Ecommerce operations usually think that, when it comes to customer service, they have to pick between human interaction and productivity. Given the fact that customers keep adding to the list of different channels where they expect to get a company’s response (e.g. social media, phone call, chat services), you’d be forgiven for the pessimism. Nevertheless, Usedesk, the winner of the first edition of the VTEX Accelerator, thinks it has found a balance that will please both companies and consumers.
“Our aim is to build a human-like interaction between companies and clients, without forgetting the essence of the technology being used behind it. One of the main things that we want is to provide a way for companies to have constant feedback that will allow them to grow better, while allowing clients to feel happier with the product and the experience.”
Johnatan Santos, Sales Manager at Usedesk
When you’re not the only one having the same problem
In 2014 Sergey Budyakov, founder of Usedesk, was working at another company in customer service and found it hard to interact with all the clients contacting him through different communication channels. This was making clients unhappy while also putting a burden on the sales team.
This led to the design and first implementation of Usedesk, a tool that Budyakov developed while working at the company and that helped him and the sales team use only one window to connect with clients, no matter where they were coming from. This change prompted shorter response times and unified the client experience across all platforms.
As the number of users grew, the team behind Usedesk analyzed other platforms and potential competitors and realized that, while some of them offered similar functionalities, none of them offered the whole package, especially when it came to the “personal touch”.
“That’s what we’re targeting in the market, and that’s how we conquered Russia: because we’re close to our clients and want to know what they need and how they are treating their clients. We want to understand the B2C connections that happen when using Usedesk, how this has led to improvements in the companies and how we could also do better.”
Johnatan Santos, Sales Manager at Usedesk
The challenge of B2B2C
Santos agrees that monitoring the B2C relationship between Usedesk’s clients and the end-users is much more complicated than Usedesk simply tending to its customers. Nonetheless, the company has found a tested way to drive changes that grow the tools’ impact even more.
“We have webinars, seminar and conferences where we gather clients and listen to them regarding the tools and features they need, where we tell them about our new additions, too, and listen them talk about their experience, which translates into a learning environment not just for us, but for other clients, as well.”
Johnatan Santos, Sales Manager at Usedesk
The approach has proved successful. Usedesk’s clients usually see a 30% decrease in the time allocated to responding and closing a ticket, precious time saved for both the client and its customers. This also translates into anywhere between 60 and 90 free minutes for the team, compared to their schedule before adopting the tool.
These numbers, of course, are flexible, and depend on how much each company wants to rely on artificial intelligence instead of a personal approach to each message. Even then, the fact that Usedesk is the only tool where you don’t have to switch between windows is a big advantage over its competitors.
Finding the right partners
Usedesk has already conquered the Russian market and is now aiming to grow its presence in other territories. This can be hard for a start-up, and Santos highlights that they were eager to find the right partner to help in this growth.
“The beginning was not that easy because clients didn’t know what Usedesk was and we didn’t have the market’s trust. We used to offer the platform for free because we were so sure that companies would like it and we could take away the idea that they might be ‘hurt’ by the adoption.”
Johnatan Santos, Sales Manager at Usedesk
Today the tool still has a trial period, and doesn’t have a lease, which allows clients to cancel anytime and have more control over the solution. Still, an interesting offer might not be all it takes to get big companies’ attention.
In 2020, Usedesk saw the opportunity to be a part of the VTEX Accelerator program, a possibility that was attractive to them not just because of the push itself, but because of who was behind that push.
“When we approached VTEX, we saw that it’s everywhere and it has these very interesting features that help how sellers and marketers around the world are doing their job today. And this is revolutionary. We wanted to be revolutionary too, not just in Russia, but everywhere!”
Johnatan Santos, Sales Manager at Usedesk
Usedesk rose as one of the winners of the VTEX Accelerator’s first edition and now offers its solution in the VTEX App Store. The company is working fast to have its characteristic “human touch” ready to go in other countries where VTEX has presence, especially in Brazil and the rest of Latin America.
Santos says that the Accelerator has driven constant growth inside Usedesk, and it has helped broaden the company’s mind when it comes to what is possible in the near future: “It’s evergrowing and it’s helped us think ‘we can reach the world, so why not go for it?’”. The same mindset has been embraced by other fellow VTEX Accelerator winners like ChatCenter and Photoslurp and it’s bound to guide future applicants and finalists alike. For that, applications to the third edition are now open here until the 14th of November.
