Build an IT help desk with MS CRM 4.0

I was recently working on a Microsoft CRM 4.0 roll-out for a company that also needed a help desk for their IT department to assist internal users. They were looking at several packaged solutions but the CRM project had consumed most of the IT budget for the quarter. However, there is a customer service module in CRM 4.0 that can be made to serve as a help desk. With a couple of tweaks and some mild customization, the company had a help desk and it didn’t cost them any more money.

An email or a phone call triggers the creation of a case with a case number. Cases are routed by queues to the appropriate tech. All related emails and phone calls are attached to the case and tasks are created to complete the request or solve the problem. Knowledge base articles can be attached and notes added to the case. All this is stored in a history for each case and is searchable. The internal users, the customers of the help desk, are not required to have a CRM 4.0 license. You only save money though, if you are already planning to implement CRM 4.0. You will also need an asset tracking tool that is not part of CRM 4.0. When used in conjunction with an inexpensive asset tracking tool such as AuditWizard , you have a basic IT help desk for a fraction of the cost of a packaged help desk solution.