8 October 2026 · 3 min read
How to run support and development in one tool (without Jira Service Management)
A practical guide to running client support and development in one tool: one ticket per request, a client portal, workflow rules and release notes.
Quick answer
To run support and development in one tool, make each client request the development ticket itself, give clients a portal with client-facing status names, keep internal notes separate from client messages, enforce the workflow with board rules, and send release notes from the tickets you shipped. Jonta does all of this in one product.
Most software teams that support clients end up with two systems: a helpdesk where requests arrive, and a tracker where developers work. Jira Service Management plus Jira Software is the classic example, but the pattern is the same with Zendesk plus Jira, or a shared inbox plus Trello.
The cost isn't only the licences. It's the copying, the "any update on this?" emails, and the requests that get lost between the two. Here is how to run both in one place.
1. Make the request the ticket
The single most useful change is to stop having two records. When a client raises a request, that record should be the thing a developer picks up, estimates, links to a pull request and ships.
That gives you one history: the client's original words, the internal discussion, the commits, the deployment and the release note, all on one page. When someone asks "when did we fix that?" the answer is in one place.
2. Give clients a portal, with their own words for status
Clients don't need to know about "In Review" or "Awaiting Test Cut". Give each board column a client-facing name:
| Internal column | What the client sees |
|---|---|
| Backlog | Received |
| To Do | Scheduled |
| In Progress, In Review | In progress |
| Awaiting client test | Ready for you to test |
| Done | Released |
In Jonta this is set per project, so each client sees names that suit their engagement. How the client portal works.
3. Separate client messages from internal notes
Developers need to say things clients shouldn't read ("this is the third time they've changed the spec"). The answer is two conversation streams on the same ticket: client-visible messages and internal notes, shown together to staff and kept apart for clients.
4. Let the board enforce the process
Once support and development share a board, rules stop things falling through the cracks:
- Require an assignee before a ticket moves into In Progress.
- Auto-assign incoming client requests to whoever is on support this week.
- Set work-in-progress limits so support doesn't quietly swamp a sprint.
- Apply rules to ticket types, for example only to Support tickets.
- Use ageing alerts to flag requests that have sat in one column too long.
Workflow rules and WIP limits.
5. Link the code automatically
Ask developers to put the ticket key in branch names and commit messages (for example NW-142-po-number). With GitHub connected, commits and pull requests attach to the ticket, PR and CI status show on it, and the ticket can move when the pull request merges. Support staff can then answer "is it done?" without interrupting anyone.
6. Send release notes from what shipped
When a version or deployment is complete, generate release notes from its tickets, email them to the client's chosen contacts and publish them in their portal. This one step replaces a surprising amount of account-management email. Release notes in Jonta.
7. Handle incidents in the same place
When something breaks, open an incident linked to the deployment that caused it, post client-visible updates, and let subscribed clients get them by email. Uptime checks can open the incident for you.
What it costs
Running this on Atlassian usually means Jira Software, Jira Service Management, Confluence and often Statuspage, each priced separately. On 8 October 2026, Jira Standard was listed at $7.91 per user and JSM Standard at $20 per agent per month. Jonta includes everything above for £80 a month flat for up to 50 users, or £864 a year, and it's free for up to 5 users. See pricing.
Get started free and set up one client project to try it.
Questions people also ask
Do I need Jira Service Management to have a client portal?
Not if your delivery tool includes one. Jonta includes a client portal on every plan, including the free plan for up to 5 users.
How do I stop clients seeing internal comments?
Use a tool that keeps client conversations and internal notes as separate streams on the same ticket. In Jonta, clients only see messages and tickets shared with their company.
What should client-facing column names look like?
Plain words the client understands, such as Received, Scheduled, In progress, Ready for you to test and Released, even if your internal columns are more detailed.