Through rapid growth, Yext’s customer support evolves to meet and anticipate its clients’ needs

Your business has amazing products, a stunning website, and a killer marketing strategy. But then, a potential customer turns to Google, Facebook, Siri, or another channel to search for an answer to a question they have about you, only to find inaccurate information: outdated hours of operation, addresses that no longer exist, incorrect price lists, and more.

None of the work that goes into building a business is fruitful if the company’s information isn’t accurate and up to date where consumers search for it most — online. That’s where Yext, the platform for Brand Verified Answers in search, saves the day, providing companies of all sizes the tools they need to deliver perfect answers to customer questions across the web. With big-name clients worldwide like Taco Bell, T-Mobile, Enterprise Holdings, and Marriott International, the New York City-based software company is a leader in its space, poised to become the next great search company.

“As customers search for answers in more places online, businesses need to ensure their facts are verified everywhere on the Internet,” said Temy Mancusi-Ungaro, Senior Vice President of Client Delivery. “Yext allows businesses to manage data about their locations, events, people, and other custom entities, and push them to Google, Alexa, Facebook, Snapchat, and so on. The platform also enables a business to manage its reputation by monitoring and responding to reviews.”

The work Yext does with its client businesses requires efficiency in all operational areas, especially customer support. In 2011, Yext adopted Zendesk Support to handle email tickets, and since then, has added Zendesk Chat, Zendesk Guide, and Zendesk Explore to its integrated support solution. To align internal communication and support its employees, Yext has also rolled out Zendesk to other internal teams, including HR, IT and Engineering.

Alongside the adoption and customization of Zendesk’s suite of products, Yext realigned its Client Services team to ensure that every touchpoint, from agent trainings to customer implementations, exceeds customer expectations. Today, a team of 90 agents internationally provide support to a range of customers that include small, large, and premier clients, platform services, publisher relationships, and publisher integrations. On average, the team handles 20,000 email tickets each month and supports six languages.

When Colleen Gartland became Director of Client Support two years ago, her first responsibility was to improve how Yext leverages Zendesk to serve its clients by gaining insight into the customer experience and identifying opportunities for improvement.

“Custom fields have allowed us to categorize what clients are experiencing, including what they are and aren’t satisfied with,” Gartland said. “We’re able to use that valuable information when collaborating with our product team to drive decisions about focusing resources, understanding capacity, and solving pain points.”

By utilizing other features like hidden tickets forms and more efficient support ticket routing, Yext’s client support team raised its email CSAT to 97%. Yext created hidden forums so users could cancel their accounts without having to speak to a representative, decreasing the number of phone calls to the support team by about 200 calls per month. The team also leverages integrations with the Zendesk API, a recent Slack integration, and a custom app created by Yext to help agents with various support-related tasks.

According to Gartland, support agents at Yext are passionate about helping clients and feel empowered to take initiative on their own. Knowing that Yext’s retail clients need timely help during the holidays, for example, the U.S. support team stepped up to keep support requests under control during Black Friday — and even received help from fellow agents overseas. Custom Slack workflows ensured that the most pressing requests were addressed quickly.

For Mancusi-Ungaro, it’s a combination of the right tools and the attention the team gives to clients’ individual customer experiences that sets Yext apart and enables the company to grow.

“We’ve changed in complexity and multilingual capabilities, and have multiple groups using the system internally,” Mancusi-Ungaro said. “As a platform, Zendesk has been able to support that growth.”