Terminology - common expression

[Diarmid]

MiraH,

thank you for clarifying. I agree that "issue" is problematic.

"ticket" or "call" "message" or "communication" are four options that spring to mind. I'm sure there are other possibilities.

They all have their drawbacks:

ticket - may sound too "techie" to users
call - pedantic users will complain that "my email was not a call"
message - may sound too informal
communication - is rather a long word

Different types of users will have different attitudes to these.

Two key points:

1. select a word that fits easily into your culture so that both your staff and the users, as a whole (you can never please everybody), are comfortable with it.
2. make sure the first response provides the user with a reference code (number) unique to that call/ticket/etc. and use the reference in every communication you make.

In the end it shouldn't matter that much because, so long as you are strongly consistent about it, everyone will get used to whatever term you have chosen.
_________________
"Method goes far to prevent trouble in business: for it makes the task easy, hinders confusion, saves abundance of time, and instructs those that have business depending, both what to do and what to hope."
William Penn 1644-1718

[MiraH]

Thanks,
it helps.
Míra

[DYbeach]

[Diarmid]

Top of the class DY.

Now for the final one - " ... I am sorry I have to decline your ticket as it was found unsubstantial ..."

for this I would not say ticket, but refer to the actual category of ticket involved (e.g. service request).

But I would go much further and take a softly softly approach (there should not be many occurrences after all). I would ask to discuss the <ticket> to clarify the requirement and if it is found wanting (I don't like substantial here) I would conclude with something like "As discussed, we are having to reject your service request (number ######) for <service> because ..."
_________________
"Method goes far to prevent trouble in business: for it makes the task easy, hinders confusion, saves abundance of time, and instructs those that have business depending, both what to do and what to hope."
William Penn 1644-1718

[DYbeach]