At Schneider Pen, quality, innovation and “Made in Germany” aren’t just hallmarks of its products—they extend to the company’s approach to IT as well. But as demands grew, their legacy ticketing system could no longer keep pace. We spoke with System Administrator Michael Brandt about how Schneider took a bold step forward, modernizing its IT support from the ground up with Zammad.
We see Zammad as a dynamic system that grows with us. Its flexibility allows us to meet a wide variety of needs—which is exactly what makes it a future-proof solution for our team.
Until early 2024, Schneider Pen’s IT team relied on a self-hosted instance of OTRS. But the system's limitations became increasingly apparent: an outdated user interface, no self-service options, time-consuming manual administration, and growing frustration among employees.
“It became clear that our old solution could no longer keep up—neither technically nor organizationally,” recalls Michael Brandt. “We knew we needed a true fresh start.”
When searching for a new helpdesk solution, Michael Brandt had a clear set of criteria: the software needed to be easy to use for both the IT support team and internal users alike. “It was important to us that the system wasn’t overloaded with features we’d never use but would still have to pay for,” he explains. Seamless integration into the existing IT infrastructure was equally essential.
“The fact that Zammad is a solution made in Germany—and takes topics like GDPR compliance and ISO certifications seriously—made a very strong impression on us. It just aligns with our mindset.”
With a move to the cloud on the horizon, the issue of security became even more critical: “The system handles sensitive internal data that needs to be well protected.” As a family-owned German company, Schneider Pen wanted a partner that shared their values and upheld the highest standards of data protection.
A key part of the project was the smooth migration from the legacy helpdesk system to Zammad, including the complete transfer of all tickets and historical data. For Schneider Pen’s support team, this internal knowledge base was indispensable: “Over the years, many colleagues had carefully documented how specific issues were resolved. We couldn’t afford to lose that expertise.”
“The admin workshop was a huge help. We were able to fully set up Zammad in just one day and were perfectly prepared for go-live. The support we received was outstanding.”
To ensure a smooth transition, the IT team had booked an admin workshop in advance. Thanks to close collaboration with the Zammad team, the migration was completed quickly and without any downtime. All existing data was transferred successfully. Michael Brandt particularly appreciated the hands-on support: “Martin Edenhofer guided us through the entire process with real dedication. He truly went above and beyond.”
With the introduction of Zammad, Schneider Pen didn’t just replace a ticketing system—it completely restructured its internal IT support.
“Instead of constantly shifting responsibilities in first-level support, we now have two dedicated points of contact. That allows the rest of the team to fully focus on second-level issues,” explains Michael Brandt. This clear role distribution was made possible with Zammad’s customizable views, flexible assignment rules, and transparent ticket history.
“Custom workflows are surprisingly easy to implement in Zammad.”
Another milestone was the introduction of formal Service Level Agreements (SLAs), which are now precisely defined within the system. “We’ve set a one-day response time for first-level support, and up to 80 hours for second-level,” says Brandt. “That creates clear expectations, reduces pressure, and brings more predictability for everyone involved."
The integrated self-service portal is also highly valued—it empowers employees to find solutions on their own. Thanks to the built-in knowledge base, many common issues can be resolved without even needing to contact support.
Today, Zammad is used well beyond IT support at Schneider Pen. The quality assurance team, for example, now uses the system to manage tasks like master data changes—another testament to how flexibly Zammad fits into everyday operations.
Around 200 employees at Schneider Pen use Zammad to submit IT requests. On average, the support team handles and resolves about 20 tickets each day. One of their proudest achievements: a current first-contact resolution rate of 50%—and it’s steadily rising.
“With Zammad and our newly structured support team, we’ve significantly improved both the quality and speed of our ticket handling.”
This success is also reflected in their response and resolution times. “When a ticket comes in, our support agents usually respond within just a few minutes. That builds trust and has clearly boosted employee satisfaction,” says Michael Brandt. On average, tickets are resolved in about 1.5 hours.
Even though only a few automations are currently in use, they’re already making a noticeable impact: SLA times are automatically assigned based on ticket type, and less urgent requests are moved to a “long-run queue” that auto-closes after 100 days if there’s no user response.
“We’re continuously evolving our processes,” Brandt adds. “When a new need arises from within the team, we bring it to the table and figure out together how we can implement it in Zammad.”
Switching to Zammad’s cloud-based SaaS offering brought the support team at Schneider Pen clear and immediate advantages. “Cloud availability was a key factor for us—especially to ensure our employees can access the system anytime, even when working from home,” says Michael Brandt. At the same time, the move has significantly reduced the workload for the internal IT department: maintenance, updates, and system management are all handled entirely by Zammad.
“We don’t have to worry about a thing. Updates run automatically, and support is readily available when needed. It saves us a huge amount of time and cuts down our technical overhead.”
Michael Brandt shares a real-world example to highlight just how well the setup works: “We once ran into an issue, and Zammad’s support team responded within minutes. We worked through the problem step by step together, and everything was resolved in just two hours. That experience really proved to us how reliable their support is.”
Security is another area where the company feels well supported: “The system is stable, and as a German family-owned business, data protection is extremely important to us. With Zammad as a German provider and full GDPR compliance, we know our data is in safe hands—it’s simply a great fit.”
The IT team at Schneider Pen is committed to continuing its journey with Zammad. “We’re always working to improve our internal processes—and often it’s the small adjustments that have the biggest impact,” says Michael Brandt.
One concrete next step is already in the pipeline: integrating Zammad with Microsoft Teams. The goal is to create even tighter alignment with the company’s existing IT landscape. “Since we rely heavily on Teams for internal communication, connecting the two platforms would be a real game-changer for us,” Brandt explains.
Ongoing development instead of standing still—this mindset is deeply rooted in the company’s culture.
