History of IT Tickets: From Paper to Digital

    Have you ever called IT support for a computer problem and been given a "ticket number"? It might seem strange, but this term actually has a neat backstory! Let's take a trip back in time to see how IT ticketing got its start.

    In the 1980s, personal computers were becoming more common in offices, but they were also new technology. This meant that sometimes, they would act strangely or just stop working altogether. When this happened, employees would need help from the IT department.

    Back then, unlike today with email or chat support, getting IT help often involved walking over to the IT department with your broken computer. To keep track of who needed help and the order they arrived, IT specialists started using a system very similar to what you might see at an amusement park! They would create a paper slip for each request, kind of like a ticket you get in line. This slip would have information about the problem and the employee's name.

    Here's a fun fact:  The Help Desk Institute, a professional organization for IT support, was founded in 1989. The birth of this organization showed just how important an organized IT support system was becoming in that era!

    As computers and the internet became more popular in the 1990s, these paper tickets became digital. But the term "ticket" stuck around because it's a clear way to describe an IT request waiting to be solved. So next time you get a ticket number for your computer problem, you can remember this bit of history!

    Want to learn more? Check out The Help Desk Institute (HDI).

    Real-world example: Imagine a busy office in the 1980s. A printer isn't working, and Mary from accounting needs help. She walks over to the IT department with a printout that won't work properly. The IT specialist creates a paper ticket for Mary's request, noting the printer problem. This way, they know who needs help next and can keep track of the issue until it's resolved.

   Wow! Can you imagine? We've come a long way!