- Company
- Gordon Food Service, one of North America’s largest foodservice distributors
- Company size
- 20,000+ employees
- Industry
- Food distribution
- Processes automated
- Google Groups, aliases, Gmail and Calendar delegation, access and license requests, Drive and Gmail permission visibility, Chrome extension and OAuth requests, external forwarding, calendar-sharing controls, and shadow IT monitoring
- Employee entry point
- Self-service workflows published through the company’s internal Employee Center
- Results
- Up to 85% time saved on Google Admin work, 83% fewer ticket requests for the automated flows, faster approvals, improved user experience, and stronger security monitoring
The biggest change was moving routine Google Workspace administration out of the ticket queue. Employees now start common requests themselves through forms in Gordon Food Service’s Employee Center. Zenphi validates the request, routes approvals, performs the required actions, and confirms completion — reducing both IT workload and the amount of back-and-forth required from employees.
Thousands of accounts turned routine admin requests into a constant IT workload
Across more than 20,000 employees, seemingly simple Google Workspace requests added up quickly. Creating Google Groups, assigning aliases, handling delegation permissions, granting system access, and changing licenses all required hands-on administration.
At the same time, the IT team was responsible for security controls around Chrome extensions, OAuth access, out-of-domain forwarding, and calendar sharing. These workflows also relied heavily on manual review and follow-up.
Employees emailed or contacted IT for admin changes that could follow a repeatable request-and-approval process.
Tasks such as group creation, aliases, delegation, and access changes required checks before administrators could safely apply the change.
Chrome extensions, OAuth applications, external forwarding, public calendar sharing, and connected apps all needed review and response.
The IT team still uses Apps Script for lightweight tasks, but limited scripting expertise made it impractical as the primary way to build and maintain larger operational workflows.
Turn common Google Admin requests into employee self-service workflows
Gordon Food Service built a library of Zenphi workflows and published them through its internal helpdesk portal, the Employee Center — the same place employees already use to submit tickets, read knowledge articles, and request software or hardware.
Instead of sending an email or opening a general IT ticket, employees can now start a structured request. Zenphi takes over the operational work behind it.
The user chooses the relevant form in the Employee Center and provides the information required for the request.
The workflow can check for duplicates, validate permissions, and confirm that the request meets the organization’s rules before anything changes.
Where manager or policy approval is required, the workflow sends the request to the correct approver instead of relying on email chains.
Once the request passes the required checks and approvals, Zenphi applies the corresponding Google Workspace change.
The workflow closes the loop by confirming completion and preserving the relevant audit trail.
What employees can request through self-service
The same workflow layer now monitors Google Workspace security risks
After establishing the self-service model for Google Admin requests, Gordon Food Service expanded Zenphi into security operations. The workflows monitor activity, identify risks, trigger approvals or alerts, and initiate the required follow-up without IT manually tracking activity across thousands of users.
AI is used to cross-check requests against the company’s approved-app database and can suggest safer alternatives before an approval decision is made.
Zenphi triggers automated alerts and approval workflows when these security-sensitive configurations are detected.
Connected applications can be scanned consistently so unauthorized tools are surfaced for review.
Depending on the issue, workflows can revoke access, escalate incidents, or assign follow-up tasks to the appropriate person.
Gordon Food Service is also using AI for IT operations automation in these security workflows, including AI-supported application review and approval decisions.
Using code where it fits — and no-code where workflows need to scale
The Gordon Food Service case is not a story about replacing Apps Script. The IT team continues to use Apps Script for lightweight tasks where scripting is efficient.
Zenphi became the preferred option for larger operational workflows that need to be understood and maintained by more people. Its visual workflow builder allows additional team members to contribute, change logic, and iterate without requiring every process owner to be an Apps Script developer.
85% less admin time and 83% fewer support tickets
| Area | Before Zenphi | With Zenphi |
|---|---|---|
| Google Admin requests | Employees contacted IT and administrators handled requests manually | Employees start structured self-service workflows |
| Admin workload | Manual validation, approvals, changes, and confirmations | Up to 85% time saved on Google Admin tasks |
| Support volume | Routine requests contributed to the IT ticket queue | 83% fewer ticket requests for these flows in 2024 |
| Approvals | Manual routing and follow-up | Faster approvals through automated routing |
| Security monitoring | Manual review across thousands of accounts | Automated monitoring, alerts, approvals, and follow-up actions |
| Employee experience | Users depended on IT for routine changes | Faster self-service requests with clear completion feedback |
The operational impact extends beyond ticket reduction
The self-service model gives employees a clearer path to the services they need while reducing repetitive work for IT. At the same time, policy checks and approvals are embedded directly in the workflow instead of depending on an administrator remembering every required step.
The result is a more scalable IT operating model: routine requests can move quickly, security controls remain part of the process, and the IT team can spend less time processing repeatable administrative work.
Expanding automation beyond Google Workspace administration
With the initial IT workflows in place, Gordon Food Service continues extending Zenphi into broader business processes. The case identifies AppSheet connections, document generation, and onboarding as areas where the company is expanding its automation footprint.
Questions about this case study
What Google Workspace tasks did Gordon Food Service automate?
The case covers Google Group creation, mailbox accounts and aliases, Gmail and Calendar delegation, access and license requests, Gmail and Drive permission visibility, Chrome extension and OAuth requests, external forwarding, calendar-sharing controls, and shadow IT monitoring.
How much time did the IT team save?
Gordon Food Service reports up to 85% time savings on Google Admin tasks after moving repeatable administration into Zenphi workflows.
How much did support-ticket volume change?
The case reports an 83% fewer ticket requests for these flows in 2024 after the company introduced self-service workflows for common Google Workspace requests.
Where do employees access the self-service workflows?
Gordon Food Service publishes the Zenphi-powered forms through its internal Employee Center, the company hub employees already use for IT tickets, knowledge content, and software or hardware requests.
Does Gordon Food Service still use Apps Script?
Yes. The IT team continues using Apps Script for lightweight tasks. Zenphi is used for larger workflows where visual logic, approvals, maintainability, and broader team ownership are important.
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