The art and science of solution delivery: how a Zendesk Premier Partner delivered for Storio.

Consolidating customer support for the European leader in photo products. Three brands, fourteen languages, one platform, with the foundation for compounding improvement after launch.

  • 3 brands consolidated (Storio, Hofmann, PosterXXL)
  • 14 languages of cross-territory support
  • 2 → 1 support platforms consolidated
The challenge

Three brands. Two platforms. One ethos of delight.

Customer experience is now a vital part of any brand's marketing strategy. Customer support technology has been elevated to a position of paramount importance. Every interaction must be fast, convenient, consistent and personalised. But customer support teams and internal IT functions can struggle with the challenge of building and customising the software to deliver against those expectations.

And why should they? They are not certified Zendesk experts. Stakeholders are already stretched. It's often difficult to be objective when you're inside looking out. Particularly when customer support, digital, e-commerce, IT, and finance all have conflicting priorities about the path to follow.

For Storio, the European leader in photo products, that complexity was real. The company prides itself on an ethos that "every part of the experience, from website to factory to front door, is designed to delight." That standard needed to extend to customer support. But the existing setup didn't help: three brands (Storio, Hofmann, PosterXXL) lived on two separate support platforms, across fourteen languages. Unlocking the full value of Zendesk's tools and features wasn't a matter of opening the can and pouring it into the business. Storio needed a Zendesk Premier Partner who would walk in the shoes of the end customer, review existing technologies, and deliver an end-to-end solution.

Our approach

SORT in motion: scan, optimise, realise, train.

  1. 01

    Scan

    A workshop process to understand Storio's vision and achieve full visibility of inbound customer journeys, workflow management, and outcomes. We reviewed the effectiveness of the existing technology stack and assessed the customer, operational, and financial benefits of consolidating onto a single platform.

  2. 02

    Optimise

    We mapped Zendesk's features and apps against Storio's requirements, identifying fundamental operational issues that had been holding back the support function. That meant abandoning old ways of working and replacing those functions with the right Zendesk features and tools. Captured in a detailed requirement document.

  3. 03

    Realise

    We consolidated all support from two platforms onto a single platform, then merged all three brands (Storio, Hofmann and PosterXXL) onto that platform with cross territory support in fourteen languages. Brands and channels became easier to identify, track, and resource. Onboarding new customer facing employees became simpler with one easy to operate interface.

  4. 04

    Train

    Beyond launch, a Continuous Improvement programme that runs as an extension of Storio's team. Placing the customer at the heart of ongoing enhancements as Zendesk releases new features. Roadmap channels including AnswerBot and conversational support are scoped and queued.

Outcomes

A consolidation that pays compound interest.

  • Three brands Storio, Hofmann, PosterXXL consolidated onto a single Zendesk platform.
  • Cross territory support delivered in fourteen languages, on one interface.
  • Brand and channel resourcing now trackable in a single view. Assignment, reporting, escalation all simplified.
  • Simpler onboarding for new customer facing employees. One tool to learn, not two.
  • Roadmap for AnswerBot and conversational channels unlocked on a platform that's ready for them.

"We set out on this implementation to find a long term partner rather than a team to merely implement Zendesk in our business. Having worked with the team closely, I really feel we have found just that. The implementation went smoothly and was the most straightforward I have ever delivered, with the team's attention to detail and confidence in challenging us on what we really wanted."

Wayne Grimshawe Director of Customer Service, Storio
What's next

From migration to compounding improvement.

Storio's roadmap is already navigated for the channels coming next. AnswerBot and other conversational channels as part of a broader CX strategy. Due to the intuitive nature of Zendesk, its machine learning, and its content capabilities, we were able to build out not just a solution that met the immediate challenge of consolidation, but a customer centric programme of Continuous Improvement that keeps the platform evolving alongside Storio's business.

"It was refreshing to have somebody who wanted to be a partner. They are an extension of our team. Bear in mind, it's three markets, fourteen languages, that's the complication of this project. But they coordinated everything and kept us on time." Jon Harper, Storio

If your stack is Zendesk Suite, AI agents, WFM, or something else entirely, we'd love to explore what's possible with you.

  • e-commerce
  • consumer
  • consolidation
  • multi-brand
  • multi-language
  • migration