I'm an IT admin feeling overwhelmed by the same five tickets every day: VPN setups, 2FA resets, and printer configurations. I have a Confluence wiki for documentation, but people complain that it's too long and rarely use it. When tools change their UI, my old screenshots quickly become outdated, and I don't have time to update them all. I'm looking for a standalone documentation tool that helps users help themselves without requiring hours of writing. What do you all use for IT documentation that's quick and effective?
3 Answers
Is your IT support in-house or are you contracted somewhere? If you're on an hourly wage, you might find it easier to handle.
Improving your FAQs can make a huge difference! Either use a human touch or AI to refine the redirection process for common requests. Keep in mind that not all FAQs are created equal; some can be really helpful while others just gather dust. It greatly depends on how technical your repetitive tickets are.
One of the best changes we made wasn’t switching tools but changing how we present documentation. Instead of lengthy pages, we started creating short 'task guides' with just 5-6 simple steps and one screenshot per step. If a guide isn’t quick to scan, users tend to skip it and open a ticket instead. Here are some tips that helped us cut down on repetitive tickets:
1. Make sure the guides are accessible where people look, like in the helpdesk portal or chat bot.
2. Keep titles super short, like 'Reset MFA' or 'Setup VPN on New Laptop.'
3. When a ticket for a common issue pops up, reply with the guide and add it to your helpdesk's auto-suggest system.
4. Minimize the number of screenshots since their accuracy diminishes with UI updates. Instead, use straightforward text instructions for steps.
We still maintain full documentation in our wiki, but what users see is simplified to quick guides—this significantly reduced our repetitive tickets.
Easy work can also stifle your skills. Sometimes the goal should be to tackle challenges, not just coast along.