How to Define Ticket Priority in a Help Desk

Updated: January 14, 2026 to reflect current best practices for defining ticket priority and SLAs.

When a help desk receives a high volume of tickets, agents need a clear way to decide what to work on first. Ticket priority helps teams respond to issues in the right order based on impact, urgency, and customer expectations ensuring that service quality doesn't suffer as demand increases.

This guide is for IT teams, help desk managers, and customer support leaders who want to define ticket priority in a way that supports both operational efficiency and a strong customer experience.

What Is Ticket Priority?

Ticket priority is a classification that determines how quickly a support request should be addressed compared to others. It helps teams align response times with the business impact of an issue, not just when the ticket was submitted.

When priority is clearly defined, teams can:

• Focus on the most critical issues first
• Meet service level agreement (SLA) commitments
• Set consistent expectations with customers
• Avoid urgent issues being buried in the queue

Why Ticket Priority Matters for Customer Service

Without defined priorities, agents may work tickets in the order they arrive, even if a low-impact request delays a critical issue. This can lead to:

• Missed SLAs
• Frustrated customers
• Fire-drill escalations
• Burnout among agents

A customer-oriented priority system ensures that issues affecting service availability, security, or core business operations are handled first, while lower-impact requests are addressed appropriately.

How Mojo Helpdesk Defines Ticket Priority

At Mojo Helpdesk, ticket priority is based on the impact an issue has on the customer's business, not just urgency alone. This approach keeps priorities objective, consistent, and customer-focused.

Here's how we define ticket priority levels:

Low Priority

Low-priority tickets have a minor impact on the business.

Examples include:

• Cosmetic issues
• Minor feature requests
• Questions that don't block work

These are handled during standard business hours.

Normal Priority

Normal-priority tickets have a moderate business impact.

Examples include:

• Bugs affecting a key feature but with a workaround
• Issues reported by high-value or long-term customers

These tickets should be responded to within a reasonable timeframe during business hours.

Urgent Priority

Urgent-priority tickets have a significant impact on business operations.

Examples include:

• Critical bugs affecting multiple customers
• Issues preventing users from completing essential tasks

These tickets require immediate attention during business hours and are prioritized ahead of normal requests.

Emergency Priority

Emergency-priority tickets have a severe and widespread impact.

Examples include:

• System outages
• Security incidents
• Issues that completely block service for many customers

Emergency tickets require round-the-clock response until resolution.

At Mojo Helpdesk, when an emergency ticket is created, an agent is assigned immediately regardless of the time of day or day of the week. That's what true 24/7 support means. While emergencies are rare, this structure ensures customers are protected when it matters most.

Business Hours vs. Round-the-Clock Support

A key concept in ticket priority is when support is expected to respond.

• Business-hours support applies to most low, normal, and urgent tickets
• Round-the-clock support is reserved for true emergencies

This distinction helps teams deliver reliable service without overextending staff or setting unrealistic expectations.

How to Define Ticket Priority for Your Own Business

The priority definitions above work well for Mojo Helpdesk, but they won't apply to every organization.

For example, a business-to-consumer company selling cookbooks may not need emergency support at all. Priority levels should reflect:

• Your industry
• Your customers' expectations
• Your operating hours
• Your service quality goals

The most effective priority systems are simple, clearly documented, and aligned with customer impact.

How SLAs Help Enforce Ticket Priority

Ticket priority becomes far more effective when paired with Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

With Mojo Helpdesk SLAs, teams can:

• Set response and resolution targets by priority
• Automatically track deadlines
• Proactively notify agents as SLA thresholds approach

This helps teams stay accountable to their service commitments while maintaining a customer-first approach.