Tag: text messaging
Retailers See 42% Of Online Sales From Mobile Devices
Digital Customer Engagement for Retail
As messaging continues to help spur retail growth, we’ve seen more companies look to this channel to improve the customer experience. We’ve aggregated some of our most popular resources to help you with your research into messaging for your business.
Top Retail Use Cases:
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Quiq’s Retail Stats 1-Pager
Real results from leading brands using Quiq’s messaging platform to deliver brand-defining experiences.
7 Reasons Your Customers Want To Text You
Your customers want to text you. Read our most popular white paper that spells out the 7 compelling reasons to implement messaging now.
Ebook: Messaging Best Practices for Retailers
Expert advice on launching and implementing messaging within your business.
Quiq’s Essential Guide to TCPA for Retailers
Implementing messaging in your organization means maintaining TCPA compliance. Here’s how it’s done.
Quiq’s Chatbot Workbook
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Business Messaging: Hindsight is 20/20
How many times have you said to yourself, “Hindsight is 20/20”?
While the origins of the phrase, “Hindsight is 20/20,” is unknown, its relevance comes out in nearly all aspects of our lives. One recent example in my life is the Pro Bull Riding event I went to on my birthday up in Big Sky, MT. I have been to dozens of rodeos in my days here in Montana, but this event was off the charts amazing. After the event was over, I was definitely feeling like, “If I’d have known the Big Sky PBR was that amazing, I would have started coming years ago.” I won’t miss another.
Here at Quiq, we regularly hear these words coming from the voice of our customers. “If I’d have known that we were going to see these kinds of results, we would have done this a long time ago.” But it isn’t just the results that they see, it’s the fact that not all Business Messaging is created equally – in other words, being able to send and receive texts is table stakes – what isn’t equal are all the other messaging capabilities Quiq brings to bare. Most of our customers were using some form of SMS capability before they came to Quiq – some simply using individual cell phones, others using their Contact Center or CRM provider’s rudimentary version of texting, and others trying to build their own.
What is it that Quiq clients discover? There now exists an enterprise-grade business messaging platform that isn’t just a “nice-to-have,” but is an integral part of their business that drives significant value. Mike Parish, Sr Manager, CX Design & Application Development for Brinks Home Security states, “With Quiq, we (the digital team) have the exact same processes that the call center has today. However, because of the ease of the asynchronous communication, our CSAT is naturally 14 points higher, on average, than our voice channel in the call center.” Brinks is also able to reduce the number of agents on the phone, repurposing them to higher value interactions.
“With Quiq, we (the digital team) have the exact same processes that the call center has today. However, because of the ease of the asynchronous communication, our CSAT is naturally 14 points higher, on average, than our voice channel in the call center.”
~Mike Parish, Senior Manager
Another customer, TodayTix, the premier digital gateway to shows, arts, and cultural experiences in NYC, started with a channel mix of 80% Voice and 20% email. They have a goal of reducing overall call volumes down to just 10% and saw Quiq as their digital communications partner to help them get there. In less than two years, they are seeing that nearly 85% of all communications are now coming through channels other than voice. Incredible!
Conversational Commerce
Let me throw some staggering stats at you. In 2018, it was estimated that 40% of all holiday purchases were made over a smartphone. Early reports are showing this trend has increased by as much as 27% and Statista predicts that number could be as high as 70% by 2020. Most of our customers report that well over 60% of their online traffic comes from mobile. According to Statistic Brain, the number of monthly texts sent has increased more than 7700% over the last decade.
If human “conversations” aren’t happening over voice channels any more, why should we expect anything different with eCommerce and Consumer Services. Messaging for businesses has become a customer experience imperative. Imagine a customer being able to message your business, engage in a buying cycle, and complete the transaction all in one interaction, asynchronously! Wait, huh??
