If we didn't have [Directus], we probably would need another 50% more people on the customer support team just to deal with the overhead of trying to get the data between the different systems manually.
Nikolai Zveznet
Development Manager
When your company grows from a one-person startup to over 1,000 employees in just a decade, data management can quickly become a bottleneck.
This was the challenge facing Prusa3D, a leader in the 3D printing industry known for its open-source philosophy and high-quality printers.
Founded in 2012 by Josef Průša, Prusa3D has become a major player in the 3D printing world. But as the company expanded, so did the complexity of their customer support needs.
Multiple data sources and a growing user base made quick access to information increasingly difficult for support agents.
Our priority is solving customer issues as fast as possible, but with our data spread across different systems, it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Nikolai Zveznet
Development Manager
The company needed a solution that could unify their data sources, streamline access for support agents, and integrate seamlessly with their existing tools.
Enter Directus, an open source data platform that would prove to be the key to Prusa3D's customer support evolution.
The Challenge: Navigating a Sea of Disconnected Data
As Prusa3D's customer base grew, so did the volume and complexity of data their support team needed to manage.
Customer information, order history, chat logs, and technical data were scattered across multiple systems, creating a fragmented view of each customer's journey.
We had a mishmash of different applications in Prusa, all with different developers, different scales of companies. Maybe they have documentation, but usually they don't.
Nikolai Zveznet
Development Manager
This lack of integration meant support agents often had to switch between several systems to gather the information needed to assist a single customer. The result was longer response times and a less efficient support process.
The challenge wasn't just about consolidating data. Prusa3D needed a solution that could handle their specific requirements:
- Flexibility to work with various data types and sources
- Robust API capabilities for seamless integration with existing tools
- User-friendly interface for non-technical staff
- Alignment with Prusa3D's open-source values
Finding a system that could meet all these needs while improving efficiency was crucial for Prusa3D's continued growth and commitment to exceptional customer support.
The Search for a Solution: From Patchwork to Platform
Prusa3D's journey to find the right data management solution was not straightforward. The team explored various options, each falling short in different ways.
We started with MongoDB. We had to build everything from scratch - the admin UI, the filters, everything. It was a lot of work.
Ithan Lara
Full-Stack Software Developer
As their needs evolved, the team realized they were dealing more with relational data. They tried different approaches, including typed ORMs and SQL database management libraries, but these solutions proved cumbersome to maintain and customize.
Everything was a lot of work to keep them working. Then, I discovered Directus through Reddit.
Ithan Lara
Full-Stack Software Developer
Directus stood out immediately. Its flexibility, powerful API capabilities, and user-friendly interface aligned perfectly with Prusa3D's requirements.
The platform's open-source nature was also a significant factor, resonating with Prusa3D's own values.
We still acknowledge that you're trying to do the best you can to continue being open source as we are. When we look for tools, that's definitely one of the checkboxes
Ithan Lara
Full-Stack Software Developer
After thorough evaluation, Prusa3D decided that Directus offered the comprehensive solution they needed to address their data management challenges and support their growth.
Implementation and Migration: Building a Unified Data Hub
Implementing Directus at Prusa3D was a collaborative effort led by Ithan and his team.
The primary goal was to create a centralized system that could aggregate data from various sources and make it easily accessible to customer support agents.
We ended up having Directus store the ID of another table, another system, and then add it to another collection. In the middle, we would just have the nodes and the relations for the other systems.
Ithan Lara
Full-Stack Software Developer
This approach allowed Prusa3D to create a unified view of customer data without disrupting existing systems. The team focused on key features:
- API integration for seamless data retrieval
- Custom filters for efficient information search
- Relational data management to connect disparate data points
Directus allows us to have a standardized way to fetch data, create data. It allows us to have data with the proper relations accessible for everyone, with permissions, with basically everything that you really need in a data management structure.
Ithan Lara
Full-Stack Software Developer
The flexibility of Directus allowed the team to adapt and create custom solutions. The result was a robust internal application that serves as a single point of access for customer support agents, significantly streamlining their workflow.
Results, Impact, and Key Benefits: Streamlined Support and Development Gains
The implementation of Directus has transformed Prusa3D's customer support operations, yielding significant improvements in efficiency and data management.
If we didn't have it, we probably would need another 50 percent more people on the customer support team just to deal with the overhead of trying to get the data between the different systems manually.
Nikolai Zveznet
Development Manager
For the development team, Directus has become a critical time-saving tool.
It's saving me 20 to 30 percent of the time that I would usually spend when I need to develop a new tool.
Ithan Lara
Full-Stack Software Developer
Key features that have proven particularly valuable include:
- Powerful API and filtering capabilities "The filter system in the API just saves so much time. It's awesome."
- Flexible content management "Whenever a team needs a quick table, I just create a collection in Directus and tell them, 'Here you have your collection. You can sort, filter things, see everything."
- Seamless integrations The team uses Directus in conjunction with tools like Grafana for data visualization, creating a comprehensive data management ecosystem.
- User-friendly interface "It's very easy to learn Directus and get competent on it quickly."
These improvements have allowed Prusa3D's support team to focus on what they do best: providing high-quality, technical support to their customers.
The unified data view enables agents to quickly access customer history, order information, and technical details, leading to faster problem resolution and improved customer satisfaction.
Future Plans and Conclusion: Expanding Directus Across Prusa3D
With the success of Directus in their customer support operations, Prusa3D is looking to expand its use across the company.
The team sees potential for Directus to solve broader data management challenges within the organization.
Plans are underway to implement Directus as the central Content Management System (CMS) for Prusa3D. This expansion will help standardize data management practices across the company's various departments and subsidiaries.
As Prusa3D continues to grow and innovate in the 3D printing industry, Directus stands as a crucial tool in their technology stack.
Directus allows us to have a standardized way to fetch data, create data. It allows us to have data with the proper relations accessible for everyone, with permissions, with basically everything that you really need in a data management structure.
Nikolai Zveznet
Development Manager
In an industry where innovation is king, Prusa3D has found in Directus a partner that not only solves today's challenges but also propels them towards a data-driven future.
As they continue to revolutionize 3D printing, Directus will be there, turning data into their competitive edge.