Cases

How Zendesk AI Features Transformed Customer Service for a Leading French Hypermarket Chain

Written by Yannick van den Bergen | Dec 27, 2025 11:31:47 AM

Modern retailers must be able to deliver fast, personalised, and omnichannel customer service. For one of France’s largest hypermarket chains, implementing advanced Zendesk AI features, with expert support from Premium Plus, became the turning point for exceeding customer expectations and empowering agents.

If you’re searching for a proven way to elevate your support operations, this case study will show how Zendesk AI features deliver real results for retailers and hypermarkets.

 

The Challenge

With tens of thousands of employees and hundreds of stores, the retailer’s customer service team manages over 25 million calls annually. Plus countless emails, chats, and letters. Their challenges included:

  • Disparate Communication Channels: Numerous touchpoints (email, chat, phone, and post) were managed in silos.
  • Rising Customer Expectations: Shoppers increasingly require instant, 24/7 responses across all channels.
  • Agent Burnout: High ticket volumes and complex queries demand both speed and empathy. 
  • Operational Pressures: The need to streamline workflows and optimise resource allocation without diminishing the human element of service.

 

“Zendesk AI features are designed to be ready out-of-the-box and adaptable to each client’s unique environment. For this retailer, it was about more than just automation. It was about empowering their teams across every touchpoint: customers, agents, and administrators. We saw first-hand how quickly AI can create value when implemented thoughtfully and collaboratively.”

Aurélien Aïssa, Account Executive at Zendesk

 

The Solution: Zendesk AI Features and Intelligent Automation Empowered by Premium Plus

To unify and future-proof their customer service, the retailer partnered with Premium Plus, a Zendesk EMEA Partner of the Year, to deploy Zendesk as a single omnichannel platform. The next step: integrate the latest Zendesk AI features to deliver automation, actionable insight, and unmatched scalability.

 

Two Most Impactful Zendesk AI Features Implemented:

  • Conversational AI Bots: Automated chatbots understand and respond to customer queries instantly. They use NLP and machine learning, draw from the knowledge base and generative AI, and seamlessly escalate to human agents when necessary.
  • Contextual Agent Assistance: AI-powered suggestions, macros, and content recommendations help agents craft accurate, empathetic, and relevant responses, optimising both speed and quality.

 

“Our mission at Premium Plus is to make complex technology simple and impactful. With Zendesk AI features, we were able to quickly deliver measurable results, empowering agents, improving response times, and supporting a true omnichannel experience. The enthusiasm from the client’s team showed us that AI done right is genuinely transformative.”

Benoit Smagghe, Solutions Consultant at Premium Plus

 

Implementation Approach: Maximising Zendesk AI Features

Premium Plus facilitated an agile rollout, focusing on iterative optimisation and measurable business outcomes:

  • Pilot Programme: One-month proof of concept with clear success metrics: reduced average handling time (AHT), increased productivity, and improved satisfaction for both agents and customers.
  • Training and Change Management: Agents and supervisors received tailored coaching on leveraging AI insights, natural language tools, and new automation features.
  • Iterative Optimisation: Real-time feedback from support teams informed the addition and tuning of Zendesk AI features, maximising adoption and value.
  • Data-Driven Insights: Rigorous A/B testing using Zendesk Explore analytics to measure the impact of Zendesk AI features and ROI.
 

Discover Zendesk AI in action

Experts from Premium Plus, LaPlante, and Zendesk break down AI capabilities and share practical tips and live demos of:

  •  AI-powered agents
  • Copilot
  • Quality Assurance
  • Workforce Management

Perfect for AI beginners and pros alike.

 

Watch webinar –>

 

The Results: Zendesk AI Features Drive Real Business Value

Reduction in average handling time

18%

Increase in agent productivity

17%

Hours saved in one month

49

 

The deployment of Zendesk AI features produced significant, quantifiable benefits:

  • 18% Faster Handling Time: AI-powered suggestions and automation reduced average handling time.
  • 17% Increase in Agent Productivity: Teams managed more tickets with less stress and no additional headcount.
  • 49 Hours Saved in One Month: Direct cost savings, with even greater potential at scale.
  • Higher Agent Satisfaction: Team members embraced Zendesk AI features as valuable assistants, not replacements, and actively requested further AI-powered enhancements.
  • Improved Customer Experience: Faster, more accurate, and more personalised responses led to happier customers and higher CSAT scores.
  • Transparent Stakeholder Engagement: Regular reporting, data visualisation, and clear value demonstration built trust at every level.

 

“Zendesk AI isn’t here to replace our people. It’s here to help them shine. We saw immediate gains in productivity and efficiency, and most importantly, our agents feel empowered rather than threatened. Thanks to Premium Plus and Zendesk, we’re ready for the customer service of tomorrow.”

Customer Satisfaction Lead at a French Hypermarket Chain

 

Why Retailers Trust Zendesk AI Features (and Premium Plus)

  • Plug-and-Play Intelligence: Zendesk AI features deliver value from day one. No lengthy development cycles required.
  • Unified Omnichannel Support: Seamlessly manage every customer interaction in one interface.
  • Expert Guidance: Premium Plus brings extensive Zendesk and AI expertise, ensuring your AI features are tailored, optimised, and future-proof.
  • Continuous Innovation: Stay ahead with the latest advances in conversational AI, prediction, and workflow automation.

 

Take the Next Step: Harness Zendesk AI Features for Your Business

The future of customer support is intelligent, automated, and deeply human. Zendesk AI features, powered by NLP, machine learning, and Premium Plus expertise, can help your business achieve new efficiency, satisfaction, and agility levels.

 
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