A shared mailbox in Microsoft 365
A mailbox several people can read and send from. Simple and often already in place; ticket owners, statuses and help articles are not what it is built for.
Centilio CareSafe bloom
CENTILIO CARE / SERVE
Looking at Microsoft help desk software? Here is where Care fits.
When people search for Microsoft help desk software, they usually mean one of three things: a shared mailbox in Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, or System Center Service Manager for IT. Care is designed, not built, for the small business that has outgrown the shared mailbox and does not want a larger business suite to answer its customers.
not shipped · wave 3facts as of research in 2026three Microsoft routesno prices quoted
Product design preview · Care has not shipped. All features, screens and prices are proposals.
Care has not shipped yet.
Where Care stands
Care is designed, not shipped.
Everything on this comparison — the features, the screens, the prices — describes Centilio Care as designed. There is no app and no beta yet, and no launch date. Join the waitlist and you will hear first.
What people mean
Three Microsoft routes to a help desk.
Microsoft Service Manager help desk software, a customer service suite, or the shared mailbox already in Outlook: the search covers all three.
Dynamics 365 Customer Service
Microsoft’s customer service application in the Dynamics 365 suite, licensed per user as of research in 2026.
System Center Service Manager
IT service management in Microsoft’s System Center family, run on your own servers, for organisations handling their own staff’s IT requests.
Side by side
Centilio Care and the Microsoft options, side by side.
Stage, purpose and pricing model, as of research in 2026. Check Microsoft’s own pages for today’s plans and prices; we do not quote them.
| Centilio Care | Shared mailbox | Dynamics 365 Customer Service | System Center Service Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage | Designed, not shipped · wave 3 | Available | Available | Available |
| Built for | Customer questions in small businesses | Shared email | Customer service teams in the Dynamics 365 suite | IT service management on your own servers |
| Customer record | Shared with Centilio Relate in the same login | Contacts in Outlook | Part of Dynamics 365 | Staff and assets in System Center |
| Pricing model | Per business, proposed; every team member included | Part of Microsoft 365 email | Per user | Licensed as part of System Center |
Choosing
Where each one fits.
Stay on the shared mailbox if
Two people answer, questions are few, and everyone can see who replied.
Choose Dynamics 365 Customer Service if
Your business already runs on Dynamics 365 and you want customer service in the same suite.
Choose Service Manager if
You run IT for your own staff on your own servers and need IT service management processes.
Choose Centilio Care if
You can wait for it, you have outgrown a shared mailbox, and you want a help desk, customer record and chat in one login at one price for the business.
Switching path
Switching later, without a bad week.
Most moves from Microsoft are moves from a shared mailbox; the address stays the same.
- Move the replies you send most into help articles, and export your contacts as CSV
- Import them into Care — planned for launch, with the exact steps published first
- Point a second address at Care and run both for two weeks
- Move your main support address when the team trusts the new queue
- Keep the old tool read-only until its subscription ends
Questions
About Microsoft and Care.
Does Microsoft have its own help desk?
Microsoft sells Dynamics 365 Customer Service for customer service teams and System Center Service Manager for IT service management, and Microsoft 365 includes shared mailboxes that many small teams use first. Which one people mean depends on whether they are answering customers or staff.
Is Care an alternative to a shared mailbox in Outlook?
Yes, that is the step it is designed for: owners, statuses, customer history and a knowledge base on top of the same support address. Your customers keep writing to the same address.
How is Dynamics 365 Customer Service priced?
As of research in 2026, Microsoft lists its Customer Service plans per user per month. Check Microsoft’s own pricing page for current plans and figures.
Does Care replace System Center Service Manager?
No. Service Manager is IT service management for organisations running their own servers; Care is designed for customer questions first. An internal IT inbox works in Care, but it is not an IT service management tool.
Does Care work with Microsoft 365 email?
Care is designed to take mail from your support address on your own domain, whichever provider hosts it. The exact setup steps for each provider will be published before launch.
When can I try Care?
Not yet. Care is in the third wave of Centilio tools and has no launch date. The waitlist hears first.
Be told when Care opens.
Care is in the third wave of Centilio tools. Join the waitlist and you will hear first — with the final plans, the import steps for your current help desk and an honest list of what is in the first release.