The Power of Asynchronous
Last week I woke up at my normal 6:30 AM. It was going to be a super busy day, so I sent a text to a house painter we are looking to hire. Had I only had the voice channel to work with coupled with the schedule I had that day, I would not have been able to call Ian (my painter) until after 3:00 PM that afternoon. Instead, when Ian was able, he returned my text at 9:09 AM. I then responded at 11:13 AM and he replied at 1:45 PM. Our business was concluded. With asynchronous communication, we communicate at the speed of our own lives – and now, with conversational commerce, brands have the ability to collect payment all inside of the messaging channel – TRANSACTION COMPLETE! Cha-ching.
Rich Messaging
Another, “Hindsight is 20/20” we are hearing a lot these days is how compelling rich messaging is. Customers like Overstock.com have taken messaging to a whole new level utilizing rich messaging to personalize their shipping notifications and post-delivery surveys. Utilizing Quiq’s two-way outbound notifications for product delivery, Overstock continues a personal conversation using a seamless combination of bots and humans to insure complete customer satisfaction, all with “web” quality experiences using rich messaging.
Oh, and unlike emails, these interactions have a 98% open rate (their words not ours), AND have reduced their inbound phone call volumes by 14%!!!
Bots for Dummies
Anyone who knows me well understands that, while I sell software for a living, I am basically “entry level” when it comes to technology. The other day I was watching the demo for our new Designer Bot Builder and was shocked at 1) how powerful it is, and 2) how easy it is to build your own Bot in the Quiq platform. Our customers, like Nintendo and Stio, who participated in our Beta program are already seeing tremendous results (see our Bot Webinar). I promise you, if you knew how easy it is to build a powerful Bot that interacts with your customers and agents, as an agent, you’d be building one.
So now you know…
“But, where do I start?” We get that question a lot. The lame answer is that it depends on the business. In the Credit Union industry, we see mortgage and lending as a great starting point, later moving into the contact center. In the Retail/eComm space, we see everything from organizations like Overstock.com starting with delivery notifications to others who put Apple Business Chat, Bots and SMS on mobile experiences for pre-sales support. We see business and consumer services organizations, like HVAC and Plumbing, start with appointment reminders. Many other organizations start in their contact center. 
Without fail, we always find that organizations have areas of the business where customer communication is changing and messaging is the answer.
Customers’ lives are connected and on-the-move. The phone channel is becoming more and more inconvenient. Quiq brings an array of asynchronous channels into a scalable, enterprise platform designed to serve the customer at the moment of truth. In a world where bots and humans are both considered “first-class citizens,” the expectation for customer satisfaction is morphing. Synchronous phone conversations are giving way to digital interactions that are real time, yet spread out within our busy schedules. Businesses on the forefront of customer experience have figured out how to meet their customers where they are, and both are discovering that communicating has never been more enjoyable.
What Will 2020 Bring for AI?
Aspira Stakes out a New Way to Communicate With Customers
Besides technology, Aspira knows a thing or two about adventure and connection. For over 30 years, Aspira’s technology has allowed people to book outdoor recreation experiences at parks and conservation sites all over the US. Aspira’s customers contract directly with them to use their software, marketing services, and sometimes their centralized contact center to manage reservations for many of the most popular state and provincial parks as well as conservation agencies throughout the US.
Camping in Florida? Fishing in Ohio? Aspira is the technology behind many of those adventures
that connect individuals and families to the experiences they love.
When it was time to embark on an adventure of their own to discover new ways to connect with their customers, Aspira investigated business messaging with Quiq. The company wanted to look for ways that might help save money through reduced call volumes but also wanted to find a way to engage with their traveling, “on-the-go” customers. Aspira knows that customers who are on their way to a campground, setting up a site at the park, or preparing for a day of fishing don’t want to call in and sit on hold to get a question answered.
“You constantly have to think about the customer experience. Messaging lets us engage with customers who are active and mobile. This is the direction that people are going. If you’re not looking at innovating, then you probably aren’t going to get very far.”
~Jessica Himmel, Senior Manager
The Path to Messaging
Aspira securely facilitates nearly 50 million transactions between people and outdoor experiences each year. The process involves fielding over 1 million phone calls to their contact center annually. There could be a many as 250 agents handling calls during the peak season between Memorial Day and Labor Day. During the fall and winter, the number of agents can dip to about 100.
