Zammad Simplifies the Cooperation Enormously!

How does a theater end up with Zammad?

The Junges Theater Bonn has been in existence for over 50 years and has since made a name for itself with its productions, which appeal primarily to children and young people. Even in the Corona year 2020, the theater came up with quite a few things to continue to be there for its audience: in addition to open-air events in the Cultural Garden and performances on the pandemic-compliant car concert stage, the performances that are broadcast online are also very popular.

But the year brought more news for the team - namely the introduction of a ticketing system. Previously, all inquiries had been answered via email. Even though the volume of inquiries is manageable at around 10 messages per day (about double that in pandemic-free times), the joint work of several employees via the same mailbox presents some challenges. For example, duplicate processing regularly occurred, surprising the recipient and costing the team unnecessary time.

To counteract this, Deputy Director Claudius Bruns finally proposed a better solution: a ticketing system. "The initial reaction was guarded," he recalls. "I had to do some convincing and clear away a few objections. But in the end, it was worth it."

How did the decision to go with Zammad come about?

Everyone knows ticketing systems from their personal lives," Bruns recounts. "Whenever you send an email somewhere, you get a reply from such a system these days. So we knew we wanted something like that. The only question was which one would fit us best.

During this phase, the theater looked at different providers such as Freshdesk, Zendesk, and MessengerPeople. The price was one factor, but above all the system had to be intuitive and easy to understand. In the end, Zammad was the best choice.

"Zammad offers the best usability - and is also the most affordable solution!"

So the first steps towards migration began in the summer of 2020.

How did the switch go?

The switch was gradual. "At first, we used both systems at the same time, so both Zammad and our inbox," Bruns recalls. "In the early days, I was the only one who used the ticketing system to see how it worked. Then, in the fall, we fully integrated our inbox with Zammad. Since then, everything is handled in the helpdesk."

When asked how his colleagues got used to Zammad, Bruns has nothing but positive things to say: "It wasn't a big change for them. It's like an email program, only clearer. Everyone got to grips with it quickly and even the doubters were convinced after a short time."

What is the conclusion?

In summary, we're seeing a lot of benefits from the changeover," says Bruns. "We now have better visibility and more insights into performance indicators like response time. This also allows our management to keep an eye on how the team is doing more easily.

He also reports that processing has become faster thanks to the internal notes within the tickets, and communication within the team has also improved since there is a digital alternative to the previous paperwork.

What's next?

After the theater added two more agent accesses in early 2021, the question is whether more email addresses should be connected to Zammad. "That being said, we would certainly benefit from tying in our social media channels as well, so everything is really in one place. But we're taking it all one step at a time."
And why not? After all, these times are turbulent enough, especially for the theater industry!