As Animates grew to 47 retail stores and 15 veterinary clinics across New Zealand, its small internal IT team needed a way to support a large, fast‑moving workforce without expanding headcount. CodeBlue became a strategic partner, providing nationwide IT service desk capability, documentation improvements and operational oversight to ensure Animates could continue to scale.
Challenge
With rapid expansion, Animates’ eight‑person IT team was responsible for supporting more than 60 locations. Stores and vet clinics had high device‑sharing environments, leading to frequent login, access and systems issues. The pace of platform and process change meant staff often needed additional support, which created increasing pressure on the internal team.
Animates needed a reliable, well‑documented and responsive support model that would:
- Reduce the operational load on its internal IT team
- Provide consistent support to staff across stores and vet clinics
- Improve ticket triage, knowledge management and issue resolution
- Support major systems transitions, including a move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Solution
CodeBlue partnered with Animates to deliver a comprehensive service desk and support framework that improved stability, responsiveness and scalability across the organisation.
Service desk and site support
CodeBlue manages first‑line support for all Animates stores and veterinary clinics. When staff log a ticket, CodeBlue triages, resolves or escalates issues as needed. This ensures that internal IT resources remain focused on delivering strategic platforms and improvements.
Key outcomes:
- Streamlined triage and resolution of common staff issues
- Reduced internal workload due to fewer escalations
- A support structure capable of keeping pace with Animates’ rapid change programme
Documentation and knowledge base improvement
Together with Animates, CodeBlue undertook a months‑long Service Improvement Plan to overhaul documentation and knowledge articles. The resulting knowledge base now enables faster issue resolution and reduces dependency on escalations to the internal IT team.
Support for major systems transitions
During Animates’ migration from a legacy CRM to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, CodeBlue provided support to the internal IT team, ensuring continuity for store and clinic staff throughout the transition.
Results
- Improved first‑line resolution rates through enhanced documentation
- Reduced escalation volume, saving the internal team significant time
- A dependable nationwide support model capable of managing 62+ sites
- Greater operational efficiency, enabling the IT team to focus on delivering new platforms and optimisation initiatives
