Brewing HR Central: JDE Peet’s recipe for a better employee experience with Zendesk
Live siteChallenge: Limited self-service and transparency with no automations
At JDE Peet’s, HR worked hard to support their growing international business integration. The world’s leading pure‑play coffee and tea company serves roughly 4,400 cups a second, so fast and reliable service is in the company’s DNA. Needless to say, it was important that HR services continued developing in line with the organization’s standards.
The existing HR knowledge base & ticketing solution setup had done a good job, but had their limits:
- It was customized, costly to maintain, and some processes were slower than ideal.
- Routine requests often needed manual steps and handoffs, creating delays and extra work.
- Employees didn’t always have one clear place for up‑to‑date answers or to check requests.
- Reporting and SLA tracking didn’t provide the clear insight that leaders wanted.
The aim was to bring HR closer to the rest of the business with available information, easy self-service, more automated processes and transparency on the requests.
Solution and project delivery: A fresh blend with Vaimo and Zendesk
Vaimo stepped in to build a simpler, central HR experience. This resulted in the development of HR Central on Zendesk: a knowledge bank with promoted articles and AI-powered search, side conversations, macros, triggers, automated workflows, link-followers on tickets and built-in feedback.
JDE Peet’s chose Vaimo for its extensive integration experience, proven best-practice methods, ability to deliver solutions quickly, flexibility for customizations, and ongoing post-launch support. Vaimo selected Zendesk for its intelligent search, intuitive design, and scalability.
The project ran in clear phases:
- Phase 1: Align internal stakeholders and set up the knowledge bank
- Phase 2: Design the frontend and configure all process flows
- Phase 3: Train agents, backend and go-live
Key outcomes for JDE Peet's
50% of requests are now resolved by self-service
90% of tickets are automatically generated
80% of employee ratings are “good”
Results: Faster resolutions, happier employees, smarter data
HR Central quickly became JDE Peet’s single place for HR questions and requests. Around 50% of requests are now resolved by self-service, 90% of tickets are automatically generated, and roughly 80% of employee ratings are “good.”
Weekly SLA tracking gives leaders clear visibility, and manual ticket volume has fallen. HR agents now spend more time on complex requests instead of repetitive tasks. Furthermore, the knowledge bank makes guidance consistent and easier to update across countries.
Key takeaways
- A focused rollout can cut manual effort, improve employee experience and provide the data needed to steer operations.
- The streamlined communication between teams illustrated the impact of collaboration on project results.
- A simple, straightforward design and a clear plan of action where you don’t get lost in the possibilities works best.
JDE Peet’s sees HR Central as a foundation to build on. Plans include adding more workflows and automations, and continuous improvement of the knowledge base and reporting. They are also looking to expand the solution in the Nordics and Belgium.
Ready to provide a better employee experience like JDE Peet’s?
Contact Per Ekvall to learn how Zendesk can help you streamline HR questions and requests.
