How to Build an IT Request Form with Google Forms

Morgan Hopkins, Customer Success Manager

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

IT teams handle a constant stream of requests — new software access, hardware procurement, account provisioning, permission changes, and troubleshooting. Many teams manage these through email or chat, which leads to lost requests, unclear priorities, and no audit trail. Google Forms provides a structured, free way to capture IT requests, and with the right workflow on top, it becomes a lightweight IT service desk.

Designing the IT Request Form

A good IT request form captures the information your team needs to triage and fulfill the request without unnecessary back-and-forth. Here's a recommended structure:

Section 1: Requester Information

• Full name (short answer, required)
• Department (dropdown, required)
• Manager's email (short answer with email validation, required)

Section 2: Request Details

• Request type (dropdown: Software Access, Hardware Request, Account Setup, Permission Change, Bug Report, Other)
• Description of request (paragraph, required)
• Priority (dropdown: Low, Medium, High, Critical)
• Supporting documentation (file upload, optional)

Section 3: Software Access Requests (conditional)

Use Google Forms branching to show this section only when "Software Access" is selected:

• Application name (short answer)
• Access level needed (dropdown: Read-only, Standard, Admin)
• Business justification (paragraph)

Section 4: Hardware Requests (conditional)

Show this section only when "Hardware Request" is selected:

• Equipment type (dropdown: Laptop, Monitor, Keyboard/Mouse, Other)
• Specifications or model preference (short answer)
• Needed by date (date picker)

Building these sections manually can be tedious. The AI Form + Workflow Builder can generate a complete IT request form with all these fields in seconds — just describe your IT request process.

Why IT Requests Need Approval

Not every IT request should be fulfilled automatically. Software licenses cost money. Admin access has security implications. Hardware purchases need budget approval. A proper IT request workflow includes a management approval step before the IT team begins work.

Without approval routing, IT teams end up in an awkward position — either they fulfill every request (risking overspend and security issues) or they informally check with managers via email or chat (creating delays and no audit trail).

Adding Manager Approval with Form Approvals

The Form Approvals add-on adds a clean approval step between the request submission and IT fulfillment:

1. Install the Form Approvals add-on
2. Open the add-on and add the "Manager's email" field as a dynamic recipient
3. Optionally add the IT team lead as a second approver for multi-step approval — manager approves the business need, IT confirms feasibility
4. Click Save — the workflow is live

The Workflow in Action

1. An employee submits an IT request (e.g., "Need admin access to Salesforce for the new marketing campaign")
2. Their manager receives an email with the full request details and Approve/Reject buttons
3. If approved, the IT team is notified and can begin fulfillment
4. The employee receives a notification confirming the approval
5. Everything is logged in the linked Google Sheet for audit purposes

Using the Google Sheet as Your IT Request Log

The linked Google Sheet becomes your IT request tracker. Each row is a request, and Form Approvals automatically adds columns for approval status, approver, timestamp, and comments. You can:

• Filter by status to see pending requests
• Sort by priority to tackle critical items first
• Use conditional formatting to highlight overdue requests
• Create pivot tables or array formulas to report on request volumes by type, department, or month

Why Not Use a Full IT Service Desk Tool?

Tools like ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, and Freshservice are powerful, but they come with significant cost and complexity:

• Cost: $20-100+ per agent per month (based on published pricing as of March 2026), plus implementation fees
• Setup time: Weeks or months to configure, customize, and train staff
• Adoption challenge: Staff need to learn a new platform for submitting requests

For many organizations — especially those under 500 employees — Google Forms + Form Approvals provides 80% of the value at a fraction of the cost. Your staff already know how to fill out a Google Form. The learning curve is effectively zero.

Get Started

Build your IT request workflow in minutes. Free to start with 20 responses per month, no credit card required. View pricing or get started today.