- Owner
- Support Operations Manager
- Effective date
- September 15, 2026
- Review cycle
- Every 12 months
1.Purpose
To make sure every incoming support ticket is reviewed, categorized, prioritized and routed to the right queue or agent quickly, so nothing sits unnoticed and urgent tickets are never treated as routine.
2.Scope
Applies to triage of tickets arriving from any channel into the central ticketing system, from arrival through assignment. Actual resolution work is covered by the channel-specific SOPs for calls, email and live chat.
Definitions
- Triage queue
- The queue of new, unassigned tickets waiting to be categorized and routed.
- Priority level
- A rating of urgency and impact used to determine how quickly a ticket must be handled.
- Routing rule
- A configured rule that sends a ticket to a specific queue or specialist team based on its category.
- SLA clock
- The timer that starts once a ticket is assigned, tracking whether it is handled within its target time.
3.Responsibilities
- Support Agent
- Reviews, categorizes, prioritizes and routes new tickets in the triage queue.
- Team Lead
- Ensures high-priority tickets are assigned immediately and monitors workload balance.
- Support Operations Analyst
- Reviews triage accuracy weekly and adjusts routing rules and the priority matrix.
RACI matrix
| Activity | Support Agent | Team Lead | Support Operations Analyst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categorize and prioritize tickets | R/A | I | - |
| Merge duplicates and apply routing rules | R/A | I | C |
| Assign high-priority tickets immediately | R | R/A | I |
| Review triage accuracy weekly | I | C | R/A |
R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed
4.Materials and PPE
Materials, tools and systems
- →Ticketing system
- →Category and priority matrix
- →Routing rules configuration
- →Workload and skill assignment reference
5.Procedure
- 5.1
Review the triage queue
Support AgentThe Support Agent reviews new unassigned tickets in the triage queue at the defined frequency, so nothing sits unreviewed for long.
Checkpoint: No ticket sits unreviewed in the triage queue longer than the target triage window.
- 5.2
Check for missing information
Support AgentThe Support Agent confirms the ticket has enough detail to categorize it, and requests more information from the customer if it doesn't.
- 5.3
Categorize the ticket
Support AgentThe Support Agent assigns a category, such as billing, technical, general or complaint, using the standard category list.
- 5.4
Assign a priority level
Support AgentThe Support Agent assigns a priority level based on impact and urgency using the priority matrix, rather than guessing from the tone of the message.
Checkpoint: The assigned priority matches the criteria defined in the priority matrix, not the agent's personal judgment.
- 5.5
Check for duplicates
Support AgentThe Support Agent checks whether the same customer or issue already has an open ticket, and merges duplicates rather than working them separately.
- 5.6
Apply routing rules
Support AgentThe Support Agent applies the configured routing rules to send the ticket to the correct queue or specialist team.
- 5.7
Flag high-priority tickets
Support AgentThe Support Agent flags high-priority or VIP tickets for immediate assignment rather than leaving them in normal queue order.
Warning: A high-priority ticket left in the general queue can breach its target response time quickly.
- 5.8
Assign the ticket
Team LeadThe Team Lead assigns the ticket to an available agent based on required skill and current workload.
- 5.9
Start the SLA clock
Support AgentThe Support Agent confirms the customer receives an acknowledgment and that the ticket's target response clock has started.
- 5.10
Re-triage if information changes
Support AgentThe Support Agent re-triages a ticket if new information changes its correct category or priority after initial assignment.
- 5.11
Review triage accuracy weekly
Support Operations AnalystThe Support Operations Analyst reviews a sample of triaged tickets each week, checking for miscategorized or mis-prioritized tickets, and adjusts routing rules as needed.
6.Quality checks
- →No ticket remains unreviewed beyond the target triage window.
- →Priority assignment matches the defined priority matrix criteria.
- →Duplicate tickets are merged rather than worked separately.
- →Weekly triage accuracy review is completed and routing rules updated as needed.
7.Records
- →Ticket triage log
- →Routing rule configuration record
- →Weekly triage accuracy review notes
8.KPIs
- →Average time to triage a new ticket
- →Triage accuracy rate
- →Percentage of tickets re-triaged after assignment
- →SLA compliance rate by priority level
9.Common mistakes
- →Leaving tickets sitting in the queue past the triage window.
- →Guessing priority instead of using the priority matrix.
- →Failing to merge duplicate tickets about the same issue.
- →Routing a specialist issue to a general queue by mistake.
10.Revision history
| Revision | Date | Description | Reviewed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | September 15, 2026 | Initial release | Alexa Uskova |
This is a template. Adapt it to your organization, equipment and local regulations before use.
