A Digital Health Startup Exhibits How To Do Consumer Services Correct

I was heartened final week to encounter a single of the very best examples I’ve seen of stellar buyer service – in the context of digital well being.

I’ve been searching for a while for a comparatively affordable activity tracker that my youngsters (ages four-eight) could use they’re intrigued by my action devices, they really like our standard family outings, and it seemed like it could be a entertaining way to improve their general expertise.

I had hoped to locate some kind of family members package deal in the Fitbit program (I’ve been employing and enjoying the Flex), but wasn’t ready to uncover one particular I regarded as their minimal-finish Zip, but at $ 60, it seemed pricey for a knock-close to youngsters gadget I anticipate will swiftly get lost, and there did not look to be little one-oriented apps related with Fitbit ecosystem.

I was delighted to uncover a device referred to as iBitz, from GeoPalz, a startup that emerged from the Nike+/TechStars accelerator.  It expense about $ 35 at Amazon, and came in a assortment of eye-catching colors, and is explicitly oriented in direction of families, including a children-centered app, and connections to a broader incentive-oriented ecosystem.  I ordered a single for each and every of my young children, as properly as the corresponding gadget for adults, named the iBitz Unity (about $ 55), which is supposed to very easily integrate with the kids’ devices.

When I at first attempted to activate the units from the app I had downloaded to my iPhone, the procedure failed, and appeared to get caught in a loop.  I planned to return the devices, and wrote a short feedback e-mail to GeoPalz assistance explaining what happened.

The response I obtained, from a fellow named Rich, shocked and impressed me.

Line one: “I am so sorry to hear about these troubles. Totally aggravating, I totally get why you’d return them. “

Line two: “Can we set a brief get in touch with right now? I’d like to cut you a check immediately and also try a couple of fast remedies so that we effectively document the bug” and “have a remedy if potential customers get in touch with with this problem.”

We eventually linked, and here’s the point: the device activation failure, I embarrassingly found, stemmed from a consumer error on my end – the gadget calls for Bluetooth 4. (i.e. an iPhone 4S or greater), which my iPhone4 does not have.  Whilst this requirement is not listed on the Amazon web site (I checked once again this morning), it is clearly stated in the iBitz packet insert.

Nonetheless, Wealthy was apologetic, and explained that from his standpoint, any problem the client encounters is the company’s fault, because it’s the company’s occupation to anticipate prospective difficulties, and make certain the customer has a wonderful encounter.

One other factor: it turned out Rich – Rich Schmelzer – is also the CEO of the business, and knows a minor something about client demands: he’s a Boulder-primarily based serial entrepreneur, with a string of  successful exits, which includes Worldwide Enjoyment Techniques, Vr1, and jibbitz (the very popular decorations for Crocs).

I’d adore to say that my iBitz story has a satisfied ending.  Nevertheless, even though I was capable to use my wife’s iPhone5 to connect to the iBitz units and activate them, I identified the program a bit buggy -an activated gadget would subsequently not be acknowledged as activated, for illustration.  The whole point felt like it could use a bit much more beta testing, and I in the end returned all the devices.

Nevertheless, I came away quite impressed with Schmeltzer’s strategy to buyer service (evocative of Zappos, and in sharp contrast to Comcast) and I am truly very optimistic about the trajectory of the GeoPalz platform — even if, at least in my hands, it is not fairly there but.

A Digital Health Startup Exhibits How To Do Consumer Services Correct