[happyharry]

I have been searching this forum and I have yet to find exactly what I am after.
There are plenty of options to create a new topic via email, and reply to a post via email, basically conduct whole forum topics and replies through email, but what I want to do is the following.

I run an online business, we get support requests and product information requests at a huge rate, and I have long thought this would be good to get on a forum to help others who may have the same question.

Now, the problem is, getting the customers to actually post his/her question on a forum rather than dropping us an email.

Its much easier to simply email us.

What I would like to do is create a forum (I am thinking VB is best here) that allows me to post these emails as forum topics (allowing the customer a measure of privacy of course - ie not post his/her name as the username) at the same time emailing the customer the response, and when the customer emails me back, I get the email, as well as a reply on the forum topic.

The customer could also be encouraged to post there directly.

The workflow I envisage is as follows.

1. Customer sends me an email enquiry.
2. I decide that this would go good on my forum.
3. I respond to this customers enquiry adding either a special code in the subject, or bcc'ing a special forum related email etc or both (ie some method to make this post to the forum).
4. Customer receives an email response to his enquiry (normal procedure), in the response is also a link saying we have moved his enquiry to our support forum which has plenty of helpful people, and to simply respond via email or directly to the forum.
5. The special link will have to log him in as a new user somehow with a unique username (not "guest") to protect his privacy and allow him to post.

As I understand there are a few modules that do something close to this, but not quite. I am yet to decide which forum software to go to, what is the feasibility of having someone code this for me with a rough budget in doing so?

I emailed vb presales my enquiry saying I would happily pay for this to be coded as long as its feasible, and they said to come here as there are plenty of people to help. I think this would be a great way to kick of the forum, there are a few spam concerns etc but nothing that cannot be ironed out I am sure.

Thanks for any advice.

Here are the "almost" ones I have found.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=151222&highlight=email+post+topic &page=51

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...threadid=40595