In the competitive pet food industry, success is contingent upon the ability to connect and engage with consumers, if not the most critical factor.
According to the American Pet Products Association, pet food and treats accounted for $58.1 billion of the $136.8 billion spent on canines in the United States in 2022.
Freshpet, a supplier of fresh food for cats and canines, has rapidly established itself as a prominent player in the rapidly growing pet food industry. Its products are available in 22,000 stores across the United States, including refrigerated aisles at Walmart, Petsmart, Petco, and Whole Foods.
Although this growth and expansion attract a significant number of new customers, it also results in an increase in the number of consumer inquiries and queries. Staying ahead of the competition in the pet food industry necessitates promptly responding to those inquiries and establishing and maintaining consumer trust and loyalty.
Freshpet’s pursuit of a more effective approach to delivering high-touch service to consumers, whom the brand refers to as “parents,” is significantly influenced by these inquiries. Simultaneously, Freshpet sought to optimize workflow processes, monitor each inquiry, and achieve complete visibility into each parent conversation.
The brand required a consumer engagement solution that would enable it to interact with pet caregivers and address their inquiries on the communication channel of their choice.
Every retailer and consumer-facing brand is focused on establishing stronger customer relationships, as a significant proportion of consumers, 73%, will abandon a brand after experiencing a negative experience, according to the third annual “Consumer Insights about Customer Service” survey conducted by OnePoll by TCN Inc.
Removing sources of discomfort
Lisa Diehl, Freshpet’s consumer care director, also aimed to reduce the waiting time for a live agent interaction.
“They [pet parents] have numerous inquiries regarding their pet’s diet and value a thoughtful, punctual response.” In an email interview, she stated that the primary pain points that needed to be addressed were the reduction of consumer support call volumes and the reduction of wait periods to communicate with one of our live agents.
Diehl wanted an intuitive interface where the team could manage multiple consumer conversations at the same time across digital channels — social channels, SMS, text and the chat function on Freshpet’s website.
“Providing high-touch service to our valued pet parents is our top priority — we needed a consumer engagement solution that allowed us to meet our pet parents on their preferred channel,” according to her.
The consumer care team was required to undergo a restructuring in order to concentrate on each component of consumer relationships, including care, community, and self-service, as outlined in the strategy plan. Additionally, technology was necessary to advance that strategy.
Selecting the appropriate resolution
Freshpet selected Emplifi’s Service Cloud and implemented a FAQ chatbot, “Scout,” that autonomously “retrieves” responses to numerous fundamental inquiries that would have previously necessitated the attention of a team member.
“Consequently, our consumer care team members, who are highly skilled, are able to allocate a greater amount of their one-on-one time to addressing more intricate consumer inquiries.” Diehl stated, “We are not only achieving a significantly higher level of performance, but we have also established the foundation to expand our consumer engagement initiatives as the Freshpet brand expands.”
According to Diehl, the brand had been collaborating with Emplifi in some capacity since 2016. Emplifi is a consumer engagement platform that is propelled by AI technology.
“It wasn’t until 2022 that we deployed Emplifi Service Cloud’s full capabilities to serve as a ‘anchor platform’ for the consumer care team,” according to her.
Emplifi’s team promptly comprehended Freshpet’s consumer care requirements due to their extensive partnership.
“They also clearly demonstrated how the Emplifi Service Cloud could capture and track contextual consumer data across every touch point we utilize — voice, email, chatbots, social posts, SMS messages, and more,” Diehl commented.
Scout assists Freshpet in the automation of a variety of inquiries.
“For example, Emplifi Knowledge, the technology that underpins the platform’s customer management capabilities, helps guide interactions with up-to-the-second consumer information, enabling every member of the Freshpet consumer care team to provide empathic responses that show we understand and care about our community of pet parents,” said Diehl.
“It gives us the tools we need to stay in front of our consumers and has turned our social channels into impactful consumer care communication channels.”
Zarnaz Arlia, CMO of Emplifi, stated in an email interview that over 20,000 brands, including McDonald’s, Ford Motor Company, and Delta Air Lines, depend on Emplifi to provide connected, empathetic experiences for the contemporary consumer in the areas of commerce, marketing, and care.
“Emplifi offers all the necessary tools and user interfaces for brands to self-serve on any channel.” Arlia stated that the marketing and IT group can easily integrate the bot widget into their website, social media messaging platforms, and other channels, such as mobile applications, by adding a few lines of code to their channels. She also mentioned that Emplifi clients have complete control over the bot tool’s appearance, voice, and content.
She also mentioned that the platform offers a machine learning tool that simplifies maintenance, and that the non-technical tools facilitate the addition or editing of existing content for brands.
“It demonstrates that the administrator provides real-time information regarding the content that customers are seeking.” You construct what customers require and desire. This instrument provides invaluable insights that revolutionize the way you maintain your system’s accuracy.
Wins are achieved through deployment.
Freshpet experienced substantial growth within three months of its deployment:
97% of customer inquiries submitted via the automated messaging feature on Freshpet’s website were satisfactorily resolved in real time without the involvement of the consumer care team.
The quantity of inquiries that consumer care agents were required to respond to decreased by 39%. The consumer care team was able to concentrate on high-priority consumer issues that required a human contact, while the chatbot addressed any inquiries that could be readily resolved by Scout.
A 29% decrease in wait times for customers who required the assistance of a live consumer care agent.
Diehl stated that Scout has had a “substantial impact” on consumer care initiatives, resulting in improved outcomes and a more streamlined CX strategy. He also characterized the technology as a “win-win” for both Freshpet and its customers.
“We are of the opinion that the foundation of establishing enduring relationships is the provision of exceptional customer service.” The Freshpet consumer’s voyage is not limited to the act of making a purchase. She stated, “They are serving as caregivers, and the brand they select must be professional, credible, and sympathetic to their requirements as pet owners.”
She further stated that the market’s fierce competition is contingent upon exceptional consumer service.
“We cannot afford to overlook a consumer’s conversation solely because they transitioned from Twitter to Instagram.” It is imperative that our consumer care team be capable of delivering transparent and unambiguous communications through all channels. Reporting the appropriate issues is of paramount importance to our organization, as it enables us to foster new relationships and maintain a high level of consumer retention, in addition to facilitating seamless consumer communications.
Diehl’s recommendation to other retailers and brands that are interested in addressing comparable issues is to first recognize that consumer strategy is crucial and should be consistent with the organization’s overarching strategies.
“After determining your destination, examine the resources required to reach it.” Additionally, my primary focus was on comprehending our consumer demographics. Diehl stated that the younger Millennials, Gen Z, and the Alphas who follow them all reside in a digital universe. “It is an integral component of their upbringing.” Ensure that your future consumer strategies are consistent with this in order to establish a foundation for success.