Contact closure

- Now, we are at the end of our contact life cycle. We've walked through all of our steps, and we need to close out the contact. Contact closure is our final step in the process, and occurs only after specific steps have been performed. The steps in the contact closure, again, can vary by organization. So, let's start by looking at some general steps, and then document what occurs in your organization. Contact closure can include the following. First, ensure that all documentation is complete and up to date.

If an issue has been escalated, others will need to have documented information regarding the resolution. We need to make sure that all the information is accurate and complete. If it isn't, consult with management on how to proceed in obtaining the information. We also need to verify and update the description of the issue, all notes regarding the symptoms, relevant information from the customer, steps taken for resolution, all knowledge resources utilized. It's also important to document the priority, category, and any information that might be sent to other teams for investigation.

For example, is this something that is reocurring? Does another group need to be engaged to research and investigate this further? This is where the problem management process could be engaged, and a problem record created. It's important to understand your organization's current problem management process, and how this works. Now that these steps have been fulfilled, the issue can formally be closed. This is where the status moves from resolved to closed.

And again, this process can work very differently across organizations. The ticket can be formally closed after confirming resolution with the customer. A technician can close a ticket while on site, over the phone, possibly through chat or email. And additionally, some systems can close a ticket after a specific time threshold has passed. Typically three to five days. No matter the process, you'll need to ensure that all documentation for the time you spent working on the issue is accurate and complete.

So, now that we've successfully resolved and closed the issue, we can move on to our next step, handling even more issues. The good news is, that by following our procedures, we can handle incidents quicker, more consistently, and have even higher customer satisfaction.