by Emma Sternberg
April 17, 2025

Genesee Community College launched a new IT ticket system in MyGCC on January 9, replacing the previous system and addressing many of the issues students and faculty experienced in the past. For more than four decades, GCC outsourced its IT management, with Ellucian Managed Services overseeing operations for the majority of that time. Around four years ago, GCC began the process of bringing all IT services in-house, and the final step in that transition was to implement a new ticketing system.

GCC put the IT ticket system out to bid. Ellucian was one of three companies to submit a proposal, alongside Team Dynamics, which ultimately won the bid. Team Dynamics is on a state contract, which made the process more efficient. It is also used widely across the SUNY system, allowing all 64 campuses to buy into the platform if they choose to. “If you open a ticket with the SUNY help desk specifically, then you are using them,” said Lindsay LaBella, manager of User Services.

Now that all IT staff are college employees, LaBella said, “We are invested in your future.” She noted that Team Dynamics was not only more affordable but more effective than the previous shared system. “The last ticket system was shared, so every time there was a malfunction, or they needed a change, then it had to go to a committee and then all the other schools,” she said. “Things were getting very complicated. Tickets would get lost. That was the main complaint.”

The new system allows users to access the tickets they’ve submitted, track their status, and review past interactions—features that were not available before. “Big takeaways are that you have the ability to see the tickets,” LaBella said. “We are service-based so we get all the questions we need answered up front, and it routes the tickets correctly without human intervention.”

A major improvement is the shift from generic ticket submissions to a more detailed, service-based process. Previously, tickets often lacked the information needed for IT to resolve issues efficiently, leading to frequent back-and-forth communication. Now, users must fill in all required fields before submitting a ticket, ensuring IT receives comprehensive information right away. LaBella said, “I’m open to feedback. I desperately want feedback because, as I said, we have control over how this looks.”

The new system has also helped mitigate challenges related to staffing shortages at the help desk. Because the platform is self-routing, it directs tickets to the appropriate personnel automatically, reducing the need for manual intervention and making the system more efficient. “Now I am routing fewer tickets, and that contributes to a more efficient system,” said LaBella.

GCC has also eliminated the helpdesk email address. Instead, students and faculty are encouraged to use the integrated knowledge base, which is connected to the ticketing system. “Every time someone asks me a question, I write the answers in our knowledge base,” LaBella said. Many common issues already have solutions posted online, and users can search for answers before submitting a ticket. “Search—chances are we’ve got something up there,” she said.

LaBella encouraged users to explore the knowledge base even if they’re unsure what category their issue fits into. “If you don’t see something, it’s OK to pick one,” she said. “If you don’t see the exact problem you are facing, choose what you think would be best. I’ll read it anyway.”

VP for Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer Nik Varrone also weighed in on the system’s future. He said, “We want this to be a valuable tool for everyone in our community. Please let us know if we can make it more effective.”