Bar à Boucle, a French company founded in 2017, specializes in natural hair care products. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign in March 2018, the brand launched its e-commerce website, offering a variety of products for wavy, curly, and frizzy hair. These products include shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, gels, sprays, and accessories.
The company has experienced significant growth since then, opening several pop-up stores in Paris, Marseille, and Lyon, and launching its first permanent store in Paris in January 2020. This store features a salon dedicated entirely to curly hair types.
Managing peak activity: A customer relations challenge
Each month on the 1st, Bar à Boucle opens its salon for hair appointments. This period marks a peak in activity, generating numerous booking requests that Ambre, the customer service manager, used to handle manually through emails and social media messages.
To enhance customer service during these peak times and maintain strong customer relationships, Bar à Boucle sought a solution to automate responses to frequent inquiries.
Automating appointment scheduling
Integrating the virtual agent was done quickly on the e-commerce site with tools such as Shipup that were already in place. Shipup allows the company to track the shipping status of each order and automate delivery follow-up for customers via the chat channel. Within ten days, the virtual agent was up and running and could automate answers to over 60 frequent and time-consuming questions such as, "Where is my order?" and "What are your opening hours?"
The Botmind virtual agent considerably manages and facilitates activity peaks linked to appointment scheduling at the beginning of the month. The average volume of automated conversations every 1st day of the month represents 25% of the monthly volume. Thus, the virtual agent filters out frequent and time-consuming questions and allows Ambre to handle high value-added requests effectively. Customers can enjoy an optimized customer experience with simplified appointment scheduling and real-time access to information.
A Versatile solution for e-commerce
The virtual agent's capabilities have exceeded expectations at Bar à Boucle. It offers advanced personalization options and numerous opportunities to enhance both employee efficiency and customer experience.
Triggers—small notification bubbles initiated by the virtual agent—engage customers throughout their online journey and facilitate appointment bookings. In May 2021, these triggers were responsible for generating 75.5% of all automated conversations.
Personalization at the core of customer interactions
The virtual agent's advanced personalization features empower various teams within Bar à Boucle to innovate creatively. For instance, the marketing team leveragesBotmind for automated communication campaigns via chat. A notable example is the Mother's Day campaign in May 2021, which provided personalized gift advice for visitors seeking the perfect present for their mothers. Additionally, Bar à Boucle uses channels to advise customers on optimal hair care routines based on their curl type. This personalized approach helps customers make informed purchasing decisions and enhances their overall experience.
The Curl Bar has also launched channels to advise clients on the best routines for their curl types.
Visitors can rely on the virtual agent to qualify their needs and propose the most appropriate hair products for retaining their curls or addressing hair problems. As a result, customers are more likely to make good purchase decisions and have a pleasant customer experience. Product recommendation paths are the second most popular response paths after those related to booking a salon appointment.
A Comprehensive tool for optimized customer experience
By incorporating Botmind's virtual agent into its e-commerce platform, Bar à Boucle has significantly improved customer support management during peak activity periods. The agent's extensive functionalities and customization options enable proactive customer engagement and support themed marketing campaigns that bolster brand image and drive sales. Looking ahead, Bar à Boucle aims to explore gamification possibilities with the virtual agent by launching campaigns and contests directly through the chat channel. At Botmind, we are proud to support an innovative e-retailer committed to enhancing customer experience and celebrating curly hair with their #FreeTheCurls mission.