For smaller businesses and teams, many pre-built solutions are available but often come with heavy costs or, in some cases, too many features that are simply not needed when working within a small team. This guide shows how to build a cost-effective helpdesk solution using Microsoft Power Automate.
The Challenge
Our previous solution was costing £5,000+ per year only to receive no more than 5 tickets on a busy day. The costs weren't justified, especially with stakeholders not finding the ticket submission very accessible, and the team not making use of the features provided.
System Components
Microsoft Forms
Used for ticket submission with no login required, leveraging existing stakeholder familiarity.
Excel
Handles record keeping and ticket tracking without complex database setup.
Shared Mailbox
Centralizes communication and allows team-wide access to ticket correspondence.
Microsoft Planner
Manages tasks and tracks progress with simple, intuitive interface.
Implementation and Workflow
1. Ticket Creation
- User submits a request through Microsoft Forms
- Power Automate triggers on form submission
- Generates a unique ticket number
- Creates entry in Excel for tracking (submission time, ticket number, submitter email, form details)
- Sends confirmation email to user with ticket details
- Copy arrives in the shared mailbox
2. Ticket Processing
- Creates a new task in Microsoft Planner
- Assigns to bucket relevant to ticket type based on form selection
- Includes form details and ticket number
- Generates checklist items based on ticket type
- Team members can assign themselves to tickets
3. Communication Flow
- All email responses are tracked in the shared mailbox
- Team members can update tickets directly in Planner using templated notes section
- Stakeholders can reply to the ticket email for updates
- Staff must manually add any notes to the planner task
4. Ticket Closure
- Team member marks task as complete in Planner
- Triggers Power Automate flow for closure
- Sends completion notification to stakeholder with feedback link
- Updates Excel with completion time and assigned staff members
- Includes resolution notes from task
Cost Analysis
- Previous Solution
- £5,000+/year
- Power Automate Solution
- £150/year
- Annual Savings
- £4,850+
Adapting the Workflow for Other Teams
- HR Team: Use Microsoft Forms for leave requests or onboarding checklists, Excel for tracking, and Planner for task assignments. Automate notifications to managers and HR staff.
- Facilities: Submit maintenance requests via Forms, log jobs in Excel, and assign tasks to maintenance staff in Planner. Track completion times and recurring issues.
- Marketing: Manage campaign requests or content approvals through Forms, track status in Excel, and use Planner for creative task management and deadlines.
- Finance: Expense claims or invoice approvals can be submitted, logged, and tracked in a similar workflow, with automated reminders for overdue actions.
- Customer Service: Handle customer queries or complaints, assign follow-ups, and track resolution metrics using the same system.
The modular nature of this workflow means it can be tailored to fit almost any team that needs to track requests, tasks, or approvals.
Unlocking Insights with Power BI
Because all ticket and workflow data is recorded in Excel, you can easily connect Power BI to your spreadsheet to create live dashboards. This enables you to:
- See how many tickets each team member completes
- Track average completion time for requests
- Identify departments or individuals who submit the most tickets
- Analyze types of requests and trends over time
Below is a mockup of the kind of dashboard you could build in Power BI using this system:
Conclusion
At a cost of £150 per year to run, this solution provides a cost-effective way of providing helpdesk support in a small business or team environment. Its modular design means it can be easily adapted for HR, Facilities, Marketing, Finance, Customer Service, and more—any team that needs to track requests, tasks, or approvals.
By recording all ticket and workflow data in Excel, you not only simplify operations but also unlock the ability to create live dashboards in Power BI. This gives you actionable insights into team performance, request trends, and stakeholder engagement—capabilities often reserved for much more expensive systems.
With a little customization, this system can empower any department to streamline their processes, save money, and make data-driven decisions.
Ready to Implement This Solution?
Want to save thousands on your helpdesk costs while maintaining efficient support operations? Let us help you set up and customize this system for your specific needs.
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