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Reduce avoidable IT support tickets by identifying repeat employee problems, fixing their underlying causes, and making safe self-service paths easy to complete. Start with account access, approved app requests and software installs, and recurring device issues—but keep a clear route to a person when self-service fails.
Start with your own ticket patterns
There is no universal ranking of employee tech problems that generate the most tickets. Group recent requests by what employees were trying to do and the cause that stopped them. Then prioritize problems that recur and have a safe, repeatable resolution.
- Separate the employee’s goal—such as regaining account access—from the underlying cause, such as missing enrollment or a policy issue.
- Look for repeat contacts, failed self-service attempts, and cases where employees were sent through an unclear or broken process.
- Choose fixes that can be delivered consistently without bypassing security or approval controls.
Make password resets and account unlocks work
Microsoft describes password change and reset requests as “one of the biggest sources of volume and cost of help desk calls.” That is qualitative guidance, not a measured reduction estimate or a ranking that applies to every organization. Microsoft recommends self-service password reset (SSPR) and password protection as ways to deflect calls. Microsoft Entra authentication management guidance explains the relevant capabilities.
Before publishing a reset guide, test the organization’s approved reset and unlock flow with representative accounts. Microsoft documents several reasons a reset may fail, including SSPR being disabled or scoped incorrectly, a missing license, absent security information, or password-writeback configuration problems in environments that use writeback. Microsoft’s SSPR troubleshooting guidance covers these failure areas.
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- Read Before You Buy — No Video Output: These adapters support charging and USB 2.0 data transfer, but cannot transmit video signals. Except for standard USB webcams (which use USB data only), they are not compatible with HDMI/DisplayPort cables, video-capable USB-C hubs, or docking stations with video output.
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- Confirm SSPR is enabled and applies to the intended users.
- Check that users have the required license and have registered the security information the flow requires.
- Where a hybrid environment uses password writeback, confirm that it is configured and working.
- Use the actual failure message to distinguish user action from an administrator-side configuration problem.
If employees follow the documented steps but still contact the desk, investigate the service configuration and error path before adding more instructions.
Give employees recovery choices and a fallback
A recovery flow is only useful if an employee can access its verification method. Microsoft advises registering multiple authentication methods so that a user can still sign in or reset a password when one method is unavailable. Explain how to register the organization’s permitted alternatives and what to do if none can be used. Microsoft’s authentication-method guidance describes the available method concepts.
Rank #2
- 5-in-1 USB-C Hub: Experience comprehensive connectivity featuring a Power Delivery input, two USB-A 2.0 ports, a USB-A 3.0 port, and an HDMI port. (Note: The USB-C power delivery input port is only for connecting an external wall charger to power your laptop and cannot power peripheral devices.)
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- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Put a familiar support email address or URL directly in the self-service experience. Microsoft recommends a known helpdesk contact for users who encounter problems, and NIST usability guidance says to clearly explain how to obtain technical help and, where possible, support self-recovery from intermittent events. NIST SP 800-63B provides the relevant guidance.
- Tell employees when to stop retrying—for example, when the service says reset is disabled, required information is missing, or an administrator must correct configuration.
- Make clear what details to include when contacting IT, such as the exact error and whether the issue affects sign-in, reset, or a particular device.
- Configure appropriate reset notifications so users can recognize account changes.
Make approved app access and software installation straightforward
“Request access to an application” and “Install approved software” are useful employee-facing self-service prompts. Microsoft includes these, along with “Reset my password,” “Unlock my account,” and “Check my device compliance status,” as examples of employee self-service intents. Microsoft’s employee self-service analytics guidance gives examples, but does not require a particular service catalog platform.
Rank #3
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
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- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
For each task, provide a clear route, explain what information is needed, and state what happens next. Keep existing approvals and security controls: self-service should make approved work easier, not silently grant access or install exceptions. Route requests that fall outside policy to the appropriate IT or application owner for review.
Prevent avoidable endpoint problems with managed updates
Regular operating-system and software updates can address known issues and security weaknesses that otherwise create support work. NIST recommends keeping software and operating systems updated and enabling automatic updates where appropriate. NIST’s software-updates guidance describes these practices.
Rank #4
- Dual Converters, Infinite Potential：Includes 2× USB C male to USB A female adapters and 2× USB A male to USB C female adapters. Perfect for a wide range of uses—tablets with Bluetooth keyboards, expand USB ports on macbook, and more. Two different converters for all your daily needs
- Next-Level 10Gbps & 3A Charging: No more slow 480Mbps, this usb to usb c adapter has a transfer speed of up to 10Gbps, allowing you to do more transferring in less time. This usb adapter fits both USB A and USB C charger, supporting up to 3A fast charging
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Use the organization’s managed update process and account for business compatibility and maintenance windows. The available guidance does not quantify how many tickets updates prevent, so evaluate the effect using your own issue and support data rather than promising a specific reduction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Write help content that gets users to a result
Keep each self-service path short and task-focused. The employee should be able to identify the exact action, confirm the expected result, recognize a likely failure, and find the next support route without guessing.
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Best Value
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
- Use the employee’s goal as the heading, such as “Unlock my account.”
- Give the exact approved action and the expected confirmation or outcome.
- Explain the failure messages or conditions that require IT intervention.
- Keep the support link or contact method visible throughout the flow, not buried at the end of a long FAQ.
- Review content when policies, sign-in methods, software catalogs, or update processes change.
Measure successful outcomes, not clicks
Track self-service performance by scenario. Microsoft advises monitoring task success, retries, errors, fallbacks, assisted support, and ticket-deflection trends. Its measurement guidance states: “Executives should focus on outcome-level telemetry, not raw interaction counts.” Microsoft’s employee self-service usage analytics guidance explains these measures.
- Completion and failure: Do employees finish the task, and which steps or scenarios fail most?
- Retries and fallbacks: Are users repeatedly trying the same flow or abandoning it for another route?
- Assisted support: Are related helpdesk requests falling, or are users still contacting IT after using self-service?
- Safety and usability: Does the flow preserve identity and approval controls while remaining accessible to employees who need alternate recovery options?
Rising usage alone is not success. Microsoft notes that increased activity without corresponding success may signal a trust gap; failures concentrated in a scenario can indicate configuration, connector, or clarity problems. Use those patterns to correct the service rather than treating interaction volume as a result.
Escalate identity problems with useful context
When self-service does not resolve authentication or access trouble, collect the exact error and relevant sign-in or device context, then use approved administrative diagnostics. Microsoft Entra Self-Service Support documentation covers authentication and MFA failures, device registration and sync, provisioning, Conditional Access, and SSO. It guides administrators but cannot take action inside an organization’s tenant; unresolved cases still need the proper support channel. Microsoft Entra Self-Service Support documentation describes its scope.
Compare self-service options on the outcomes that matter
When evaluating alternative flows or tools, compare them against the same operational criteria rather than raw usage or feature counts.
Quick Recap
| Comparison area | What to assess |
|---|---|
| Task outcome | Completion and failure rates for each employee scenario. |
| User effort and access | Steps required, accessibility, and availability of alternate recovery methods. |
| Security and approvals | Whether identity policies, access approvals, and software controls remain intact. |
| Escalation | How clearly the flow routes an unresolved case and how quickly a user can reach human help. |
| Operating fit | Licensing, connectors, and any hybrid password-writeback requirements. |
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