Item: Twilio Zipwhip (discontinued)
Rating: 10
Author: Hillary Louarti

Overall Satisfaction with Zipwhip

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Zipwhip for customer service and our back-office needs. We love that it links to our livery software to send automated text messages to clients to inform them of the status of their trip because this cuts down on phone time for our employees. It also allows customers to contact us in real-time and let us know if there is a change in their itinerary, cancellation, or another issue that we need to be made aware of. Zipwhip also has a great function that lets you set your texting/ chat hours so that clients know that no one is manning the chat and that they can call the office for important issues. This is done with a custom response text. We use Zipwhip for quality control too in the back office. We confirm upcoming trips for chauffeurs through automated text messages. This allows us to make sure that our staff is awake and getting ready for their trip as well as confirm the routing for the trip and passenger count. We also use Zipwhip to send out urgent messages to our chauffeur teams, such as an accident with road closures, or other safety information. If we need to get a shift filled, we also send a message that way as well and get instant responses from our employees regarding availability.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great customer service - you probably won't need it, but it's there if you do
Flexibility of the product - you can use Zipwhip to automate multiple processes in your business
Constant improvements of the Zipwhip platform by the developers - it gets better and better

Cons

Our team would love a function where Zipwhip recognized names associated with potential phone numbers automatically. Currently, contact information has to be manually entered.
We wish the app would refresh / load faster.
We would love it if Zipwhip would allow a star system to mark important message strands. This would help us organize our staff and clients.

Most Important Features

We love the ability to integrate Zipwhip with our other software
The texting platform streamlines processes with client communication
Image/ Photo options are really great for documentation in the back office and sales

Return on Investment

Zipwhip is low cost to begin with, so that's a bonus for our small business
It saves us employee time and money by automating quality control procedures
We're able to save conversations which can later act as documentation for clients and employees

Alternatives Considered

We hadn't really looked at other services before choosing Zipwhip as there were not a lot of test-to-landline companies when we began looking. The price was right and the customer service was amazing. It was easy to learn the software and to onboard our entire team. When we began letting our customers know about the new texting capability we had, they were curious about it and grew to love it. Because we're able to link it with their trip, they not only can receive status updates but also a link to our GPS, so they can see where their chauffeur and vehicle are in real-time, along with a photo of the chauffeur and the vehicle. This function is perhaps our corporate clients' most favorite feature as they don't have to call to see where the vehicle for their VIP is; they can watch it in real-time. For group work, Zipwhip lets us send the program manager customized updates for all of their booked trips. This is such a time saver in so many ways. Time is money and for a small business, there are many ways that this helps. Our employees spend less time on the phone and productivity is increased. Texting is great too as it serves as documentation should any issues arise.

Key Insights

Do you think Twilio Zipwhip (discontinued) delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Twilio Zipwhip (discontinued)'s feature set?

Yes

Did Twilio Zipwhip (discontinued) live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Twilio Zipwhip (discontinued) go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Twilio Zipwhip (discontinued) again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Google Drive, Zapier, Google Hangouts (Classic)

Likelihood to Recommend

Zipwhip is well suited for many scenarios. Not only do we save money and time with integrations with other programs we have, but we can follow up with a client regarding a trip, should we need further information. A client makes an online reservation and we receive a notification. While we have most of the trip details, the number portion for the drop-off location is missing, so we can reach out directly to the client via Zipwhip and request this information. All aspects of the booking can be done online and with texting and without emails or calls, which is often what many clients who book online prefer. Zipwhip has improved its images/ photos which is fantastic as we use this to send vehicle images to clients, which helps secure bookings. Our employees also use it to send us images of receipts, vehicle engine warning lights that may come on, and other issues (such as a client who may have left a mess in a vehicle). We're also able to send clients documents too, which is great. Obviously, if we have a client with an issue or who is upset, texting is not the best platform on which to address their issues, but it helps us to assess the situation/ issue and gather information before we call the client in person.

Comments

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Great text-to-landline software at an affordable price - So many applications for small business!