October 2017

Quiq Customer Spotlight: Learn How evo Uses Quiq Messaging

Posted on October 30, 2017April 1, 2024 The Quiq Team

Customer Spotlight: evo & Quiq Messaging

evo, a leading online retailer of outdoor gear and fashion apparel is known for exploring the collaboration between culture and sport by seamlessly joining art, music, streetwear, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking and wakeboarding. Their aim is to bring all things relevant to the urban, action sports lifestyle into one creative space.

Why Messaging?

Focused on going beyond the typical sales experience, evo knew it had to provide a cutting-edge support experience. Based in Seattle, Washington, evo is a retailer that offers top-notch gear and clothing for outdoor sports enthusiasts.

When consumers had questions, they used to only be able to call or email the company to get an answer. Now, using Quiq Messaging, evo’s customers get swift responses via Facebook Messenger, live chat and text messaging-channels that are often preferred or more convenient for their active, on-the-go consumers.

Easy For Customers to Engage

Some customers contact evo for help during the purchasing process with very specific product comparison questions. Others have questions about shipping and a possible return. While still others need technical help with a product they just purchased. Regardless of the question, evo’s customer care center is ready to answer. And customers are happy with the choices of channels over which to contact evo.

When a customer is on evo’s website, if an agent is available, the live chat image will automatically appear on the bottom-right of the desktop, making it easy for a customer to start a chat conversation. And, text messaging is offered on its mobile website. Customers are excited to be able to engage with evo via text messaging. It’s fast and it’s convenient.

“Certain people like to communicate via specific channels and with Quiq Messaging we are able to serve more people in the manner in which they want to engage. That’s a big win for us and our customers.”

Justin Courtney, Customer Care Manager, evo

Efficient For Agents

Top agents can easily handle live chat and text messaging conversations, on top of the phone calls and emails they are already answering. Since Quiq supports live chat, text messaging, and Facebook Messenger, evo agents only have to log into one application. Quiq is so easy-to-use that all agents are able to support all channels. During peak winter months, evo has the ability to dedicate agents to manage real-time interactions based on increased volumes to ensure response times are kept in-check.

After introducing live chat, it immediately accounted for 11% of support inquires. Phone volumes dropped by 8% and emails inquires decreased by 3%. That trend has continued to follow the same track with Quiq’s live chat and text messaging solution, which now represents 22% of the overall support volume.

What the Future Holds

Looking ahead, evo plans to integrate Quiq Messaging with their NetSuite implementation to consolidate all customer contact data, which will both improve the customer experience and yield additional opportunities through improved reporting. They are also planning to build out the visibility and promotion of its new messaging capabilities on their mobile website.

About Quiq

Quiq makes it easy for customers to contact a business via Messaging, the preferred channel already in use with our friends and family. With Quiq, customers can now engage with companies via SMS/text messaging, Facebook Messenger, Live Chat, and Kik for help with their pre-sales and post-sales questions. Learn more about Quiq today at quiq.com.

Mobile Millennials – How to Attract Them to Your Credit Union

Posted on October 27, 2017April 1, 2024 The Quiq Team

Credit unions have long been viewed as the more local, approachable place for multiple generations to manage their finances. During times of financial crisis – recessions and dot-com busts, Credit Unions have gained the trust and admiration of Boomers and Gen-Xers who make up two-thirds of today’s total credit union membership. Today, the average age of a credit union member is 48. Credit Unions continue to appeal to these generations with the right products, services, and messaging. However, in order to increase members and grow revenue, Credit Unions will need to attract and engage Millennials as well.

How Credit Unions Can Appeal to Millenials

Boomers and Gen-Xers have a fairly high satisfaction level with Credit Unions. Millennials, not so much. Millennials are roughly between the ages of 18 – 34 and make up about 42 percent of the US population. Many of them are coming into their financial own, possibly needing financial products as they navigate college, first homes, and saving plans as they start new careers.

According to a CFI study, the CUSI (Credit Union Satisfaction Index) score is lowest among Millennials. This could have detrimental effects on membership growth among this population since Millennials tend to trust brands and services based on recommendations of others. A low satisfaction score translates into a low adoption of other products and referrals to their family and friends.

