How a National Beverage Distributor Increased Sales by 35%
Customer service can do more than resolve problems. When the right people, technology, and processes work together, it can strengthen customer loyalty, improve operational performance, and create new revenue opportunities.
Service Conversations Became Measurable Revenue Opportunities
A centralized contact center connected customer service, equipment repair, dispatch, and sales support into one measurable operating model.
A beverage distribution company serving commercial partners and consumers was experiencing growing pressure across its customer support operation. Repair, service, dispatch, and sales inquiries were handled by disconnected teams. Agents had limited flexibility, customer interactions were difficult to track, and critical support was unavailable during weekends and holidays.
Inktel helped the company replace this fragmented structure with a centralized contact center that could support customers and internal teams around the clock.
The transformation resulted in a 33% increase in first call resolution, 40% growth in Net Promoter Score, and a 35% increase in sales through the contact center.
The Customer Experience Challenge
The company managed a complex combination of equipment repair, dispatch, sales, and general customer service inquiries.
Support responsibilities were spread across multiple teams with limited coordination. Agents were trained for narrow functions, making it difficult to shift resources when inquiry volumes changed or customers needed assistance outside an agent’s assigned area.
The existing structure created several challenges:
- High call volumes strained internal resources
- Separate support teams operated with limited integration
- Narrow agent skill sets contributed to transfers and longer resolution times
- Outdated systems limited automation, analytics, and interaction tracking
- Critical contact types lacked weekend and holiday coverage
- Leadership had little visibility into customer satisfaction and repeat interactions
- Inbound sales opportunities were missed when trained agents were unavailable
Adding more agents would not have addressed the underlying problem. The company needed a connected support model that brought its teams, systems, and customer information together.
How a National Beverage Distributor Increased Sales by 35%
Sales grew 35% through the contact center after Inktel centralized support, connected technology, expanded coverage, and trained agents to recognize relevant customer needs.
Building a Centralized CPG Contact Center
Inktel developed a centralized contact center capable of serving external customers and internal stakeholders through one coordinated operation.
Previously separated support functions were consolidated into a unified hub. Workflows, training, scheduling, reporting, and escalation procedures were standardized to create a more consistent customer experience.
Every inbound interaction could now follow a defined process for documentation, resolution, or escalation. This reduced gaps between customer service, equipment repair, dispatch, and sales support while giving leadership greater visibility into contact center performance.
Implementing Connected Technology
Inktel introduced CRM, incident management, and contact center technology to streamline workflows and improve interaction tracking. Agents gained better access to the information needed to assist customers. Leadership could also identify common contact reasons, recurring service issues, and customer behavior trends. This improved visibility made the contact center a source of operational insight, not simply a place where inquiries were received.
Creating a More Flexible Workforce
Workforce management and scheduling technology helped align staffing with demand across different contact types and operating periods. Agents were also cross-trained to support a wider range of inquiries. Instead of being restricted to one narrow responsibility, they could respond more flexibly as customer needs and call volumes changed. Broader training reduced unnecessary handoffs and helped more customers receive a complete answer during their first interaction.
Expanding Customer Service to 24/7/365
The centralized model allowed the company to provide continuous support across key customer and internal contact types.
Customers could receive assistance during evenings, weekends, and holidays instead of waiting for traditional operating hours. Internal teams also gained a more reliable process for handling and escalating critical inquiries.
This expanded availability was supported by improved scheduling, standardized workflows, and a workforce trained to handle multiple types of interactions.
For organizations operating within the consumer packaged goods ecosystem, this level of access can be especially important. Consumer needs, equipment issues, and commercial operations do not always follow a Monday-through-Friday schedule.
Combining Agent Support With Self-Service
Not every customer interaction requires live assistance.
Inktel developed a centralized knowledge base and introduced automation for common inquiries. Customers gained faster access to routine information, while agents could focus on conversations requiring personal assistance, judgment, or problem-solving.
Self-service adoption reached 25%, reducing avoidable agent workload and giving customers another convenient way to find answers.
The objective was not to remove human support. It was to reserve agent capacity for the moments when human expertise provided the greatest value.
Turning Service Conversations Into Sales Opportunities
The contact center also had an opportunity to contribute more directly to business growth.
Frontline agents received sales training, scripts, and guidance to help them recognize relevant opportunities during customer interactions. When a customer expressed a purchasing need or interest, agents were prepared to respond.
This approach did not turn every service call into a sales pitch. It allowed agents to identify natural opportunities and assist customers without compromising the quality of the service experience.
As a result, sales generated through the contact center increased by 35%.
The Results
The centralized customer service model produced measurable improvements across availability, resolution, customer satisfaction, efficiency, and revenue.
Support
The company expanded support beyond traditional operating hours across key customer and internal contact types.
Contact Coverage
Inbound interactions were answered, documented, and moved through an appropriate resolution or escalation process.
Increase in First Call Resolution
Cross-training, improved routing, and better access to information helped agents resolve more customer needs during the first interaction.
Self-Service Adoption
Customers increasingly used automated tools and knowledge resources to handle common inquiries quickly.
Growth in Net Promoter Score
More consistent access and resolution contributed to stronger customer satisfaction and brand advocacy.
Increase in Contact Center Sales
Sales training helped agents recognize and capture relevant opportunities during inbound service conversations.
Staffing Reduction
Consolidation, workforce planning, cross-training, and self-service allowed the company to reduce staffing requirements without sacrificing service levels.
What CPG Leaders Can Learn
Customer service connects consumers, commercial partners, field teams, equipment support, and sales operations. When those interactions are divided across disconnected teams, companies lose visibility into customer needs and emerging operational issues.
This beverage customer service case study demonstrates the value of treating the contact center as an integrated business function.
Centralization improved efficiency, but the broader value came from connecting customer experience with operational intelligence and revenue. The contact center became a coordinated channel for resolving issues, identifying patterns, supporting loyalty, and capturing customer demand.
For CPG organizations managing complex customer and partner relationships, the right support model can provide benefits across the business:
- More consistent customer access
- Faster and more complete resolutions
- Greater workforce flexibility
- Better insight into customer behavior
- Reduced operational complexity
- Stronger revenue capture during customer interactions
Strengthen Your CPG Customer Service
Inktel helps consumer packaged goods companies build customer support operations that combine trained people, reliable technology, and measurable performance.
Whether your goal is to centralize fragmented workflows, expand service availability, improve first call resolution, or create more value from customer interactions, Inktel can help you design a support model around your customers and business needs.
Explore Inktel’s CPG outsourcing solutions or contact our team to discuss your customer service goals.