Support ticket priority - How and when to request priority changes

This article explains when it is appropriate to request a change in ticket priority and how to do so correctly. 

It ensures that priority changes are handled consistently, fairly, and based on real business impact.

Understanding priorities and SLAs

Ticket priority determines how quickly your request is handled.

For a full overview of priorities and response times, please read the table below or our Support Map:

** Regional times – EMEA (GMT+1), AMERICAS (GMT-6), APJ (GMT+8), excl. weekends/holidays

Definition of response times:

• Hours (h): Working hours
• First reply time: Time from ticket submission to first reply
• Agent work time: Time spent in New and Open ticket status
• Next reply time: Time between oldest unanswered customer comment and next comment by Boyum. 

When should you request a priority change?

You may request a priority change if:

• The business impact has increased since the ticket was created
• The issue is now affecting critical operations
• New information changes the severity or urgency of the issue

Examples of valid scenarios:

• A previously minor issue is now blocking a go-live
• The issue is causing financial impact
• The situation has escalated to business downtime

When NOT to request a priority change

A priority change should not be requested if:

• The ticket is still within agreed SLA timelines
• The request is based on urgency without business impact
• You want to speed up handling without new information

👉 In these cases, the ticket will continue to be handled according to its current priority and SLA. 
This ensures equal treatment of all partners.

How to request a priority change

To request a priority change, simply reply to your existing support ticket via Zendesk and include the following:
 

✅ Requested priority

Choose one:

• Normal
• High
• Urgent

✅ Business impact category

Select the most relevant:

• Financial impact
• Go-live critical
• Data loss
• Software functionality
• Business down

✅ Business impact description

Provide a clear description of:

• What has changed
• How your business is affected
• Why the priority should be adjusted

How requests are evaluated

All requests are reviewed by Support based on the information provided.

🟢 If approved:

• The ticket priority will be updated
• SLA targets will change accordingly

🔴If rejected:

• The current priority and SLA will remain unchanged

NB: Requests without clear business impact may be declined.

Related articles

• Ticket submission - how to create high-quality support ticket
• Escalation process - when and how to escalate a ticket
• Support Map – priorities and SLA overview

Important note

Priority changes and escalations are designed to ensure that critical business issues are handled first.

Using them correctly helps us:

• prioritize effectively
• reduce delays

• provide better support for all partners

   

Thank you!