FreshLime: Connecting Businesses & Customers

Gone are the days when everyone picked up a phone and called during normal business hours. Customers now want to call, text, email or even send Facebook messages around the clock. NBC's Chris Pollone reports.

(NBC News) — Virginia business owner Buddy Smith has a job that’s almost more important than the heating and air conditioning service his company provides: Attracting and keeping customers.

“People want what they want, and they want it now, especially with COVID,” Smith says.

Gone are the days when everyone picked up a phone and called during normal business hours.

Today, customers want to call, text, email or even send Facebook messages to businesses whenever they think about it, from wherever they are.

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting businesses across the country, companies need to be ready to respond.

Enter software companies like FreshLime, which sells programs that can answer simple customer questions around the clock and gets messages to businesses no matter whether they come in by phone, text, email or online.

“Research shows that 70% of consumers will buy from the first business that Interacts with them,” says FreshLime founder Jay Bean.

“What our platform does is it brings all of those conversations and all of those messages into a single inbox,” Bean explains.

Bean came up with the idea after texting a plumber he had hired before and the plumber never responded to him.

“If they lack the fundamental need of the fundamental components that allow that consumer to interact with them, wherever they are, whenever they are there, then they are missing out on 90 percent of the opportunity,” he says.

Buddy Smith says in the past, his customer service reps were great at answering and returning calls, but were not regularly checking all their social media channels and emails.

Now, all messages come straight to them without having to log in to several separate services.

“They’re on notice right away that there’s someone that they need to respond to,” he says.

Owners are finding that investing in tools that make their customer service as accessible as the big boys can really pay off.

“It’s nice to have the technology and have a third party help you through that process,” Smith adds.