How Ask.com Revolutionized its Customer Experience

Born on the Internet, Ask.com inhabits a medium notorious for attracting complaints and fostering lofty customer service expectations. In order to meet the escalating demands of its growing, vocal and global customer base, transformation was needed.

In this exclusive interview with CMIQ’s Shawn Siegel, Ask.com’s Eric McKirdy reveals how he led that revoluation–and how the changes have meaningfully impacted the business.

You can next hear from McKirdy at the upcoming Future Call Center Summit. The complete agenda and event details are now available:

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Can you discuss the overall customer service transformation you led since joining Ask.com in 2010?

As a top U.S. internet site, Ask was in need of an updated customer care program to bridge the gap between the company’s focus and commitment to its users and the lacking customer service platform that stood in the way of delivering the kind of service its users deserve. After analyzing the previous CRM technologies, processes and strategies with a critical eye, I implemented an “all hands on deck” approach that reshaped the attitude of the entire organization toward a unified customer service experience that not only includes a technology overhaul but also extends to every employee. Outdated and inefficient methods and technologies were replaced with modern, mobile, consumer-centric solutions and practices. The new methods and technologies successfully rebuilt Ask.com’s customer service department and reinvigorated the entire organization to the belief that customer experience is a company-wide responsibility. Additionally, we empowered our users with convenient self-service, complemented with responsive, personalized care.

The results have changed the dynamic of the customer care team at Ask and how the company values the company-wide role of brand ambassador. Furthermore, consumer brand perception has dramatically changed since the overhaul of customer experience best practices and technologies. More specifically, Ask.com saw the following changes:

• Response times that used to take 8-9 hours are down to 2 hours
• A 75% increase in customers utilizing content available in the improved online help center
• An overall reduction in the number of help tickets submitted by 60% in the first two months of implementation

Do you have any tips (or pitfalls to avoid) you can share with customer service executives who are also trying to implement major changes?

Even though we’re moving toward an increasingly automated world, Customer Care is one area that still requires a personal touch. It’s easy to opt for auto-replies to emails, but you have to consider the impact you’re having on your brand. Your customer care team is often the ONLY interaction your customer will have with your company and 1on1 or a customized experience will almost always swing brand perception in your favor, leading to happier and repeat customers.

What type of changes were needed to account for Ask.com’s multi-generational customer base?

Ask.com users are literally internet users, age 13 years and older – that’s quite the demographic! With more than 100 million global monthly visitors we understand that every user has their own preference for communicating with us. When we revamped our customer care platform, we made sure we selected a platform that gives us and our users options. Our new customer care platform now allows for the type of personal and customized approach that we want to deliver to our users. More traditional users prefer to reach us via phone or email while others prefer contacting us through Twitter. Others just want to find the information they’re looking for on our Help Center and FAQs and move on with their day – especially mobile users. We’re proud to say that we’ve found and implemented a solution that addresses these needs AND will let us scale and offer even more options, like chat and video, in the future.

Do customer service agents receive any special training to handle this wide-ranging customer base?

When we look for customer care agents, we recognize that anyone can be taught to type or answer the phone and read a script. Instead, what we look for are representatives that truly understand people, that have the self-confidence and personality to connect with a customer and, ultimately, be the brand’s voice. No matter the industry, your company creates a value proposition enticing customers to invest in your product. However, there is a frequently missed opportunity in considering customer/technical support as part of the product’s value proposition. An awesome product is fine, but not having equally awesome support to build brand loyalty can be devastating. Therefore, companies don’t need to merely hire support staff; they must invest in support professionals who understand how to sell a brand. This may cost a little more in salary, but the long-term value of low turnover and high brand value yield more than offset the difference. Once we’ve found the right candidate, we go through more traditional training processes including introduction to our products and customer care platform.