Episode 11 - Blab

Focus on Customer Service Podcast

Filling yet another social engagement void that no one knew they needed, Blab is a multi-person live-streaming platform that is once again changing how we communicate with each other. Up to four speakers appear on video simultaneously in Brady Bunch-style boxes, while onlookers can participate via chat. Now anyone can be a broadcaster of content with just a computer or an iPhone (Android coming soon). One immediate differentiator of the platform, besides the ability to have multiple streams simultaneously, is the availability of real-time customer service. By simply typing “@help” into the chat, Blab’s Brittany Metz appears like magic in the Blab to address any issues and answer any questions. The whole experience is so cool that we just had to invite Brittany Metz, the self-proclaimed “Community Princess” (because Community Manager sounded “boring”) of Blab, to talk with us on the Focus on Customer Service podcast. And naturally, we held the interview live on Blab and used the recording to create the audio podcast. PureMatter CEO and Shareology author Bryan Kramer also joined the Blab, which covers a wide range of topics including customer service, upcoming Blab enhancements, and some real-time questions from the audience. Some of the most quotable moments from the podcast include: * “We are about spontaneous, open, public conversations.” * On brands doings customer service on Blab: “You know what, we do our customer service on Blab; it’s public, it’s open because we’ve got nothing to hide. We have great customer service and we want to highlight and show that to the world. I think it will happen.” * “You treat everyone as a star.” * “Everyone has the potential to create really great content here.” * “We don’t want to gamify the system. Content is king, so we want the best content to surface.” * “If you build a product thinking about monetization and how to make money on it, you’re going to build a different product.” As always, if you have experienced awesome customer service on social media, please tweet us using the hashtag #FOCS and we will try to get that brand on a future episode. Here are the highlights of Episode 11 and where to find them: 3:38 What is Blab? 4:41 How did Blab get so popular so fast? 6:10 How Bryan Kramer is using Blab 6:56 Question from the audience 7:50 Brittany’s background and how she ended up at Blab 8:50 How Blab’s customer service works and how it will eventually scale 12:08 Question from the audience 13:32 The largest Blabs so far and the company’s plan to scale its live-stream capabilities 15:16 How Blab launched real-time live customer service 17:09 The plan for future reporting capabilities and other controls 19:53 The most memorable Blab that Brittany has been called into 20:49 What is the use case for customer service on Blab? 24:01 Questions from the audience 27:10 On what other channels does Blab provide customer service? 28:47 How Blab and Twitter integrate 29:40 Questions from the audience 31:00 What Brittany has learned managing customer service for a brand-new platform 34:35 How Brittany was anointed the “Community Princess” of Blab 37:30 Questions from the audience 39:29 Why Blab isn’t about being an “expert” or having the biggest audience 41:30 Brittany’s secret tips and tricks for using Blab 43:05 Questions from the audience