Want to know the top five problems of the week to see if you are repeatedly responding to the same one? It's easy to get a graphical representation. Need to add a field for training issues? With the software, it's no problem to create new ones.

The software is HelpStar from Mississauga, Ontario-based Help Desk Technology International Corp. It generates reports that form many of the talking points for the credit union's Monday morning IT meetings.

The system is a boon for both IT managers and end users. For example, when a new branch is in the works (the credit union has 40), IT managers log onto the help desk system to see the schedule of all IT projects associated with the opening.

From the other side, "a loan officer might log on and report a problem with their budget program," says Davis. "The system automatically dispatches the request to the appropriate IT person via e-mail, and the loan officer receives an e-mail acknowledging the work and status."

There's an automatic workflow trail created to keep both the user and IT managers aware of the problem. As a result, everyone knows who is working on what, how many projects each staffer is handling and the general capacity of the help desk operation. More than 75% of the requests for help (there are more than 600 a month) now come via e-mail rather than phone.

The flexibility of help desk software is an asset to be exploited. The credit union's IT team of 22 uses HelpStar to help allocate resources and improve department-to-department communications.

Rethink what your help desk software can do, and you just might polish IT's positive profile. And that's far from boring.

Pimm Fox is a freelance writer in Santa Barbara, Calif. Contact him at pimmfox@pacbell.net.