Michael Schneider
Founder & CEO of Service, LA native, eternal optimist, serial entrepreneur
Discussion
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
I’m Michael, Founder & CEO of Service. Service is my fifth startup and I’m incredibly excited to help people around the world not waste time dealing with customer service ever again. Feel free to ask me anything!
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Sohin Shah
@sohinshah1 · Entrepreneur - www.sohinshah.com
Would you consider being the outsourced customer service partner for brands?
Aidan Lee
@aidan_k_lee · co-Founder @VewNew_app
@sohinshah1 I am also curious about this too!
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@sohinshah1 yes. we are already experimenting in this place. I think our software is equally valuable for consumers to get efficient and successful resolutions to issues and to brands to protect their brand and resolve issues BEFORE their customer goes on the damaging tweet rant or 1 star Yelp review.
Harry Stebbings
@harrystebbings · Podcast Host @ The Twenty Minute VC
@schneider thanks so much for joining us today, what is the hardest elements you have faced with Service in scaling the business? How have you tackled these issues? Always welcome on @twentyminutevc for our Founder's Friday Segment, would be an honour to have you on the show. Drop me a line at harry@thetwentyminutevc.com if you would be interested!
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@harrystebbings the hardest element in scaling Service is dealing with industries that are stuck in the 1960s... insurance companies are one example that come to mind - we actually have to *FAX* them things. We're writing software to automate and scale most aspects of customer service, but the older and more archaic an industry/company is, the harder it is to handle things efficiently. The good news is I think companies that stay stuck in the 1960s won't be around in 20 years, so time is on our side.
Junius
@juniusfree
Hi @schneider
How will you divide your time if a you've got one hour to solve a user problem?
Thanks!
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@juniusfree most of the issues we see aren't "acute" meaning, for example, you aren't at the airport, at the gate, and needing to make a flight change where time is of the essence. That's not to say issues don't need to be solved in a timely manner - they do - and we frequently multitask. For example, in a given hour, we might be on hold with one company (that our software has identified that the phone is the most efficient way to get something done), filling out a web form for another company, and getting more information on a third case.
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@vincent_ducrey 12 months is a long time, considering I started Service just 6 months ago :) we have big plans for our app and our software in general. I think we have a real shot at reinventing the way customer service is done. Right now, it's really inefficient - it leaves both businesses and consumers upset a lot of the time, and there is a better way. We're hard at work building it.
Derek Chu
@derek_chu
@schneider Hi Mike, thanks for taking time to do this today! I had a few questions:
1) Everyone I've talked to loves Service and would gladly pay anything since they get so much value from a recovered case - how do you guys think about something like a success fee?
2) I believe Service will redefine customer success as we know it, what do you ultimately see the product and service evolving into from here?
3) What do you look for in great potential hires and investors? ;)
Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@derek_chu good questions!
1 - I think a success fee or % could be one model. But I'm not sure it's the best model yet - we need more users and data before we decide. I don't want to charge anyone (consumers or businesses) until I clearly understand the value we provide and what and how to charge.
2 - I agree - I think what we're building - our software & user experience - is the future of customer service. We have big plans to distribute it far and wide.
3 - I talked about hiring above - in investors, I apply much of the same philosophy. Will I like talking to this person frequently? Do they know enough to help but not so much that they'll interfere with the business? Do they truly "get" what we're doing? Do they use the service themselves?
Kingsong Chen
@kingsongchen · Founder at Lace, Marketplace for GovTech
@schneider Hi Michael. How did you learn what was the best way to negotiate complaints with companies?
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@kingsongchen lots of personal experience + our software is learning every day. We're building up "institutional wisdom" to be able to solve any issue far more efficiently than the average consumer is able to - not because they're not capable of it - but because they only have the benefit of our own experience whereas we see thousands of issues across nearly every company imaginable. That experience + our software is a potent combination.
Matt McSpiritt
@mmcspiritt · Founder & CEO, Squabble
@schneider GetHuman, as of recent, is one of Service's direct competitors. How do you think you'll combat their service that is generally the primary resource consumers use when attempting to resolve issues with companies (helping get rid of hold times)? They recently introduced "resolve it for me for $5". Thanks
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@mmcspiritt I think free is better than $5. Also we believe that most people don't want to do it themselves, they rather have it done for them.
Matt McSpiritt
@mmcspiritt · Founder & CEO, Squabble
@schneider @mmcspiritt thanks for the response. If free to the consumer is what you plan on continuing, how do you plan on monetizing? Are you considering partnering with manufacturers like Bawte attempted to do last year? Or perhaps taking percentage of the compensation you get back for consumers?
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@mmcspiritt haven't decided yet but there are many options when you're protecting brands and saving consumers time and money.
Erik Torenberg
@eriktorenberg · Former Product Hunt
Hey Michael!
What's your hiring philosophy - how do you evaluate talent? Any litmus tests you use?
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Michael Schneider
@schneider · CEO, Service
@eriktorenberg the first 20 hires are SO key, they set the tone and culture of the company. It's like building the foundation of a house. I've learned a few things in my 4 previous startups... No matter how talented someone is, I won't hire them if they're not a culture fit. I can't teach culture fit... but someone can always improve their skills. I'll only hire someone who we (minimum 3 people on my team) feel they are really in to what we're doing - because that's going to make the difference during the late night or weekend where you're working and might feel like giving up.