Facility teams are the unsung heroes of smooth operations—yet their request systems are often anything but smooth. Relying on spreadsheets, shared inboxes, or hallway conversations to manage urgent repairs, maintenance issues, and workspace changes leads to missed requests, accountability gaps, and SLA failures.
A facility management help desk solves this by turning disorganized requests into structured, trackable workflows. It’s not just about fielding tickets—it’s about enabling better service delivery, improving communication, and creating the visibility teams need to operate efficiently.
Why a Proper Facility Management Help Desk Matters
The Upside of Getting It Right
- Centralized tracking for all facility-related tickets
- Faster resolution times, especially for urgent requests
- SLA adherence through clear prioritization and workflow routing
- Operational data for better planning and budgeting
- More trust and transparency with employees and internal stakeholders
The Risks of Doing It Wrong (or Not At All)
- Missed or duplicated requests due to fragmented communication
- No visibility into technician workload or issue resolution timelines
- Recurring problems that go undocumented and unresolved
- SLA breaches that impact productivity, safety, or compliance
The Common Workarounds That Fail to Scale
- Shared inboxes → No way to prioritize, categorize, or track performance
- Manual spreadsheets → Error-prone and hard to maintain at scale
- Verbal/walk-up requests → Zero accountability or tracking
- Generic IT service desks → Lack the facility-specific categorization and workflows needed
These methods not only slow down resolution times—they also make it nearly impossible to hold anyone accountable or measure how your team is performing.
7 Steps to Build a Facility Management Help Desk That Works
1. Define the Scope of Service
Decide which types of requests your help desk will support—general maintenance, custodial, security, workspace changes, etc.
2. Identify Your Request Channels
Where will users submit tickets? Look for systems that support common communication apps like Microsoft Teams, email, SharePoint, or Microsoft Forms.
3. Set Up a Ticketing System
Choose a facility management software solution that centralizes all requests, assigns tickets, and tracks resolution timelines.
4. Build Custom Workflows
Standardize how requests are routed, escalated, or closed, ensuring consistency and reducing delays.
5. Assign Roles and Ownership
Define who triages requests, who executes them, and who ensures SLAs are being met.
6. Establish SLA Benchmarks
Set time-based goals for different request types based on urgency, safety, and business impact.
7. Enable Real-Time Reporting
Track open vs. closed tickets, average resolved times per a given ticket type, and SLA performance through dashboards.
Choosing the Right Facility Management Software
A solid facility management help desk is only as good as the platform it runs on. Choosing the right software sets the tone for adoption, scalability, and service delivery.
What to Look For:
- The right integrations for ease of access and collaboration: If your company already uses Microsoft 365, implementing a service desk solution that leverages Microsoft Teams allows your team to provide support where they already work.
- Whether mobile or desktop, Tikit goes where Teams goes for on-the-go convenience
- Built-in SLA tracking and analytics dashboards
- Workflow automation to eliminate repetitive tasks
- Multi-department support for scalability beyond facilities
How Your Choice Impacts Key Players:
- Facilities Coordinators get fewer emails and more structured input
- Technicians see clearer assignments and better time management
- Managers gain visibility into SLA performance and recurring issues
- Requesters benefit from faster service and status transparency
Implementation Challenges (and How to Overcome Them)
Workflow Configuration Can Be Complex
Mapping every request type, escalation path, and approver chain takes time—but it’s worth doing right.
Staff Training Needs to Be Consistent
Especially in multi-site operations, training technicians, custodial staff, and coordinators can be a hurdle if the platform isn’t intuitive.
Driving User Adoption
If users find it easier to email or call someone directly, they will. The help desk must be faster and simpler to use than the old method.
Avoiding “Shadow Systems”
Once your new help desk is live, reinforce that it’s the only way to request work—otherwise, you’ll still be tracking things in three places.
How Tikit Helps Facilities Teams Launch a Better Help Desk—Fast
For facilities teams already using Microsoft Teams, Tikit greatly reduces the learning curve. Requests are submitted in the same app employees already use every day, with no new software to learn or logins to manage.
Why Facilities Managers Are Choosing Tikit:
- Native to Microsoft Teams – No context switching, no confusion
- Fast Setup, Free Setup – Launch quickly without needing IT lift
- Smart Categorization & Routing – Auto-assigns based on ticket type, location, or urgency
- SLA & Reporting Built In – Dashboards make it easy to show value and performance
- Expandable Across Departments – Use Tikit for Facilities, IT, HR, and more
Whether you’re upgrading from spreadsheets or replacing a clunky legacy system, Tikit gives facilities teams the tools they need to scale service delivery, drive accountability, and meet SLA expectations—without added complexity.
Don’t Wait to Fix What’s Broken
The longer a facility team operates without a structured help desk, the harder it becomes to meet service expectations and resolve requests efficiently. Whether your team supports a single building or multiple campuses, implementing a true facility management help desk is one of the most impactful upgrades you can make.
Want to see how Tikit is simplifying help desk delivery for facilities teams using Microsoft Teams?
