For our team, it's really about balancing the numbers with the overall experience. Metrics are important, but they don't tell the whole story.
The metrics we watch most closely are first response time, time to resolution, ticket volume by category, and CSAT. First response time lets our users know we're engaged, while resolution time helps us identify where processes might need improvement. Looking at ticket trends is especially valuable because recurring issues often point to opportunities for better documentation, training, or system improvements.
Our targets are based on the priority of the request rather than trying to fit everything into the same SLA. A critical issue affecting multiple users is going to have a much different response expectation than a routine service request.
One of the biggest benefits of tracking this data is being able to spot patterns. If we notice an increase in tickets around a particular application or process, we can often address the root cause before it becomes a larger problem. Sometimes that means updating knowledge base articles, improving communication, or working with another team to resolve an underlying issue.
For me, success is a combination of both numbers and feedback. Metrics tell us how we're performing operationally, but customer feedback tells us how people actually felt about the interaction. You can hit every SLA and still leave someone frustrated, so it's important to look at both sides of the equation.