Question
Why did my data change for dates in the past?
Each time I look at a report for a time period in the past, the data changes. For example, for the period of last month, the report showed a first reply time of 10 hours. A week later, the same report showed a first reply time of 9.7 hours. Why is this?
Answer
There are many reasons why past data may change over time:
- This is particularly true if the data is sorted by the date a ticket is solved. When an older ticket finally gets solved, replied to, or given a satisfaction rating, that data will show up on past dates in the report.
- Data can also change when a solved ticket is re-opened. This impacts the number of solved tickets or full resolution time. For example, if a ticket is reopened and resolved during the time you last saw the report, the report will reflect the new time for solving that ticket.
- Additionally, on a ticket, the first reply time target of SLAs does not start until the ticket gets a first public comment from an end user. Your first reply time average can change for this reason. For more information, see this article: Zendesk SLAs and first reply time
2 comments
Elaine
Zendesk recommends several ways to work around the potential changes in past data over time, particularly when dealing with data sorted by the date a ticket is solved:
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Salim Cheurfi
I'm jumping in to help,
By using the historical reporting feature, we mean using the Ticket update History dataset with specific dates on the updates so you can know exactly what happened to a ticket, even if for example the ticket was updated got reopen and the solved is not counted in the Support Ticket Dataset anymore as this dataset contains general ticket information, not including changes or updates to tickets.
The Backlog history dataset is as well a good way to see a snapshot of unsolved tickets at any given date
For example, with the Update History Dataset we can see the exact time when a ticket was set in pending by an agent even if now this specific ticket is solved.
Another really useful way to capture the results at X date and compare the same result again at Y date is to export your report, so you always keep an archive of what your report looked like at a different date.
If you use a dashboard, you can even set automatic exportation so you can keep a trace of exactly what your report looked like each month or each week and easily compare them.
You will always find a way to retrieve the date through the Update History dataset, you will be able to know who clicked on solve at X moment even if the ticket was reopen.
I hope this helps
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