One of the main reasons for the lower satisfaction score is the digital experience gap. The Millennial generation is much more digitally connected and comfortable with online transactions than previous generations. Targeting Millennials and increasing overall customer satisfaction will require credit unions to reduce the effort it takes to do business with their institution. Obstacles, such as members having to repeatedly contact the credit union or repeat information, can be eliminated with the use of technology like Quiq, which enables customers to easily connect with their institution over their mobile device and at their convenience.

According to a FICO survey on Millennial banking, a large percentage of the Millennial generation feel that their bank does not communicate with them through their preferred communication channel. Mobile apps, text messaging, and the bank’s mobile website are the preferred methods of communication. Credit Unions have the opportunity to build a multi-channel digital engagement approach using the channels most attractive to Millennials.

“43% of Millennials don’t think that their bank communicates to them through their preferred communication channels.
~Fico, Millennial Banking Insights and Opportunities”

It’s not just Millennials who want to message you; 66% of customers prefer mobile messaging for contacting a company because it is easy and more convenient than making a call or sending an email. Building and maintaining a relationship with these customers doesn’t need to be just a one-way street. Credit unions have personal relationships with their members, so facilitating a two-way conversation via messaging is critical. Quiq clients have found that engaging with customers to answer questions is just as important as the ability to send outbound text messages with new product and promotion alerts.

At Quiq, our clients have seen a 5-10% higher customer satisfaction rate for messaging than any other channel. It is clear that consumers are already comfortable with using messaging to resolve issues and receive information. This could not be more true for Millennials. In a research study conducted earlier this year, Quiq discovered that 76% of Millennials “view messaging as an extremely/very effective channel” as compared to 58% of non-Millennials.

Cater Your Engagement to Younger Generations With Quiq

Quiq offers the messaging solution organizations need to attract all generations, especially Millennials. Our messaging solution allows all members to start or continue a personal one-on-one conversation over their preferred communication channel with your organization. Request a demo to see how easily your Credit Union can implement Quiq messaging and grow their Millennial membership.

Terror Filled Tales of Customer Service – (Part I)

Posted on October 26, 2017April 1, 2024 The Quiq Team

We all heard the tale and hoped it was just urban lore or fake news, but the Equifax security breach was real. After hearing the news, everyone felt the creeping chill of vulnerability and helplessness as we all scanned for signs that we could be prey to identity theft or scams. Equifax confirmed the security breach compromised sensitive data like birthday’s, social security numbers, and account information of 145.5 million US customers. The highly debated topic raised a lot of questions since Equifax announced on September 7th.

We at Quiq, who built the leading asynchronous platform for business messaging, continue to watch the story unfold. In a two-part series, we explore the data breach that recently rocked the news and attempt to find learnings and insights. Gather ’round as we share this spine-tingling tale and the value-added opportunities that exist for any company that wants to advance their customer service experience.

In the case of Equifax, there was indeed an opportunity for a sense of urgency. The credit reporting agency revealed the data breach in September, approximately 40 days after the cyber attack, leading many to question why there was such a delay. Some even report that Equifax was aware of the vulnerability that led to the breach as early as two months before the data breach occurred. We want to get immediate answers to questions or updates on situations in this age of instant digital gratification.

Web Chat Provides Immediate Customer Service

In response to their announcement, Equifax created a website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to help consumers answer the one question that everyone wanted answered: “Am I affected?”. The response website was a self-serve customer service option to help people take some immediate action.

Once consumers entered their information, the follow-up page gave them the option to click to an FAQ page. While the gravity of the situation likely spawned lots of questions, many of the site’s users wanted answers that were relevant and specific to them and their data. Some consumers found the message confusing and wanted definitive answers.

The Equifax Security Breach service page left some customers wanting more definitive answers.[/caption]

Quiq’s Web Chat could have provided consumers a place to chat live with an Equifax Customer Service agent to help guide them through the process at this critical point. We see a lot of companies use this powerful tool to help guide customers when they need it the most, like when they find themselves stuck on a page with questions needing more direction.

Text Messaging Snippets Ensure Consistency

Sadly, the well-intentioned effort of setting up a response site also paved the way to another customer experience snafu. TheVerge reports how Equifax mistakenly mistyped the URL as www.sercuirtyequifax2017.com. The tweet sent visitors to a phishing site set up by developer Nick Sweeting to expose the vulnerabilities of the Equifax response page.