With that call volume, Aspira knew that messaging was a move in the right direction, but wanted to see what would happen in this uncharted territory. The company started with a soft launch that included 3 park locations that Aspira manages in New York, Delaware, and Ohio. Implementation of Quiq Messaging as a standalone platform went smoothly and launched on May 31, 2018.
The new text messaging channel was promoted through Aspira’s private label websites including: MontanaStateParks.ReserverAmerica.com and FloridaStateParks.ReserveAmerica.com. A “Contact Us” button was added to the private label websites showing visitors on desktop computers the phone number to text for questions, and if visitors are on their mobile website, they can text directly from their phone.
Aspira has been surprised at the volume of calls they’ve been able to deflect to the text messaging channel. The company has now added messaging to 14 of their reservation sites and receives about 300 to 400 messages a day. Aspira conducted a survey at the end of every text message conversation and discovered that nearly 70% of the customers who texted would have called in if the “Text Us” option was not available.
Cultivating Connection Through Messaging
Since Aspira manages reservations for many of the most popular state and provincial parks, as well as conservation agencies throughout the US, about half of the inquiries that the company receives in the call center is about campsite availability. Although adventure seekers can go online to ReserveAmerica.com to check availability and reserve a campsite at over 35 camping, fishing, or hunting locations, they would often call to ask if what they saw online was accurate.
With Quiq, instead of calling, customers can connect using their preferred channel: texting. Jessica Himmel, Senior Manager at Aspira, says the company finds it “extremely valuable that we are able to deflect a lot of these calls to the messaging channel. We prefer to text the customers who are just confirming availability because it’s such a quick and easy thing to respond to.”
It’s not just booking availability inquiries that are handled quickly through the messaging channel. A lot of people want to cancel reservations, change dates or site location, while others want to know about facilities and amenities at specific locations. In general, Aspira finds that messaging conversations are a lot shorter and faster than phone calls. Agents have observed that it usually takes just 10 messages back and forth on average to get to a resolution.
The company’s investment to make it easier for customers to engage with their agents is definitely getting a return. Aspira has seen a 4% decrease on the number of calls from their private label sites, as well as a 4% increase in reservations made online. With the volume of calls they receive hovering around a million per year, that’s no small feat.
Customers aren’t the only ones reaping the rewards of messaging. Agents really like being on the messaging channel and there are agents who ask to work that channel. This is great news for Aspira who hopes to increase staff for the messaging channel by 67%. Anytime there are extra hours that need coverage for the SMS/text channel, agents volunteer, due in part to how easy it is to use Quiq’s messaging platform. Agents not only handle multiple, simultaneous conversations at once but can use productivity-enhancing features like snippets to quickly share links to campsites and park policies.
What’s Next
Results like these have Aspira looking for more ways to leverage messaging. To start, Aspira is exploring ways in which they can take payments over messaging, integrate Quiq into their workforce management system to help predict staffing, and expand the messaging channel to more of their contracts. One of the first things the company wants to do is to simply expand the hours messaging is available and supported. The company suspects that a lot of the messages they see come in during off-hours could be handled if messaging was available for just a couple more hours at night.
Looking ahead to tornado, hurricane, and wildfire season, Aspira thinks that an increase in volume due to weather events may be on the horizon. The company anticipates a higher volume of questions such as “Is the park closed?” and “My site is flooded, what do I do?” In fact, Aspira is considering using outbound messaging as a proactive way to notify customers going to a park or location where the weather could adversely affect their reservation. If
Aspira leadership believes it’s an exciting time for messaging and Quiq couldn’t agree more. The number of companies adopting business messaging continues to grow as more consumers demand the convenience, ease, and speed of the messaging channel. From the shopper that needs help with a purchase, to the camper that needs to make sure their dog is allowed at their campsite, messaging has become the preferred channel for our busy lives.
Video: Bots and AI
Bots and AI are a testiment to the investment and focus companies have placed on improving customer experience. No longer technology you’d just see in sci-fi movies. Companies such as Stio and Pier 1 are actively using bots to engage with customers across multiple digital channels and the results have been more than impressive.
