A ticket template is a form with pre-filled fields (title, category, status, description or custom fields) that a technician applies with one click when opening a ticket. It is used for requests that are always the same, such as new employee onboarding, folder access, password resets or recurring incidents, and it reduces logging time and classification errors. Unlike an automation, a template does not act on its own: a person applies it. The sections below explain when to use templates, with examples, and how they are configured in ServiceTonic.
- What is a ticket template?
- Which fields can a template fill in?
- When should ticket templates be used?
- What is the difference between a ticket template and an automation?
- How are templates created and used in ServiceTonic?
- What sets ServiceTonic apart in the use of ticket templates?
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
What is a ticket template?
A ticket template is a set of predefined values for the fields of a ticket. Instead of typing the title, choosing the category or writing the description every time, the technician selects the template and that information is copied into the ticket. Then they only need to complete what changes in each case, such as the user’s name or the date.
Templates are useful for requests that come in frequently and always need the same information. The more often a request is repeated, the more time its template saves.
Which fields can a template fill in?
A template can predefine any field in the ticket form, for example:
- Title: “New employee onboarding”, “Password reset”.
- Category and subcategory: so the ticket reaches the right group and is counted in the right reports.
- Initial status.
- Description: with instructions or a list of the information to collect.
- Custom fields: those each organization has created, such as department, location or start date.
Predefining the category means all tickets of the same type are classified the same way. This makes reports more reliable and makes it easier to apply business rules to that data later on.
When should ticket templates be used?
| Situation | What the template predefines | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
| New employee onboarding | Title, “Onboarding” category, a description with the required information and the subtasks: email account setup, network account setup, software installation and workstation preparation | No onboarding step is forgotten and each subtask reaches its owner |
| Folder or application access | “Access” category, fields for the folder or application and the approver | All requests arrive with the same information |
| Password reset | Title, category and a description with the identity verification steps | it is resolved faster and always with the same procedure |
| Recurring incidents | For example, “Printer out of toner” or “VPN connection error”, with their category and the diagnostic information to request | The technician does not have to rewrite the same ticket several times a day |
| Change requests | Category, fields for justification, expected impact and proposed date | Changes are logged in full before being evaluated |
Example: a new employee onboarding template
When HR reports a new hire, the technician opens a ticket and applies the “New employee onboarding” template:
| Fields | Predefined value |
|---|---|
| Title | New employee onboarding |
| Category | Requests > Onboarding |
| Description | Name, department, position, start date and line manager |
| Subtasks | Email account setup, network account setup, software installation, workstation preparation |
The technician only completes the new employee’s details. The subtasks are generated with the template and each one can be assigned to the relevant group, so onboarding moves forward in parallel and there is a record of what is still pending.
What is the difference between a ticket template and an automation?
A template is applied by a person to fill in a ticket faster; an automation acts on its own when a condition is met. They complement each other, but they do different things:
| Ticket template | Automation (business rules) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who triggers it | The technician, by selecting it | The system, when a condition is met |
| What it does | Fills in ticket fields | Assigns, escalates, notifies or changes the status |
| When it acts | When the ticket is created or on an open ticket | At any point in the ticket life cycle |
| Example | Applying “New employee onboarding” | Assigning every ticket in the “Onboarding” category to the System group |
The most effective approach is to combine them: the template ensures the ticket is logged in full and correctly classified, and business rules act on that data. The article on ticket management automation includes practical examples of those rules.
How are templates created and used in ServiceTonic?
- Create the template: go to Administration > Service Desk > Quick tickets and create as many templates as needed.
- Define the values: for each template, specify the fields it should fill in (title, status, description, category and custom fields).
- Apply it: when opening a new ticket, or from a ticket that is already open, the technician selects the Templates option and chooses the right one. The predefined values are copied into the ticket.
Detailed configuration instructions are available in the ServiceTonic Help section.
How do you decide which templates to create?
The most practical approach is to start with the requests that are repeated most often. Reports of tickets by category show which ones they are. If a technician often types the same title or description, that request needs a template. It is also worth reviewing templates from time to time: if one is hardly used, it is unnecessary, and if technicians always change the same field, it needs updating.
What sets ServiceTonic apart in the use of ticket templates?
ServiceTonic is ticketing software in which templates, forms, custom fields and business rules are configured without programming. Each department, whether IT, HR or Facilities, can have its own templates within the same platform. Templates can also generate subtasks for processes with several owners, such as employee onboarding. All of this is aligned with ITIL best practices.
Frequently asked questions
What is a ticket template used for?
To log requests that are always the same more quickly. The template fills in the common fields and the technician only completes the details specific to each case, which saves time and prevents classification errors.
Can a template be applied to a ticket that is already open?
Yes. In ServiceTonic, a template can be applied when the ticket is created or to a ticket that is already open, and its predefined values are copied into it.
What is the difference between a template and a business rule?
A template is applied by a person to fill in the ticket fields. A business rule acts on its own when a condition is met, for example to assign, escalate or notify. They complement each other: the template ensures the ticket is correctly classified, and the rule acts on that data.
How many ticket templates should there be?
As many as are needed to cover the most frequent requests. It is better to start with a few, for the most repetitive cases, and add more based on reports than to create many that nobody uses.
Can departments other than IT use templates?
Yes. Any area that handles repetitive requests can have its own templates, for example HR for onboarding or Facilities for maintenance.
Conclusion
A ticket template does more than save a technician a few minutes: it decides how each request is classified from the start. Assignment, SLAs, business rules and reports all depend on that classification. That is why the way to decide which templates to create is not to think about how long it takes to write a ticket, but about which requests should always be logged the same way.
Would you like to see how ticket templates work in ServiceTonic? Request a demo and see how to speed up your most frequent requests without programming.