A Cireson Customer Success Story
Company Overview
Rapids Foodservice provides comprehensive foodservice solutions for restaurants, bars, hotels, and commercial kitchens across the Midwest, specializing in commercial kitchen design, equipment procurement, installation, and ongoing support. Their mission is to deliver quality service and innovative solutions that help hospitality businesses thrive.
A Culture-Driven IT Transformation
As the sole IT leader at Rapids Foodservice, Director of IT Chad Knipfer was looking for a service desk solution that would help him manage projects and daily support requests more efficiently. His criteria were clear: seamless integration with Microsoft 365 and Teams, minimal setup, a user-friendly interface, and affordable pricing without compromising functionality.
What made Tikit stand out was not just its capabilities but its simplicity. Clean design, straightforward demo videos, and effective default settings made it easy for Chad to win over the leadership team. After viewing the Tikit demo, the team’s reaction was unanimous: “Why haven’t we had this all along?”
Tikit Introduced: The Extra IT Teammate
For a one-man IT team, efficiency and simplicity are non-negotiable. Tikit delivered on both fronts. From setup to rollout, implementation was effortless: installed directly in Microsoft Teams, customized branding within minutes, and rolled out with a single email and built-in training video.
Chad highlights the ease of use as a standout benefit:
“Sometimes you get a tool where the default settings are bare bones and you have to set every little thing up yourself. With Tikit, the defaults worked wonderfully. That was important.”
The built-in prompts in Teams also made it easy for employees to submit tickets without needing to remember steps:
“If someone forgets what I told them about submitting a ticket, they just click the prompt button, and it guides them.”
Challenge
Before Tikit, Rapids Foodservice relied on OS Ticket, a free, on-premises program, to manage IT issues for its roughly 100 employees. As a one-man IT department, Chad Knipfer found the tool limited and time-consuming. Ticket communications and replies were delayed due to reliance on CRON jobs, workflows like onboarding were managed through email chains prone to error, and scalability was a constant challenge. Each manual process added stress, and remote employees struggled with support processes that were not easily accessible.
Outcome
After adopting Tikit, Rapids Foodservice experienced immediate improvements. Communication became instant with tickets appearing in Teams right away, eliminating the delays of the old system. The default settings worked seamlessly, allowing for a quick rollout with minimal setup. Employees began solving many problems themselves through knowledge base articles, reducing ticket volume. HR was able to streamline onboarding processes with Tikit forms, and Chad could manage support from anywhere—even his phone. Within the first month, the time savings alone made Tikit’s value fivefold.
“ It really is like hiring a separate desktop support person, which is huge.”
Fast Outcomes and Measurable Gains
With Tikit, Rapids Foodservice quickly saw results that transformed the way IT support functioned:
- Instant communication and resolution:
Tickets appear immediately in Teams—no more waiting on CRON jobs.
- Ready-to-use defaults:
The system worked right away, without lengthy configuration.
- Self-service and ticket deflection:
Employees began solving some issues independently, reducing the number of tickets Chad had to manage.
- Workflows that scale:
HR onboarding moved into Tikit, improving visibility and accountability.
- Anywhere, anytime support:
Chad can resolve issues on the go from his phone or while working remotely.
- Value multiplied:
The time savings paid for Tikit fivefold in the very first month.
Partnering with Tikit’s Community
Beyond the product, Chad highlighted the support and culture surrounding Tikit. Setup assistance was immediate and effective. The product roadmap and feature forum gave him confidence that Tikit was not only listening but also evolving. “It’s nice working with people who really live and breathe the product,” he said.
Advice for Others Considering Tikit
Chad’s recommendation is simple and powerful: “I looked at other solutions—this was the first, and I expected it might be expensive or not robust enough. But Tikit delivered on both value and function. For the price and what it does, it’s a no-brainer.”
Supporting Rapids Foodservice’s Mission
For Rapids Foodservice, Tikit has become more than just a ticketing tool. It’s like adding another member to the IT team—one that works instantly, never misses a step, and scales with the business. By simplifying support and saving time, Tikit empowers Chad to focus on what matters most: enabling seamless operations and supporting the company’s mission to help hospitality businesses thrive.
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