Zip Water Enhances Customer Experience with Vonage Contact Center

Alex Maynard, Customer Success Director at Zip Water said, “As we continued to innovate with our products, we were working with rising customer service demands, while also using outdated technologies within our contact center. We sought a reliable solution to streamline processes and improve interactions. With Vonage’s Contact Center (VCC) and Virtual Assistant (VA) solutions, Zip Water transformed its operations, achieving remarkable results, boosting customer satisfaction and employee productivity.” 

Lost in the Queue

Zip Water found itself grappling with the limitations of legacy desk phones and fragmented Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. Among their key challenges: 

• Outdated systems that restricted flexibility for both employees and customers. 

• Lengthy call wait times, averaging over four minutes, leading to customer frustration and team stress. 

• When employees left the business, Zip Water often faced knowledge gaps and consequently slower onboarding of new employees.

• Disjointed operations led to customers contacting multiple teams for basic inquiries such as price, availability, delivery status, or service scheduling. 

With these challenges, customer service wasn’t just delayed, it struggled to keep pace with Zip Water’s high standards.

Streamlining Service, One Sip at a Time

Maynard continued, “We collaborated with Vonage to implement a suite of solutions designed to optimize customer touchpoints, support scalability, and improve communication effectiveness. Vonage Contact Center provided us with seamless CRM integration, while the Vonage Virtual Assistant  automated routine queries to reduce the load on customer service agents.” 

Vonage provided Zip Water with a flexible softphone system that replaced rigid desk phones, granting employees greater mobility. CRM integration streamlined access to customer data and reduced disjointed interactions, ensuring customer interactions flowed without a hitch. The implementation of Vonage Virtual Assistant provided smart conversations, handling high-frequency,  low-complexity queries to enable reduction in routine inquiries, and allowing agents to focus on more complex customer needs.

A Roadmap to Refreshing Results

The implementation process was designed for maximum impact, beginning with a scoping exercise to identify needs and challenges. From development to go-live, Zip Water worked closely with Vonage to ensure the system aligned with their objectives.

“Working with the Vonage Customer Success team was easy, and they were proactive and supportive along the entire process,” said Maynard. “The team was proactive, offering recommendations and solutions, and even challenging us to think differently about our processes to improve customer service and operational efficiency.” 

“Starting with automating high-frequency inquiries like pricing and delivery updates, our solution was extended to simplify broader service functions,” Maynard continued. “We took a team-centered approach to training and collaboration to ensure seamless adoption, smooth onboarding, and reduced workloads for employees. And analyzing interactions allows us to look for ongoing innovation. These insights help simplify processes, such as streamlining product codes, and further enhancing operational efficiency.”

From Lagging Lines to Lightning-Fast Service

Zip Water saw compelling results that underscored the effectiveness of Vonage’s solutions.

• Lightning Response Times: Average wait times dropped from over four minutes to just  23 seconds.

• Exceeding Expectations: Monthly SLA compliance soared past 90%.

• Empowered Agents, Happier Customers: Automation gave agents time to focus on intricate queries, leading to better customer service and higher job satisfaction, with Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) increasing more than 30 points  year over year. 

• Business Evolution: Insights from automated processes spurred broader organizational improvements, like cleaning up databases and simplifying day-to-day workflows.

Maynard highlighted, “We’ve learned so much from this process. Automation didn’t just lighten our load; it helped us see where we could operate even better. Their support, from account managers to technical teams, helped us shorten wait times, improve processes, and ultimately elevate our customer service."

“With eyes on the horizon, we continue to explore new avenues to connect with customers through omnichannel solutions like two-way messaging and live chat. By aligning with evolving customer preferences, we aim to create an even more seamless communication experience,” Maynard added.

A Refreshing Boost to Customer Communication

Through its partnership with Vonage, Zip Water unlocked a cascade of improvements in customer service, efficiency, and satisfaction. The impressive metrics and impactful changes demonstrate how technology, when strategically applied, can empower businesses to deliver exceptional experiences. As Zip Water dives further into omnichannel capabilities, its collaboration with Vonage sets the tone for continued innovation and excellence in customer service.

Learn how Vonage’s tailored communication solutions can help empower your team and deliver exceptional customer experiences.