Zhero: Delivering fast, exceptional service to IT clients using Zoho Creator

About the company

Zhero was founded in 2006 by Izak Oosthuizen, a best-selling author and 2022 nominee for the UK Tech Top50. Embarking on his career as a senior engineer at a leading IT support services provider in London, Izak saw a disconnect between organisations and the role and function of IT. "They weren't speaking the same language. Neither party was being listened to or heard," Izak explained. The budding entrepreneur resolved to "stop the vicious cycle of chaotic IT" and established Zhero, a Managed Service Provider (MSP) dedicated to delivering fast and reliable IT support to businesses. Based in London with offshore offices in South Africa and Zimbabwe, Zhero is in the top 3% of IT service providers in the UK and enjoys an impressive 87% client retention rate.

The Challenge

In 2017, Izak and his team sought a software solution that would mould perfectly to the MSP and Service Desk business model. But after evaluating a number of CRMs and helpdesk platforms, he was left feeling frustrated that nothing ticked all the boxes. He knew that only a bespoke solution could bring together Zhero’s extensive needs in a single space.

The application would need to include a powerful CRM, a ticket management platform, CPQ software, Knowledge Base and an HR planner, all rolled into one solution. "We were trying to solve some pretty niche things. There's no off-the-shelf software that does all this so we needed to use Creator", explained Wesley Harris, Head of Development at Zhero.

The Solution: Zoho Creator

Zhero's Development team built and deployed the aptly named "Zhero Wait" application inside Zoho Creator's low-code platform. The application seamlessly connects each department of the business, from Sales to Support, Orders, Finance and Projects. It seamlessly stores every detail of a client's contact information and IT infrastructure, manages any support tickets they raise, generates engineer visit instructions and raises accurate quotes and invoices. Since implementing Zoho Creator, Zhero reports improved customer communication and trust, faster ticket closure times, greater compliance and simplified quote generation.

The "Zhero Wait" application has also streamlined HR functions within the business. Its centralised absence and holiday log allow the team to distribute its resources effectively and ensure no interruptions in client service. Meanwhile, its extensive Knowledge Base module helps Zhero protect its intellectual property as the company continues to grow.

Key Highlights:

• The white-labelled "Zhero Wait" application exactly mirrors Zhero's operational processes and is readily adaptable as the business grows.
• Zhero's Sales team can produce complex, accurate quotes in under an hour using Creator's templating functionality. This process typically used to take half a day using Zhero's old quoting software.
• Creator's reporting feature prevents support tickets from falling outside of the guaranteed response time, maintaining high customer satisfaction ratings.
• Zhero engineers receive real-time instructions and notifications for onsite visits, with detailed checklists of the work required.
• Automated surveys are sent to clients upon the completion of a job, promoting high performance standards and engineer accountability.
• An extensive Knowledge Base documents each client's bespoke IT infrastructure so the team can make rapid assessments for every ticket raised.
• This Knowledge Base also protects the company's IP against employee attrition.
• "Zhero Wait" incorporates CRM modules to capture a huge database of clients, primary contacts and locations. It also records the IT assets at each location, licencing information and software details.
• Deliveries of hardware have been streamlined through automated label printing and order processing functionality, making Zhero's confusing Excel files redundant.
• The application's HR module records daily absences across the business for effective resource planning.

Future Plans:

Zhero's visionary team, led by Izak, has its sights set on building a recurring billing functionality and job-type client portal inside "Zhero Wait", whilst adding analytics functionality and a payroll integration. The final goal for the team is to have no random processes and eliminate disconnected documents and spreadsheets. The application ultimately promises to be a one-stop shop for IT support success, so watch this space!