I’ve been an IT systems administrator and general “IT support guy” before for a startup and for a midsize company. (I currently run InstanTek, an IT managed services provider for startups in NYC.)

I remember the distinct paranoia and scrutiny my department would sometimes feel from executives. They often saw us as a nuisance and a cost center—a place to find free money under the proverbial couch cushion to use for “more important” things. So frustrating, right?

A lot of IT folks similarly feel like there’s a constant cloud of doubt hanging over them. They may even feel paranoid when things are running too smoothly, because they worry that execs may wonder what the hell they’re doing all day—and why they’re paying them so (relatively) much.

I’ve even found Reddit posts of IT pros asking whether they should purposefully take down a server now and then just to prove they’re doing something. Folks, please don’t do this! There’s an easier and more ethical way to prove your value…

As with almost anything in life, the best way to show your company that you’re actually worth the salary you’re being paid is to show evidence of it. (We all know how much business users love reports!)

And if your company is still using email to handle IT support tickets, you probably know how challenging it is to filter—let alone report on—only IT requests from end users versus all the other things in your inbox. It’s basically impossible. And even if you manually compile an Excel spreadsheet based on your email inbox, who knows if the execs will even believe you?

The solution

Rather than using email, use a ticketing system. Ticketing systems like Zoho Desk or Zendesk include full transparency and reports, baked right into the product. You can generate reports that show your department’s average response and resolution time, your ticket volume, types of tickets and requests, and other critical KPIs.

Make sure you and your staff log everything in the ticketing system, even those projects, tasks, and changes you yourself initiate, as well as the time it took to resolve each ticket. Did you patch that Windows server? Create a ticket, enter a comment, and resolve it. It might seem like a pain, but it’s not only great for proving your value to your company, but also for going back and having an audit trail of what you and your staff did when.

If you use a ticketing system, you’ll have hard evidence that you’re doing your job and executives will be far less likely to doubt the value of your department.

The thesis here is to treat your employer like you would a client: constantly prove your value so they know they absolutely can’t live without you.

Want a ticketing system recommendation?

We recommend (and use internally!) Zoho Desk. Check it out today!