Timbuk2's iconic messenger bags are made for people on the go and the planet thanks to the product's durability and Timbuk2's repurposing and repairs program that stops unused bags from ending up in landfills.

On top of sustainability, Timbuk2's brand is committed to superior customer experience and convenient customer service. The customer service team uses multiple communication channels (like SMS, email and phone) to coordinate on-site shoppers, Amazon shoppers, their warranty department, their repairs department, and more. Unfortunately, communication between all of these channels and departments was disjointed and decentralized.

Gorgias recently sat down with Joseph Piazza, Timbuk2's Senior Customer Experience Manager to understand how Gorgias helps them centralize their customer service, reduce their response time by 96% and improve customer satisfaction by 10% during peak shopping season — all of which helps the team drive 35% more revenue.

The challenge: Slow, decentralized customer service blocked sales

Previously it took the Timbuk2 team two business days to reply to a customer inquiry, "which wasn't acceptable," Joseph said. The helpdesk they previously used, Zendesk, didn't support SMS or chat, and the team needed to swap between multiple platforms to talk with customers. The team also used another tool to track CSAT — "Basically, it was like an extension cord with multiple products plugging into it," Joseph explained.

Working in customer service for over 20 years, Joseph understood the consequence of this decentralized customer service system for customers and the brand. 66% of customers expect an immediate response to their questions, according to HubSpot. And PwC reports that 32% of customers will leave a brand after just one bad experience, meaning slow response times likely prevented sales for Timbuk2.

That's why Joseph started looking for a better platform to unify service and create a seamless experience for customers who reach out to support.

The solution: Centralized, automated, and templated customer support

Thanks to helpful onboarding processes and knowledge base, Joseph and the Timbuk2 team had an easy time setting up and adopting Gorgias to improve their customer service.

"When I first met the Gorgias team, they were super interested in our success and efficiency. I felt like they actively listened to what I wanted and what my team needed, and what our customers needed. That's what really sold me."

- Joseph Piazza, Senior Customer Experience Manager, Timbuk2

A few features are particularly helpful for the Timbuk2 team:

• The centralized helpdesk unified customer conversations from every channel
• Automated Rules respond to repetitive questions, freeing agents to spend more time on high-impact tickets
• Templated Macros that pull customer information from Shopify help agents handle tickets more efficiently

First, Gorgias unified conversations from all customers in one helpdesk, including customers who email, call, text or DM the brand on social media. This saves Timbuk2's agents hours every week by eliminating tab shuffling and copy-pasting. Gorgias also has built-it customer satisfaction surveys, eliminating yet another tool Timbuk2 previously used.

Second, Timbuk2 used rules to automatically respond to common queries like "Where is my order?" or "How do I return an order?" Gorgias' intent detection scans every ticket and automatically responds with pre-built, personalized Macro template — more on those below.

"For many brands, there is a fear of losing current staff when using automation. But with automation, we can actually do more with less. Using automation definitely relieves our pressure from being a small team and going into overtime over the holidays or at any given time we have a sale."

- Joseph Piazza, Senior Customer Experience Manager, Timbuk2

When a ticket makes it to an agent, agents use Macros to move more efficiently, too. Macros includes variables like [Customer name], [Last order number], and [Shipping address], which automatically populate with customer information from your ecommerce platform.

Timbuk2 also uses Gorgias' chat campaigns to drive sales by proactively reaching out to customers who spend time on a product page. "It'll help conversion because when customers are scrolling through the PDP (product detail page) and trying to find information, they can use the chat to ask questions immediately, and a live person will respond. It's direct communication that gives the customer instant information they need to make a buying decision. Using chat also allows us to decrease email conversations."

The result: 96% faster responses and 35% more revenue

Gorgias' centralized, automation-powered platform reduced Timbuk2's average response time from two business days when they were still using Zendesk to just to two hours. Even during their peak season, they could keep up with 50% higher ticket volume without letting response times slip. Customer satisfaction reflects this new-and-improved customer experience: Since introducing Gorgias, Timbuk2's CSAT score rose by 10%, from 80 to 90.

Thanks to efficient customer service and proactive chat campaigns to increase conversions, Timbuk2 increased revenue by 35% — a clear reflection of the connection between customer experience and revenue.

"Increased customer support should go hand in hand with revenue growth. We want to turn customer experience into a profit center and we have more opportunities to grow with Gorgias."

- Joseph Piazza, Senior Customer Experience Manager, Timbuk2