Benbria has launched Blazeloop, a customer engagement platform that revolves around one pointed question aimed at the consumer: How did we do?
The theory behind the Web-based app is that most customers do not take the trouble to complain about little things — but it is those very little things that can drive them away.
In the case of a restaurant, perhaps the food was not quite as warm as it should have been, explained Tony Busa, director of marketing at Benbria. At a retail outlet, possibly the line to check out was too long.
A Real-Time Complaint, a Real-Time Response
The point is that the customer has a chance to inform the front-line manager — that is, the person who is actually at the store — when the problem occurs, Busa told CRM Buyer.
“Our key value proposition is to capture in real time on-the-spot customer feedback from a variety of mobile online sources,” he said.
These sources could be a poster with a QR code that the customer scans, or a text message sent to the customer’s cellphone with a URL or a kiosk located on-site.
The customer is asked basic questions from a list of categories, which basically boil down to whether the service or product was acceptable. The answers are then routed to the manager’s email box or smartphone.
“He or she can respond back to the customer in real time and offer something to fix the issue or otherwise respond,” Busa said.
The application also monitors social media for complaints or compliments.
It is different from typical customer surveys, which tend to have several questions and don’t give the consumer the chance to vent until the very end, where there is a text box provided for additional comments, Busa said.
Fringe Benefits
The application offers other advantages as well, Busa continued. It can be a boost for staff when customers respond favorably — and they do so far more often than they make negative comments.
“I would say about 80 percent of the feedback users receive is positive,” said Busa.
The application can also act as “eyes on the ground” for regional managers who have to monitor many stores or outlets. For example, one regional manager saw a customer complaint about a store’s hours, Busa recalled. As it turned out, the store’s staff was closing early without permission, which the manager learned via the complaint.
Blazeloop doesn’t replace the social media teams that so many companies have put in place to make sure their reputations remain pristine online, Busa concluded, but it does fill a gap that companies have, even with those teams in place.
“Social media teams provide a band-aid solution when they offer an apology or a coupon to appease a customer,” he said. “Blazeloop routes customer feedback to the right people at the right location so they can actually fix the problem.”
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