Service, the LA-based customer service startup that recently closed a $3.1M seed round, just launched its iOS app.
As a refresher, Service acts as an intermediary between disappointed customers and businesses. For example, instead of a customer having to fill out a generic complaint form for an airline or retailer they contact Service, who have dedicated support staff to contact the company and attempt to resolve their issue.
Before today, cases were initiated via Service’s website, and customers could then either communicate with their personal problem solver via a web interface or email. Now, Service’s iOS app will allow customers to do this all from their mobile devices.
Michael Schneider, founder and CEO of Service, explained that a native app will allow users to more easily upload photos and documentation of their cases, as well as subscribe to push notifications to stay up to date on the progress of their case.
Schneider also hinted at using location services to eventually proactively offer help depending on a users location – I.E after an airport trip or hotel stay.
Speaking of travel, Service’s top three categories for help requests are travel, telecommunications, and retail. The holiday season is a time when most of us frequently travel and shop, which is why the young startup rushed to released the app before the holidays.
In terms of retention, the company says about 25 percent of users have come back and used Service more than once. When asked if this high retention rate suggests that Service is just making it easier for people to complain, Schneider said that the service is instead acting as an alternative to public feedback sites such as Yelp and Twitter. The result is that brands get to avoid the long-term brand damage of angry social media posts, while customers have a better chance at actually getting some resolve from the issue.
Interestingly, the company is also starting to develop direct relationships with companies like Uber and GoDaddy, where they are directly plugged into a higher level support channel. This strategy seems to be working, as the company has saved its users over $250,000 in its first six months.
Service is available for download now on the iOS App Store.