Experience case study: FreshBooks

     FreshBooks is by far, one of my favorite examples for a company that gets it. They live and breathe customer service and mandate that everyone, at every level, engage with customers to stay connected with them. In doing so, everything from sales, marketing, and also product development, stay on track with what their customers really need and want.

     How FreshBooks Listens:

• Comments on its blogs
• Google alerts
• Created a hosted forum, which is very active
• They answer their phones…no automated attendant
• Twitter
• Customer dinners
• Attending conferences where their customers go

     According to Michael McDerment of Freshbooks, “Since day one of FreshBooks operation there has been a mandate to over serve FreshBooks customers. A customer service department was formed before even a marketing team. That original mandate has carried on today with all the same principles.”

     Real Support and staying tapped in! Every member of the FreshBooks team,

from the CEO to the Developers to the Marketing Department also doubles as

the support team.

     Real World Relationships! FreshBooks communicates with customers through their blog, forums, Twitter, a Newsletter called the FRESHBOOKS SUPPER CLUB, the real word version of the FreshBooks Supper Club. Basically any time someone from FB travels we take a group of customers out for a nice dinner for no reason other than to hang out and get to know them.

     Make customers part of the PR process. Feature them regularly on the blog and through other promotional materials.

     FreshBooks takes a “Treat people the way you want to be treated” philosophy because they feel that if the people are happy inside theirs walls, they will convey that happiness and excitement to their customers, and in turn, their customers will share that goodness with others.

     FreshBooks takes customer service on the road and is renting an RV in February and driving from Miami to Texas to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with customers. The idea of this came from the fact that they are attending two conferences (Future of Web Apps and South By South West) that are a week apart. Instead of flying, they’re driving and making key stops along the way to meet customers in their cities, host BBQs, and generally just show them that they’re important.

     Results: Freshbooks went from a 98% referral rate in 2006 to an unbelievable 99% referral rate in 2007.

     Source: Customer service: the art of listening and engagement through Social Media (Brian Solis and Becky Carroll) e-book