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SOP-T1-08: Ticket Closure Procedure

Verifying SLA Timestamp, RFO, and Closure Communication — Tier 1 Support Standard Operating Procedure

Document ID: SOP-T1-08

Version: 2.0

Category: Ticket Management / SLA Compliance

Owner: Tier 1 Associates

Approver: John Martinez — T1 Manager

Applies To: Tier 1 and Tier 2 NOC Specialists — All Accounts

Related Systems: HubSpot (Ticketing)

Related SOPs: SOP-T1-01 — Customer-Reported Connectivity Issues SOP-T1-02 — Hetrix Down Notifications SOP-T1-04 — Dispatch Coordination SOP-T1-05 — Potential Trouble Notifications Ticket Deduplication KB (cancelled/duplicate/merged tickets)

1. Purpose

This procedure defines the standard process for closing a monitoring ticket once the underlying issue has been resolved. It ensures that every closure is validated against the correct SLA monitoring window, includes a Reason for Outage (RFO), and is communicated to the client before the ticket status is updated in HubSpot.

2. Scope

This procedure applies to all tickets under active monitoring, including but not limited to:

  • 24-Hour Monitoring tickets
  • 72-Hour No-Response Monitoring tickets

It does not cover tickets that are cancelled, duplicated, or merged — refer to the separate Ticket Deduplication KB article for those cases.

3. Roles & Responsibilities

Tier 1 associates: Verifies the resolution timestamp against the correct monitoring window, confirms the RFO is documented, sends the closure email, and updates the ticket status in HubSpot.

T1 Manager: Escalation point when the applicable monitoring window is unclear. See note below on role terminology.

4. Prerequisites

Non-Technical Prerequisites

  • Active HubSpot account with ticket status, notes, and template access.
  • Awareness of which distribution list applies to the account being closed (e.g., HGV Team, Credit One Bank Team).

Technical Prerequisites

  • Ability to identify which monitoring window applies to a ticket (24-Hour Monitoring vs. 72-Hour No-Response Monitoring).
  • Ability to locate and verify a Reason for Outage (RFO) on the ticket record.
  • Access to the standard closure email template in HubSpot.

5. Procedure

STEP 1 — Verify the Resolution Timestamp

Before taking any closure action, confirm exactly when the issue was resolved and cross-check it against the monitoring window the ticket falls under.

Locate the timestamp of the last confirmed resolution (e.g., circuit restoration, carrier confirmation, on-site confirmation).

Identify which monitoring type applies to the ticket:

Monitoring windows

24-Hour Monitoring — resolution must be confirmed and documented within 24 hours of the last update.

72-Hour No-Response Monitoring — used when the client or on-site contact has not responded; confirm the full 72-hour window has been observed with no reply before proceeding to closure.

Log the verified timestamp in the ticket notes so there is a clear audit trail for SLA reporting.

STEP 2 — Confirm the RFO Is Documented

Every ticket being closed must have a Reason for Outage (RFO) on file. Confirm the RFO includes:

  • Root cause of the outage or issue
  • Carrier or vendor involved, if applicable (e.g., Lumen, Cogent, Spectrum, AT&T)
  • Circuit ID / site details
  • Resolution or restoration action taken

Gate condition

If the RFO has not yet been received from the carrier, do not proceed to closure. Follow up with the carrier first. Closure communication must never be sent without a confirmed RFO.

STEP 3 — Send the Ticket Closure Email

Once the timestamp and RFO are verified, send the closure email to the client. The email must clearly state:

  • Confirmation that the issue has been resolved
  • The verified resolution timestamp
  • The RFO (root cause and resolution summary)
  • Notice that the ticket will now be closed unless further concerns are raised

Use the standard closure email template and route through the appropriate distribution list for the account (e.g., HGV Team, Credit One Bank Team).

STEP 4 — Close the Ticket in HubSpot

After the closure email has been sent — not before — update the ticket status in HubSpot:

  • Open the ticket record in HubSpot.
  • Locate the status dropdown menu.
  • Select “Closed.”
  • Save the ticket to finalize the status change.

Sequence matters

Do not close the ticket in HubSpot until the client-facing closure email has been sent. The email serves as the client-facing record of resolution and must precede the internal status change.

6. Quick Reference Checklist

  • Resolution timestamp verified against monitoring window (24-hr or 72-hr no-response)
  • RFO confirmed and documented in the ticket
  • Closure email sent to client with timestamp + RFO
  • Ticket status changed to “Closed” in HubSpot

7. Escalation Criteria

  • RFO has not been received from the carrier → follow up with the carrier before proceeding to closure. Do not send closure communication without a confirmed RFO.
  • Uncertain which monitoring window applies to a ticket → escalate to the Shift Lead / T1 Manager before closing (see Terminology note in Section 3).

8. Do's and Don'ts

Do

  • Verify the resolution timestamp against the correct monitoring window before taking any closure action.
  • Log the verified timestamp in the ticket notes for SLA audit trail purposes.
  • Send the closure email before changing the ticket status in HubSpot.
  • Route the closure email through the correct distribution list for the account.

Don't

  • Don't close a ticket without a documented RFO.
  • Don't send closure communication before the RFO has been confirmed.
  • Don't change the ticket status to Closed before the client-facing closure email has been sent.
  • Don't guess which monitoring window applies — escalate if unsure.

9. Notes

Tickets closed without a documented RFO or without client notification may be flagged during SLA audits. When in doubt about which monitoring window applies, escalate before closing.

10. Revision History

v1.0: Original NOC Knowledge Base article (HNOC-KB-TICKET-CLOSURE-001), already in a structured Purpose/Scope/Step-by-Step/Checklist/Notes format.

v2.0: Restructured into the standard SOP-T1 series format (added Roles & Responsibilities and Prerequisites sections, renumbered as SOP-T1-08, cross-referenced against the rest of the series). Flagged the “Shift Lead” vs. “T1 Manager” terminology difference from the rest of the series for confirmation rather than merging the two roles without verification. No procedural content changed.