Implementing a bot strategy across your organization doesn’t have to be overwhelming. At Quiq, we believe bots should seamlessly integrate into your current workflow, and work with your human agents. View this short video to see why implementing bots with Quiq Messaging can directly impact your ROI for the better. Schedule a demo today.
AFPA Provides First Class Member Service with Messaging
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) is the largest independent flight attendant union in the US. The organization, based in Texas, serves over 27,000 members who work for American Airlines and reside all over the world.
The nature of their profession requires members to spend a good portion of their time in transit. Members may be sitting at the back of delayed planes, waiting for flights at the airport, or riding in vans being shuttled from one place to another when they may need information. APFA, run by flight attendants themselves, fully understands the mobile nature of their membership, which is why they sought and found a better, more mobile way to engage with their members through Quiq.
“As we were evolving, so was our membership. We wanted to stay ahead of the tech curve and meet them where they are by using their favorite way to communicate.”
~Erik Harris, National Contract Chair
The Shift to Messaging
Prior to implementing Quiq, flight attendants were reaching out to AFPA primarily through phone and email. In 2018, the entire union handled over 33,000 calls spread out across 31 representatives. Calls regarding sick leave, vacation, rescheduling, and transfers are still the most common for the reps who each handle an average of 30-50 calls per day.
The organization also implemented live chat as another channel of engagement but was dissatisfied with having to switch between the live chat platform, a Facebook window, Twitter, and their own internal systems to help members
APFA chose to switch to Quiq because it allows them to serve their members on multiple platforms in one unified desktop
APFA chose to switch to Quiq because it allows them to serve their members on multiple platforms in one unified desktop. APFA leadership especially likes that reps can easily handle every incoming message because no matter how, over which channel, the flight attendant connects with APFA, it all comes into the same place and is handled the same way by the rep.
The ability to add text messaging was one of the biggest selling points to selecting Quiq. The organization’s leadership recognized there was a shift to mobile communications that was perfectly suited to their member’s on-the-go lifestyle.
The organization integrated Quiq into their existing website and customized the look with some additional coding. Afterward, they found a night to train their reps who live across multiple time zones. Reps have found the platform easy to use and intuitive, which is critical for a team that rotates out on a monthly basis. When reps return to the headquarters after weeks or months, they waste zero time relearning Quiq’s messaging platform.
To let their members know about their availability on these new channels, APFA promoted messaging in multiple ways. The organization sent an email to the union’s 25,000 email subscribers, posted a message on their Facebook page, added copy to their website, and asked leadership to share the news with their respective bases. Immediately, the contact center received feedback from members who “love the convenience of being able to text in” and shared delighted messages like “OMG I’m so glad I can finally text you.”
Video: Shopify store – Conversational Commerce
Your customers are already using their cell phone, computer, or tablet to browse your Shopify store. Why not give them the mobile experience they’ve come to expect. Quiq Messaging makes pre-sales support and post-sales service fast, convenient, and easy. Help customers find and select products all within a messaging conversation.
Watch this short video to see how Shopify retailers can use messaging. From completing transactions to shipping notifications, to give their customers a seamless shopping experience. That’s the power of conversational commerce. Schedule a demo today to see how easy it is to integrate Quiq into your Shopify store.
Is AR Chat the New Retail Battleground?
Augmented reality or AR has been growing in popularity and has continued to evolve, even since the days of Google Glass and Pokémon Go. Technology has progressed enough to make AR available on mobile phones and ripe for commerce. Retailers are taking advantage of the popularity of messaging to offer conversational commerce to consumers. Now, retailers are combining messaging with the advances of AR to create yet another innovative way to engage with consumers called AR Chat.
The use of text messaging via SMS, Facebook Messenger, and web chat is on the rise as consumers look for more convenient ways to engage with their favorite brands. In this post, we’ll take a look at how messaging has become a retail must-have and discuss what kind of impact AR will have on the messaging movement.
AR Chat – A Must-Have Retail Tool
Messaging has been changing the face of commerce. This hasn’t been a stealth transition by any means. Consumers have been forthcoming about their need for more convenient ways to engage with companies.
