Planner 5D is one of the most popular home improvement platforms available on mobile devices and laptops. Its purpose is to make home design available and painless, even for non-professionals. The platform allows users to conceive their dream project - draw floor plans, decorate the space, create a realistic 3D visualization, and even hire an interior designer and find furniture to buy. Users get riveting features, a vast catalog of in-app items, and a welcoming community where they can get advice and find inspirational examples.

One of the main perks of the platform is advanced technological solutions that are integrated in its frame. For example, the app allows you to upload an analog floor plan, and a specially trained AI will transform it into an editable 3D project. The app can also automatically arrange furniture and use AR to project your design in real size.

At the same time, developers lay stress on the friendly interface of the app and its intuitive use. Their aim is to make the user experience effortless and satisfying at all stages of the customer journey.

This was also the developers’ main requirement when they hired the Ansvery team to support the Planner 5D’s users. Customer service's objective was to improve the overall user experience and prevent churn.

In order to do that, our team approached customer experience from two sides. We paid close attention both to the customer-facing part of support and the "backend” workflows that do not involve direct communication with the users.

Customer-facing part of customer support

In order to provide the best possible experience, we identified the most crucial points in customers' communication with the product where they could require assistance with the app.

• Onboarding (when the user is still deciding if they are going to use the app and any difficulties can result in churn).

• Using the app to achieve a certain goal (when a user is trying to realize their creative ideas through the app. If users face regular technical difficulties, they are likely to become disappointed and uninstall).

• Making a purchase (when a user is ready to become committed to the app. Issues with payment transactions can cause maximum frustration and sow distrust).

• Using AI (when a user tries enticing new technology to achieve a promised result. Issues with AI affect the whole effectiveness of the app and may cause deep disappointment).

• Exploring new updates (when a user is trying a new feature. If they fail for some reason, it may affect loyalty, especially in paying customers).

The common denominator here is that if customers face problems on any of these stages, they may stop using the product. It is also possible that they will not simply churn but also become vocal detractors, driving away potential new customers.

To avoid that, Ansvery, together with the developers, have created a strategy of effective communication between users and customer service.

1 - Response Time less than 5 minutes

This allows support to resolve issues before they have caused frustration and shows how much the company cares about their customers' needs.

2 - Flexible and yet straightforward algorithms

With these we can solve problems quickly and efficiently and at the same time provide personalized experience.

3 - Personalization of each response

Customer-tailored communication helps create more positive experience and show that each user is valued.

Our team members are empowered to provide the best possible response to customers. When agents come across an uncommon issue, they apply the “share and care” principle. Often, they use their own initiative and create additional materials - for example, short videos with explanations - that help target and resolve specific issues users bring up.

4 - Proactivity

Proactive support allows support agents to reduce customer effort and anticipate user needs before major issues arise.

Due to perfect alignment between different departments, effective internal communication, and sophisticated alerts within the admin panel interface, agents can register user problems and contact them before they contact support themselves. This allows us to sort out issues at least 12 times faster and impress customers with our genuine commitment to their superior experience.

Backend workflows

In order to improve the customer experience with the app even further, the Ansvery support team assists the client with the internal workings of the app improvement process.

Here's what we do:

• Agents collect and structure data on user issues and then pass that information to the dev team. This way, the сlient can see what users think about features and updates and what else they want from the app.

• The Support team also offers suggestions on improving internal tools to make workflows more efficient, which can ultimately improve user experience.

  One of these suggestions was directed at creating a more effective communication strategy between teams.
  
  Some specialists from the сlient's team, who take part in fixing issues, do not work in the help desk and operate via a task management tool (Jira). On the other hand, support specialists do not have access to the сlient's task management tool. The lack of a common ground made the collaboration more complex and time-consuming.
  
  We've offered a solution: to introduce an automation that links the help desk with the task manager. It is a simple adjustment, and yet it speeds up the process of communicating problems and solutions but does not require anyone to change their usual tools and mode of operation.
  
  As a result, communication speed increased at least 6,5 times. Plus support agents became more immersed in the app improvement process. They understood the сlient's team’s priorities and could coordinate their conversation with customers better.

  
  

• Agents take part in testing new features providing actionable feedback at the earliest stages of feature introduction. This allows the dev team to make positive changes faster and deliver the best quality to the users.

  Our teams study projects they support closely, and it allows agents to see what can be improved to ensure better user experience.
  
  One of the first suggestions that our team introduced concerned a change of sizes of particular objects.
  
  Originally, all dimensions of all objects could be changed independently: a user could choose any length or width of an item.
  
  However, we saw that not all objects benefit from such an option. There are some objects - like baths, urinals, basins, cars, bikes, etc. - that have more or less fixed proportions. And if one of their dimensions becomes too large, the object looks disproportionate and unnatural.
  
  We suggested that in certain objects their dimensions can be changed together, and there is a limit to how much one of the dimensions can be changed.
  
  As a result, it now takes users twice as little time and effort to scale a number of objects in their projects. Also, these items always look natural and it is easier to get a realistic representation of users' ideas.
  
  From the point of view of the сlient, this adjustment helps prevent potential questions and user problems. And the fewer requests there are, the smaller are the support costs.

  
  

• The Ansvery team provides feedback on the quality of the designs produced by the AI, which helps the dev team adjust the app's tech solutions for more comfortable use.

As a result, the Ansvery support team were able to create and now maintain high standards of user experience at every point of contact:

• ensure quality communication with the users that contact support. We provide a short response time, professional but relatable voice and tone, and accuracy of the solutions we deliver.

• reduce customer churn during onboarding by guiding them through the app features.

• act as intermediaries between the сlient and users and partly as UI testers. It allows us to contribute to refining customer interaction workflows and perfecting UI and UX.

This two-sided approach allows the Ansvery team to attain the goal that is so important for the сlient - to make customer experience easy and enjoyable.

In turn, improving customer experience benefits the success of the app in general. It increases user loyalty which leads to a higher LTV. Satisfied customers also leave better reviews, and this increases the app's rating and attracts new users. The app grows and motivates the Planner developers to create new attractive features for aspiring designers.

Valentina Chak
CS Team Lead
Planner 5D

Since we outsourced our first-line support to Ansvery, we have no need to worry about hiring, educating, and managing agents. We've got a reputable vendor who can be flexible when we need flexible, and who stays committed at all times. When it comes to CS standards, we are sticklers for perfection, and in this respect Ansvery fully delivers. The fact that they consistently maintain quick response time helped us move to live chat support without any discomfort to our users. We are in regular contact with Ansvery linear management. They are always ready to cooperate, and their ability to maintain the quality of services make Ansvery a reliable partner.