What Is Helpdesk Load Balancing?
Load balancing in helpdesk operations is the process of distributing incoming tickets fairly across all agents to prevent any single agent from becoming overloaded. It ensures consistent workload and reduces burnout.
How Load Balancing Works
- Track the current workload of each agent (number of open tickets, age)
- New tickets are assigned to the agent with the lightest load
- System rebalances periodically to account for agent availability
Load Balancing Methods
- Round-robin: Rotate through agents sequentially
- Least-loaded: Always assign to agent with fewest open tickets
- Weighted: Account for ticket complexity or agent experience
- Time-based: Consider how long tickets have been open
Benefits
- Prevents agent burnout and turnover
- Ensures fair distribution of work
- Improves response time consistency
- Reduces stress-related absences
Challenges
- Complex tickets may take longer for less experienced agents
- Load metrics must account for skill, not just count
- Some agents may still end up with more complex work
Industry Insight
Freshdesk reports that effective load balancing reduces agent turnover by 15-20%.
Learn Load Distribution
Load balancing is discussed on Wikipedia.
How TicketingNext Load-Balances Work
TicketingNext offers multiple balancing algorithms and real-time monitoring. See TicketingNext features or explore use cases.
Need better load balancing? Contact our team.