Frustration with today’s channels has played out with consumers screaming into their cell phones at hold music, and repeatedly pressing zero to get out of phone tree purgatory when they need help from a retailer. In the worst case, consumers don’t bother to pick up the phone or write an email and instead jump sites to choose a retailer that is easier to do business with.
Savvy retailers have recognized AR Chat as an opportunity; offering interactions on more convenient, mobile channels such as SMS and social media. Two-way engagement with customers on messaging platforms such as social media has been a focus for retailers as shoppers turn to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, not only to discuss things among their community, but to engage with brands as well.
Digital engagement isn’t just taking place on social media platforms and isn’t just seen as a novel, one-time thing. In the report, The Future of Customer Conversations, research shows that 65 percent of consumers have engaged with brands over SMS or messaging apps, while 70 percent have done so at least twice in the previous month.
Retailers’ strategy to use digital channels to increase engagement has paid off in big ways. Offering digital channels has made it easy for consumers to handle pre-sales questions and post-sales service with the touch of a button. These asynchronous conversations happen anywhere and anytime that is convenient for the consumer. From increasing conversion rates to improving customer satisfaction and driving repeat customers, messaging has been a win for both consumers and brands.
Uniting AR and Messaging for a Better Customer Experience
While messaging is already a highly personalized experience for consumers, AR Chat enhances the shopping experience by adding an additional layer of personalization and customization. With AR, shoppers can view objects, like a chair or rug in their living room, allowing them to “try before they buy”.
According to AR Insider, as more and more consumers interact with brands through messaging, augmented reality will help them visualize a product, bring more dimension to the conversation, and increase sales. Some brands, like design and home renovation company, Houzz, credits AR for increased engagement with their products. According to an article in Techcrunch, AR helped increase dwell time, with users spending 2.7 times more in the app compared to those who did not use AR.
Increased engagement onsite or in-app translates to a consumer who is more heavily vested in your product. In fact, Houzz credits AR for an 11% increase in a consumer’s likelihood to buy. The convenience of messaging, coupled with the personalization of AR leads to an increase in sales.
Enhanced Messaging for Retailers with Quiq
Quiq supports a number of enterprise retailers, such as Overstock.com, Pier 1, Tailored Brands, and Office Depot to name a few. These particular retailers are a perfect example of how brands can take full advantage of all that messaging can provide. These etailers have implemented messaging and have increased efficiency, improved engagement, and made substantial impacts to their bottom line because of it.
For example, both Overstock and Office Depot offer Apple Business Chat on the Quiq business messaging platform. This rich messaging channel allows these retailers to present their products in ways that go beyond simple SMS/text exchanges, including the ability to engage AR within a messaging conversation. Rich messaging enables brands to present product pickers, schedule appointments, and process payments all within the messaging conversation.
With Quiq, messaging conversations are transaction-enabled, meaning customers can browse and buy products, all without leaving the conversation. Customers have a seamless experience on the channel they prefer.
Quiq’s retail clients have quickly realized the value of messaging for customer experience and have been reaping the financial benefits that conversational commerce provides. Join some of the most successful brands in their use of messaging. Schedule a demo with Quiq to explore how our platform can enhance your brand experience.
Video: Authentication and Payments
Accessing financial records, certain account information, and other sensitive data requires you to authenticate your customer’s identity. Quiq enables you to authenticate your customer’s identity without asking them to leave the messaging experience across all of our supported channels.
View this short video to see how you can even complete transactions with the confidence of having an authenticated customer. Let’s get started. Schedule a demo today.
Video: Asynchronous Conversation
Offering asynchronous conversation to your customers let’s them engage with you when it’s convenient for them on the digital channels that matter to them the most. Deliver real-time service for asynchronous conversations across all of Quiq’s supported channels from web chat, Facebook, Apple Business Chat, and more. Quiq’s desktop provides a single view of these channels for employees along with advanced features that provide insights, like icons that alert the agent of the customer’s sentiment, for a more successful conversation.
