RapidG saves over AU$35k annually with a fully integrated CX platform

Australian company RapidG specializes in supplying domestic, commercial, and eco-friendly cleaning supplies, along with quality cooking and safety equipment to a variety of industries. To stay in touch with its customers, the company relied on traditional channels like emails, phone systems, and a website. These systems served the company well in its early days, but RapidG has outgrown it since. “We had this plan in early 2020 to revolutionize the company,” shares Brendan Cappello, managing director at RapidG. “We wanted to put together a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and an updated website. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and we had to just focus on servicing our customers.”

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, RapidG still tried to transform its customer service for the better. It tried HubSpot and HubSpot Service Hub as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool and customer service ticketing system, respectively. RapidG also thought that it could utilize HubSpot for marketing, but the adoption never took off. For Cappello, Service Hub lacked key integrations; HubSpot’s ticketing solution could not be connected to RapidG’s telephony and email systems. Employees had to manually key in tickets after taking a call or responding to an email query, which hindered the company’s future plans of working within a synergetic, interconnected platform. “There was no sense of data, wait times, or missed calls, and everything was done via email and sticky notes,” Cappello recalls.

Embracing a new system—and a novel way of working

After evaluating more customer service platforms, RapidG decided to implement Zendesk Suite Professional. Cappello started by using Zendesk himself for two to three weeks to test it out. Once he was confident, the company-wide changeover began. “For the first month, we ran small group training sessions, and people wrote down any problems they encountered,” recalls Cappello. “We started to use Zendesk from day one, but it took about a month for everyone in the company to feel comfortable with the platform.”

Eventually, though, employees started realizing how much the solution could do. Cappello describes, “The layout was incredible, and we had custom forms, macros, and special rules with notifications set up. Staff engagement has gone from 7 percent on our previous platform to 100 percent with Zendesk.” Aside from customer service, RapidG uses Zendesk for sourcing projects, building tickets, and assigning sub-tickets to different team members.

Zendesk has become a vital tool for RapidG, streamlining functions and benefiting various departments within the company. Cappello explains, “All our data is being migrated into a central platform—that means every inquiry, situation, or complaint from a customer can be resolved quickly because all the data, phone calls, emails, tickets, and chats are coming back into Zendesk.”

Changes that brought tangible results

Thanks to Zendesk’s integration with RapidG’s inventory system, its purchasing and procurement department now saves 15 hours a month on warehousing. Managing supplier issues and handling damages has also become a smoother procedure. “With nearly 4,000 product lines and shipping to 3,000 sites per month, there can be issues with stock, “ adds Cappello. “That’s why we use Zendesk to create forms for reporting damages, providing evidence, and sharing photos. Thanks to a more streamlined process, we have gone from claiming about AU$ 400 in damaged goods per month to AU$ 2,000 per month, without a change in sales. This has really helped reduce losses.”

In addition, RapidG has saved significant time and resources in other areas. For onboarding, team member inductions for new staff have been reduced by 160 hours, which translates to AU$ 36,000 per year. In customer service, Cappello highlights that call-waiting duration has decreased by 14 percent while email orders are now processed three times faster. He says, “Things are more efficient now, and that’s enabled us to drop our customer response time by 90 percent.”

Beyond these tangible improvements, RapidG has noticed a more organized approach to handling key accounts, with Cappello observing that “macros and universal responses” have resulted in customers following procedures better. “For the first time, we have a consistent offering,” he shares. “It’s well structured and professional. We feel like a new company because of the standard responses and adoption of systems across the board.”

Transformative change that enabled growth

RapidG’s employees see the value in Zendesk, and Cappello confidently states, “The feedback has been 100 percent positive lately. Everyone can see the value in Zendesk, and it’s making their lives easier.”

The biggest game-changer for RapidG is its ability to scale. “Our growth has been small, but going from three employees to 15 seemed like a massive task,” notes Cappello. “Before, we were struggling with such a small company and workforce. But after bringing on Zendesk, we realized we could scale, and now we can say with confidence that this is the way forward to growth.” With Zendesk, RapidG has found a reliable and transformative solution that continues to drive the company towards a brighter future.

A proven blueprint for future improvement

Cappello acknowledges that while they have come a long way with Zendesk, they still have plans for further improvement. And looking to the future, Cappello is confident that Zendesk’s ability to stay at the forefront of innovation will propel RapidG towards greater heights. “Going with someone like Zendesk, who is at the top of the market in customer service, gives us confidence knowing that the latest developments are coming.” RapidG’s next phase will focus on leveraging reporting, automation workflows, and artificial intelligence (AI) advancements to further streamline processes and foster stronger customer relationships.

Cappello envisions a future where new staff members can onboard even faster using Zendesk’s tools and capabilities. Reflecting on the company’s transformation, he asserts, “Switching to Zendesk was the greatest change we made at a pivotal moment in our company’s history.” The level of integration and engagement provided by Zendesk has proven to be a vital asset for RapidG, setting the stage for ongoing growth and success.