Getting Started with PSA
This guide walks you through initial setup and your first resolved ticket β from configuring your service desk to closing out a support request.
Step 1: Navigate to PSAβ
Open the waffle menu (grid icon) in the top-left of any Stack product and select PSA. This opens PSA at app.theonepsa.com.
PSA shares authentication with all Stack products via Hub SSO. If you're already signed into Hub, you'll be signed into PSA automatically.
Step 2: Configure Company Settingsβ
Go to Admin β Organization Settings to set up your company details:
| Setting | What to configure |
|---|---|
| Company name | Your MSP's name (appears on invoices and client-facing communications) |
| Business hours | Define your support hours (e.g., MonβFri 8amβ6pm) β used for SLA calculations |
| Locations | Add office locations if you have multiple sites |
| Branding | Upload your logo and set brand colors for the client portal |
| Email domains | Add your support email domains for inbound ticket creation |
Step 3: Set Up Ticket Categoriesβ
Go to Service Desk β Admin β Ticket Types and configure your ticket categories. Common categories for MSPs:
- Incident β Something is broken and needs fixing
- Service Request β A planned request (new user setup, software install)
- Problem β Root cause investigation for recurring incidents
- Change Request β Planned infrastructure changes requiring approval
Step 4: Configure Ticket Statusesβ
Go to Service Desk β Admin β Ticket Statuses to review the default workflow states:
- New β Ticket just created, not yet triaged
- In Progress β Technician actively working the ticket
- Waiting on Client β Paused, awaiting client response (SLA clock pauses)
- Waiting on Vendor β Paused, awaiting third-party response
- Resolved β Fix applied, awaiting client confirmation
- Closed β Ticket complete
You can add custom statuses or rename these to match your workflow.
Step 5: Set Up SLA Policiesβ
Go to Service Desk β Admin β SLA Policies and define response and resolution targets:
| Priority | First Response | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| P1 β Critical | 15 minutes | 4 hours |
| P2 β High | 1 hour | 8 hours |
| P3 β Medium | 4 hours | 24 hours |
| P4 β Low | 8 hours | 72 hours |
SLA timers only count during your configured business hours. Weekends and holidays are excluded by default.
Step 6: Add Your First Clientβ
Go to CRM (or the Clients section in PSA) and create a client record:
- Enter the company name, primary contact, and email
- Assign a default SLA tier
- Optionally set up a service contract with billing terms
If you already have clients in CRM, they sync to PSA automatically β no manual entry needed.
Step 7: Create Your First Ticketβ
There are several ways to create a ticket:
Manual creation:
- Click + New Ticket from the service desk or press the keyboard shortcut
- Fill in: subject, description, client, priority, category, and assignee
- Click Create
From email:
If you've configured an email domain, send an email to your support address (e.g., [email protected]). PSA creates a ticket automatically with the email body as the description.
From the client portal:
Clients can submit tickets directly through Portal at my.theonestack.com.
Step 8: Work the Ticketβ
- Open the ticket from your queue or the ticket list
- The three-panel view shows:
- Left sidebar β SLA status, tasks, watchers, quick actions
- Center β Conversation thread with notes, replies, and activity
- Right panel β Ticket properties (status, priority, assignee) and related context
- Add an internal note or client reply in the composer at the bottom
- Update the status to In Progress
Step 9: Log Timeβ
While working the ticket:
- Click the timer icon in the ticket detail to start the stopwatch
- Work the issue
- Click the timer again to stop β PSA records the elapsed time
- Alternatively, add a manual time entry with start/end times
Time entries default to billable. Toggle the billable flag off for internal work that shouldn't appear on invoices.
Step 10: Resolve the Ticketβ
- Add a final note describing the resolution
- Change the status to Resolved
- The client receives a notification that their ticket has been resolved
- If the client confirms, move to Closed β or set up automation to auto-close after a configurable period
You've completed your first ticket lifecycle. From here, explore queue management, automation rules, and reporting to optimize your service desk.
Next Stepsβ
- Ticket Management β Deep dive into ticket fields, templates, and bulk operations
- Service Desk Queues β Organize tickets into team and personal queues
- SLA Tracking β Configure SLA policies and breach notifications
- Automation Rules β Automate ticket routing, escalation, and notifications