customer experience, as customers who receive less attention are likely to be less satisfied with the service they receive. In extreme cases, cherry picking can even lead to a decline in customer satisfaction and an increase in churn.

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In this blog post, we will discuss the dangers of avoiding difficult tickets and provide some tips for preventing it from happening in your organization.

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One of the dangers of cherry picking is that it can lead to poorly trained agents. If agents only work on easy tickets, they never have the opportunity to learn how to handle difficult customer issues. This can cause problems down the road if an agent is suddenly faced with a complex issue that they're not prepared to deal with.

Another danger of cherry picking is that it can frustrate customers. Customers who have difficult issues are often already feeling frustrated and helpless. When they reach out for help and don't receive it, this only exacerbates the problem. In some cases, cherry picking can even lead to customers leaving your company altogether.

Finally, cherry picking can be detrimental to the morale of your senior team members. These team members are often the ones who have to deal with the most difficult tickets. If they feel like their efforts are not appreciated, they may become burnt out and resentful. This can lead to a high turnover rate among your senior team members, which can be very costly for your company.

So what can you do to prevent cherry picking in your organization? One solution is to create a rotational system for dealing with difficult tickets. This way, all agents will have the opportunity to work on these types of tickets and no one will feel overburdened. Another solution is to offer incentives for agents who are willing to take on difficult tickets. For example, you could give them extra points in your performance management system or offer them a monetary bonus.

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Another way to do this is by using a ticket-routing tool that can automatically send tickets to the right team or individual, based on predefined criteria. This ensures that each ticket is dealt with by the right person, first time round. And, if your support staff do need to cherry-pick tickets, they can at least do so knowing that the rest of the queue is being dealt with by someone else.

Another option to prevent cherry-picking is to make sure your support staff have access to the right skills and knowledge. This means ensuring they’re properly trained on your systems and processes, and have a good understanding of the various incident types they might encounter. With the right skills and knowledge in place, your support staff will be better equipped to deal with all types of incidents, regardless of complexity.

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Cherry picking is a serious issue that can have negative consequences for your company. By being aware of the dangers of cherry picking and taking steps to prevent it, you can ensure that your customer support team is delivering the best possible service to your customers.

If you’re struggling to prevent cherry-picking in your IT support team, contact us today. We’d be happy to share our best practices with you.

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If you’re struggling to prevent cherry-picking in your IT support team, contact us today. We’d be happy to share our best practices with you.

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