Manage customer conversations across multiple digital channels with the efficiency you need to keep your contact center running smoothly and your customers happy. View this short video to see how Quiq makes multi-channel business messaging easy and efficient for your company and customers. We’re waiting to answer any questions you have. Schedule a demo today.
The Future of Digital Channels for Business Messaging
A couple of years ago, we were focused on educating the market on messaging and if messaging was right for their company. Fast forward to today and we’re working with over 120 clients such as Overstock.com, Pier 1, and Brinks Home Security. These brands have improved customer interactions with connected conversations and they are setting a new standard for the customer experience.
Messaging will continue to shape the way companies and customers engage as a growing number of consumers expect companies to be available through multiple digital channels. New research reveals that 70% of consumers have communicated with a business over text messaging or webchat 2 or more times in the last month.
The accessibility of messaging has been the primary driver for consumers adopting text as a preferred method to contact a company. As we mentioned in our post “7 Reasons Why Customers Want to Text You”, 97% of smartphone owners regularly use text messaging, making it the most widely-used basic feature or app.
The proliferation of smartphones, tablets, apps, and social networking has brought us to our current reality, where consumers readily look for and expect messaging as an option to engage with a company. It’s the convenience, faster response, ease, and familiarity that makes these digital channels the preferred way to engage.
Download a complimentary copy of “The Future of Customer Conversations”. You’ll get a deeper look into consumer expectations around messaging and how your company can prepare to seize this opportunity.
Podcast: Is Messaging the Next Brand Channel?
Today’s digital and mobile environment is driving customer preferences to quickly evolve and affect how consumers choose to engage with brands. The capabilities of messaging are rapidly advancing to give brands more ways to have rich and meaningful conversations with their customers.
Quiq’s CEO, Mike Myer, is featured on this Heard on the Street podcast episode of StreetFight with Mike Boland. Listen in and hear them discuss how they are seeing brands adopt and use messaging, as well as why messaging becoming the primary channel of communication for brands may be closer than it seems.
LISTEN TO THIS INFORMATIVE PODCAST
Apple Business Chat Gains Popularity in Contact Centers
Learn how Brinks Home Security’s contact center is taking advantage of rich messaging with Apple Business Chat to set themselves apart and to set the standard for customer experience in their industry. The latest iOS update streamlines access for Apple Business Chat from any clickable phone number. Learn why business messaging is gaining popularity in the contact center space.
Read this TechTarget article:
Apple contact center chat adds rich media, improved UX
Apple iOS Feature Chat Suggest Brings Messaging to Google Search
Brinks Home Security speaks about their decision to use Chat Suggest, a game-changing new iOS13 Apple Business Chat feature. Chat Suggest makes it even easier for consumers to message with businesses directly by providing the option to ‘Message’ after clicking the business phone number from within Google Search results.
Read more about how this new feature is changing the way businesses and consumer engage and how Brinks is leading the way in digital customer engagement.
Read this MediaPost article:
Brinks Taps Apple iOS Chat Feature On Google Search
Quiq’s Business Messaging Platform
Why Use Quiq?
Create a personalized experience for your customers across all of the digital channels they already use. Channels like SMS /Text messaging, Live Chat, Facebook, Twitter, and your own app are the places your customers already spend their time. With all of these combined into a single business messaging platform, you can make it easy to engage with your company.
View the short video above to see how Quiq is transforming customer conversations. Then let’s talk so we can show you what this would look like for your business!
Podcast: How Asynchronous Messaging Is Disrupting Customer Communications
“It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.”
Customer communications are changing and moving beyond traditional phone and email channels to an asynchronous messaging channel. In listening to this conversation, the future of the contact center is clear: “You can either be an early adopter or a follower.”
Quiq’s CEO, Mike Myer, is featured on this Execs in the Know podcast episode of Customer Driven with Chad McDaniel. Listen in and hear them discuss the following:
– Shift in preference of consumer adoption within self-service channels
– Which industries are successfully adopting these technologies
– Complex transactions and messaging channels
– Is it better to be an early adopter?
LISTEN TO THIS INFORMATIVE PODCAST
How Asynchronous Messaging Is Disrupting Customer Communications