Get Satisfaction
Encyclopedia
Get Satisfaction is a customer community software platform for technical support
based in San Francisco
, California
, United States. It was founded on January 31, 2007 by several people, including Lane Becker, Amy Muller, Thor Muller, and Jonathan Grubb. It publicly launched in September 2007. The idea for the service originated from Valleyschwag as a side project. When the Valleyschwag service received over 1,500 subscribers, its customer service
requirements increased dramatically. Realizing that customers were actually responding to the issues that other people brought up, the group behind Valleyschwag decided to create the precursor to Get Satisfaction, first named Satisfaction Unlimited, to take advantage of the community's enthusiasm of helping each other. The company describes its product as "people-powered customer service". On the website, anyone can ask a question, submit an idea or complaint, or give praise; all posts can be read by anyone. Companies can respond to issues regarding their products or services; official responses are marked as official answers to separate them from other responses. Users can rate responses based on how well they resolve the issue.
Muller explained in an interview with BusinessWeek
that the website aims to be simple, noting that most customer-service solutions are too complex. He continues by stating that many are reactive instead of proactive, requiring customers to think as if they were an employee or librarian to find their answers. In contrast, Get Satisfaction approaches the problem by helping companies think more like customers. Muller explained, “We want to create a Switzerland for companies and customers, with specific tools that allow people to get answers to their questions. [...] We want the best answers to rise to the top, and not get buried in online discussion forums.” The service, which is free for both companies and users to use, has already begun offering paid service plans to companies including Method Products
, Timbuk2
, Twitter
, and Digg
. Several more companies later joined the platform, including Time Warner Cable
, Verizon, Comcast
, Mozilla
, Mogo Money, Microsoft Hohm, AMC Theatres
, Qantas
, Apple Inc., Dell
, and Facebook
. The company's CEO is Wendy Lea, its CTO is Muller, and its President is Becker. The website, which received an initial round of financing of $1.3 million, receives financing from investors that include First Round Capital
, O'Reilly Alphatech Ventures, and SoftTechVC. In September 2010, the company announced Series A funding of $6 million from Azure Capital Partners with OATV and First Round Capital participating. In March of 2010, Get Satisfaction launched their Facebook application that allows companies and brands to put their customer community on their Facebook page as a tab.
Technical support
Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
based in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States. It was founded on January 31, 2007 by several people, including Lane Becker, Amy Muller, Thor Muller, and Jonathan Grubb. It publicly launched in September 2007. The idea for the service originated from Valleyschwag as a side project. When the Valleyschwag service received over 1,500 subscribers, its customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
requirements increased dramatically. Realizing that customers were actually responding to the issues that other people brought up, the group behind Valleyschwag decided to create the precursor to Get Satisfaction, first named Satisfaction Unlimited, to take advantage of the community's enthusiasm of helping each other. The company describes its product as "people-powered customer service". On the website, anyone can ask a question, submit an idea or complaint, or give praise; all posts can be read by anyone. Companies can respond to issues regarding their products or services; official responses are marked as official answers to separate them from other responses. Users can rate responses based on how well they resolve the issue.
Muller explained in an interview with BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
that the website aims to be simple, noting that most customer-service solutions are too complex. He continues by stating that many are reactive instead of proactive, requiring customers to think as if they were an employee or librarian to find their answers. In contrast, Get Satisfaction approaches the problem by helping companies think more like customers. Muller explained, “We want to create a Switzerland for companies and customers, with specific tools that allow people to get answers to their questions. [...] We want the best answers to rise to the top, and not get buried in online discussion forums.” The service, which is free for both companies and users to use, has already begun offering paid service plans to companies including Method Products
Method Products
Method Products is a San Francisco-based corporation which produces non-toxic, biodegradable natural cleaning supplies with a focus on minimalist product design. Among the company's first products was an hourglass-shaped bottle of dish soap, designed by Karim Rashid...
, Timbuk2
Timbuk2
Timbuk2 is a San Francisco-based messenger bags company. It was established in San Francisco in 1989 by former bike messenger Rob Honeycutt. The company was originally named Scumbags, but founder Honeycutt changed the name to Timbuk2 Designs in 1990...
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, and Digg
Digg
Digg is a social news website. Prior to Digg v4, its cornerstone function consisted of letting people vote stories up or down, called digging and burying, respectively. Digg's popularity prompted the creation of copycat social networking sites with story submission and voting systems...
. Several more companies later joined the platform, including Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
, Verizon, Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, Mozilla
Mozilla
Mozilla is a term used in a number of ways in relation to the Mozilla.org project and the Mozilla Foundation, their defunct commercial predecessor Netscape Communications Corporation, and their related application software....
, Mogo Money, Microsoft Hohm, AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
, Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
, Apple Inc., Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. The company's CEO is Wendy Lea, its CTO is Muller, and its President is Becker. The website, which received an initial round of financing of $1.3 million, receives financing from investors that include First Round Capital
First Round Capital
First Round Capital is a venture capital firm that specializes in providing seed-stage funding to technology companies. Managed by Josh Kopelman, Chris Fralic, Rob Hayes and Howard L. Morgan, the Philadelphia-based company typically provides seed-stage investment that ranges from $250,000 to $500,000...
, O'Reilly Alphatech Ventures, and SoftTechVC. In September 2010, the company announced Series A funding of $6 million from Azure Capital Partners with OATV and First Round Capital participating. In March of 2010, Get Satisfaction launched their Facebook application that allows companies and brands to put their customer community on their Facebook page as a tab.