How Halo ITSM Handles Incident Management Workflows

How Halo ITSM Handles Incident Management Workflows

IT systems sometimes stop working as expected, causing interruptions in daily operations that cost organizations $365,000 per hour. These interruptions are called incidents. Incident management is the process organizations use to handle these situations, restore normal service, and keep everything running smoothly.

Halo ITSM is a type of software that helps organizations manage incidents using a standardized approach. It follows ITIL guidelines, which are a set of best practices for IT service management.

This article explains how Halo ITSM manages incidents from the moment they are reported to the point they are resolved.

Your IT team juggles dozens of tickets daily.

Some are genuine emergencies like server outages, while others are routine requests like password resets marked as "urgent." Without a structured system, this constant influx creates confusion and delays response times.

Your inbox explodes with 47 "URGENT" tickets before 9 AM; half are actual server fires, the other half are "I forgot my password" requests marked critical. Your team's bouncing between Slack, email, and three different spreadsheets just to figure out who's handling what.

Meet Halo ITSM, your incident command center: a unified platform that turns chaotic ticket storms into organized workflows and gives every IT fire drill a clear playbook.

The complete Incident lifecycle in Halo ITSM

When someone reports an IT problem, Halo ITSM kicks off a structured process that moves the incident through specific stages. Each stage has clear goals and handoffs, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Ticket intake and smart categorization

Issues enter Halo ITSM through multiple channels, including email, web portal, chat, or Microsoft Teams integration. The system automatically categorizes each ticket based on keywords and request patterns. A ticket about "can't log in" gets tagged as an access issue, while "printer won't print" becomes a hardware problem.

This automatic sorting means your team spends less time figuring out what category a ticket belongs to and more time actually fixing things.

Priority assignment and routing

Halo ITSM evaluates each incident's urgency and business impact to set priority levels. A CEO locked out of email gets higher priority than a broken conference room projector. The system then routes tickets to the right team or individual based on predefined rules.

Investigation using integrated tools

Agents investigate incidents using Halo ITSM's built-in knowledge base, asset database, and related ticket history. Everything appears on one screen, so technicians don't waste time switching between different systems to gather context.

Resolution and documentation

Once the fix is applied, agents document the solution and close the ticket. Halo ITSM can automatically convert successful solutions into knowledge base articles for future reference.

SLA tracking and escalation workflows

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) define how quickly your team commits to responding to and resolving different types of incidents, critical for the 89% of businesses that rely on service-based partnerships. Halo ITSM tracks these commitments and takes action when tickets risk missing their deadlines.

The system monitors response times (how quickly someone acknowledges the ticket) and resolution times (how long it takes to fix the problem). Color-coded indicators show which tickets need immediate attention.

SLA capabilities:

• Multiple SLA groups: Different timing rules for various service types or customer tiers
• Priority-based targets: Faster response requirements for high-priority incidents
• Automatic escalation: System notifications and ticket reassignments before SLA breaches
• Visual time indicators: Dashboard warnings that highlight at-risk tickets\

When a ticket approaches its SLA deadline, Halo ITSM automatically notifies managers or reassigns the incident to available staff. This prevents issues from falling through the cracks during busy periods.

Major incident management capabilities

Major incidents are high-impact problems that affect many users or critical business services. These situations require different handling than routine password resets or software glitches.

Halo ITSM includes specialized tools for coordinating major incident response. When the email system goes down company-wide or the main database becomes unavailable, the platform switches into major incident mode.

Rapid team assembly

The system sends instant notifications to technical specialists and incident managers. Everyone needed for the response gets alerted simultaneously instead of relying on phone trees or manual contact lists.

Centralized command dashboard

Incident commanders get a single screen showing affected services, assigned team members, current status, and active tasks. This eliminates the confusion that often happens during crisis situations.

Real-time task coordination

Recovery activities are broken into specific tasks assigned to team members. Progress updates appear in real-time, so everyone knows what's completed and what still needs attention.

Stakeholder communication automation

Halo ITSM sends regular updates to business leaders and affected users without manual intervention. These communications include current status, estimated resolution times, and any workarounds available.

Performance metrics and reporting

Halo ITSM tracks key performance indicators that show how effectively your team handles incidents. These metrics help identify improvement opportunities and demonstrate the value of your IT service management efforts.

Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR)

This measures the average time from incident creation to closure, with industry averages at 8.85 business hours. Lower MTTR indicates more efficient problem-solving processes.

First contact resolution rate

The percentage of incidents resolved during the initial interaction without escalation or handoffs. Higher rates suggest better knowledge sharing and agent capability.

SLA compliance percentage

How often does your team meet the response and resolution commitments defined in service level agreements? This metric directly impacts user satisfaction.

Incident volume trends

Patterns in ticket creation over time help identify recurring problems or capacity planning needs. Sudden spikes might indicate systemic issues requiring attention.

Implementation approach for Halo ITSM incident workflows

Setting up incident management workflows in Halo ITSM follows a logical sequence that builds from current state assessment to full operational deployment.

1. Document existing processes

Map out how incidents are currently handled, including who gets involved at each step and where delays typically occur. This baseline helps identify specific improvements Halo ITSM can deliver.

2. Define service level targets

Establish response and resolution time commitments for different incident types. Consider business impact when setting these targets—not every issue needs the same urgency.

3. Plan data migration

Decide which historical information to transfer from existing systems. Open tickets and asset inventories are typically priorities, while older closed incidents might not be necessary.

4. Configure automation rules

Set up the logic for automatic ticket routing, priority assignment, and escalation triggers. Start simple and add complexity as your team becomes comfortable with the system.

5. Train the service desk team

Provide hands-on training for all agents who will use Halo ITSM daily. Focus on navigation, ticket handling procedures, and where to find help when questions arise.