National Pharmacies is one of Australia's most trusted pharmacy networks. Every day it handles requests spanning dispensing queries, supplier issues and day-to-day store operations, keeping 65-plus locations running smoothly.
The team had one unusual trait for an operation this size. It had never used a helpdesk platform before.
Challenge
National Pharmacies built its support operations organically over the years. Requests moved through shared email inboxes, were tracked in spreadsheets, and followed up by phone between stores and the central team.
That worked at a smaller scale. Across 65-plus stores, it broke down. The team needed to:
- give stores a single, obvious place to send every request
- create one source of truth for ticket status and ownership
- gain visibility into recurring issues across locations
- free agents from tracking requests so they could spend that time resolving them
The hidden cost was time. Every hour an agent spent chasing a request through an inbox was an hour not spent fixing the problem behind it.
The engagement
The platform decision came first. The team evaluated Zendesk, Zoho and ServiceNow before choosing Freshdesk. The deciding factors, according to Nicole McLaren, Head of Support, were value for money and a platform that was not over-complicated.
The partner decision followed, and it arrived with unusual weight behind it. Freshworks itself recommended KlickFlow for the rollout. When a vendor points a customer to a partner, it is staking its own reputation on the outcome.
Success was defined in plain terms. A working platform across the full network, adopted by a team new to helpdesk software, delivered without disruption to daily store operations.
Rollout journey
KlickFlow's philosophy for the rollout fit the client's reason for choosing Freshdesk in the first place. Configure what the team needs, not what the platform has.
Phase 1: Listen and map. Over six weeks, we documented every inbox, spreadsheet and informal process across the network. No assumptions. The goal was to understand how support actually ran, not how anyone thought it ran.
Phase 2: Configure the essentials. Email-to-ticket conversion, automatic routing to the correct support department, pharmacy-specific categories for dispensing queries and supplier issues, basic SLAs and core reporting. Nothing more.
Phase 3: Collaborate on niche requirements. Pharmacy-specific needs were worked into Freshdesk's architecture with the team, not for them.
Complex automations and multi-channel integrations were held back on purpose, in favour of a clean, confident launch. A three-month review was built in from the start to identify what to activate next, based on how the team actually used the platform.
"We understood that for a team using a helpdesk platform for the first time, the worst thing we could do was switch everything on at once. Our job wasn't to show them every feature Freshdesk has. It was to set them up with exactly what they needed to succeed from day one."
KlickFlow Implementation Team
Results
The shared inboxes and spreadsheets are gone. Ticketing automation and reporting are broadly adopted across the National Pharmacies network, and the same support team runs the entire operation. No extra headcount was added.
- 65+ Stores supported on a single platform
- 6wks From kickoff to Phase 1 live
- 0 Extra headcount added to run it
- 20-50 Support agents onboarded
Every problem on the challenge list now has an answer. Tickets route automatically to the correct support department, improving resolution times. Every request is logged, assigned and visible, with manual tracking fully replaced. Store teams see the real-time status of their own tickets for the first time. And the central team has reporting and visibility it never had before.
National Pharmacies rates its likelihood to recommend the platform a perfect 10 out of 10.
"Freshworks suggested KlickFlow and it was obvious early on that they understood how a support operation runs. Our team had never used a helpdesk platform before. Instead of turning on every feature, they took the time to map how we work and set Freshdesk up around that. They gave us a plan, and what they delivered was the plan. Phase 1 was live in six weeks across 65 locations. They haven't walked away since either. When we need something changed, they sort it."
Nicole McLaren
Head of Support, National Pharmacies
Your service operation could be next
If your support still runs on shared inboxes and spreadsheets, National Pharmacies started in the same place. It starts with a 30-minute diagnostic. No pitch. No commitment.
KlickFlow is a Freshworks Premium Partner for Australia and New Zealand. Our partnership gives clients better commercial terms when Freshworks is the right choice. It does not change the recommendation when it is not.