Quiq recognizes the need for agents to quickly and accurately share helpful, repetitive information to avoid situations like this. We have the ability to use “snippets”, or pre-populated content. Snippets are easy to create, organize, find, and use to ensure consistency and expedite communication.

Increase Service Speed with Outbound Notifications

While the response website was a great resource, it could not deflect the onslaught of calls the company received. Concerned consumers wondered if they would be responsible for charges they didn’t make. This type of crisis control is where a readied front line of knowledgeable customer service agents shines; but therein lies the rub. A Fast Company article details how customer service agents that took calls on the day of the announcement had not yet learned of the breach and were unprepared to answer questions about the event.

Quiq can send outbound messages that make alerting employees, partners, and customers easy and fast. With our outbound messaging service, Equifax could have informed everyone, including all of the front-line service agents, in an instant. In addition to the news an outbound message could provide helpful resources to help agents deal with the calls.

Sure, there are plenty of cringe-worthy moments in this tale, but there are lessons to be learned. While this story is extreme, we see real opportunity from crisis mode to the day-to-day status quo to elevate customer service. We invite you to learn more about how Quiq Messaging can help your company come out of the dark (ages) of customer service and into the light of messaging for business.

How Our Clients Use Quiq Messaging

Posted on October 17, 2017January 13, 2023 Mike Myer

A Message From Mike Myer, Quiq CEO

Since I helped start RightNow, the world has changed, but not my mission. My team and I are still focused on saving companies money, while helping them deliver a better customer experience. No longer are we focused on handling and managing high volumes of phone calls and emails. We have leapfrogged ahead again to focus on the hottest communications channels. Why?

Simply because no one has time for a phone call and waiting for a response to an email is like watching paint dry. We, along with all our family and friends communicate via messaging. However, consumers aren’t able to communicate with all their favorite companies in the same way-yet.

At Quiq, we’re helping companies be more accessible to consumers by making it easy for them to add SMS/text, Facebook Messenger and Kik to their business.

We also support web chat and in-app messaging, so one agent can easily see and manage all messaging channels simultaneously. Companies like Overstock, Gogo, Office Depot, Men’s Wearhouse, Tyr, evo, Jackson Hole Resort, and many more are realizing cost savings and higher satisfaction scores using Quiq Messaging to better serve their customers.

Let’s go beyond the hype to some actual example use cases of our clients who are using Quiq Messaging to improve their business. We’d love the opportunity to do the same for you.

Here are a few Quiq Messaging use cases:

1. Quiq Messaging helps convert tentative buyers into customers.

If a consumer wants to make a purchase but has a question, it should be easy to get an answer right away. Back in the day, many companies implemented web chat for just this reason. However, the majority of website visitors are on mobile devices and web chat simply isn’t the best messaging option from any mobile device. Why not make it as easy and comfortable to contact you as it is to text with friends?

2. Quiq Messaging can help significantly reduce your contact center costs by converting phone calls into messaging conversations.

By converting the call to a text, the conversation is moved from the most expensive channel to the least expensive channel AND the customer will be happier – they didn’t want to make a phone call in the first place, but they wanted help– right now! This would look something like the following:

“An agent will be with you shortly. If you’d rather text with an agent, press 1….”

When the customer presses 1, they immediately receive a text message and start a conversation with an agent, resulting in a direct cost savings of 80%. Customers will be more satisfied because they prefer to text and you’ll be more efficient. A true win-win!!

3. Quiq Messaging can make those traditionally one-way Outbound Notifications interactive.

Everyone is familiar with shipping and other notifications delivered via SMS. However, very few companies have the ability to actually receive responses back to those outbound notifications. We can turn this one-way push, into a two-way engagement:

“Confirming delivery today of your order ”. Text us back if you have any questions. Thanks!!”

Quiq Messaging can not only send outbound SMS notifications but also handle responses just like any other Messaging conversation, thereby reducing calls that would otherwise be made to the contact center.

Don’t wait. Be where your customers already are. See how Quiq Messaging can help improve your business!

Cheers,

Mike
CEO, Quiq
mike@goquiq.com

Blog

Month: October 2017