I am the sole web guru for a school in Texas and I have been searching for a help desk system for about 6 months now. Until recently I was receiving all requests through e-mail, which was an organizational nightmare. The first step I took was to create a request webform utilizing WordPress’ Contact Form 7. The webform cut down on at least half of the communication issues I encountered when using e-mail alone. For example, I no longer received requests without a web page URL. Something was still missing. Tracking and reporting!

My help desk requirements:

• Ability for non-registered users to create tasks
• Ability to assign tasks to other admins
• Reporting
• Automated notifications
• Open source or otherwise free

After researching and testing at least 10 WordPress plugins I realized most attempts to provide the above requirements resulted in an overcomplicated implementation. I finally stumbled upon Teambox. With Teambox I can create, update, track and report on tasks. I still utilize the WordPress webform. I configured Teambox and my WordPress webform to automatically create a task in Teambox whenever one of my users submits a request using the WordPress webform. At that point I can assign a status and task owner.

I finally found my perfect help desk by looking past the all-in-one solutions. Sometimes the most direct and least complicated path to a solution requires shared services and that is okay!

If you have any questions about my implementation please reach out to me.