After operating in stealth for about a year, Delighted
officially opens to the public today. It could come in handy for
marketers, especially as more companies look to enhance the
customer experience.
Managing customer experience is becoming an essential component
of the marketing function. The chief customer officer -- a role
that's emerged to manage customers' experiences at every
interaction point with the company -- reports to both the CEO and
CMO, according to Gartner.
Delighted co-founder Caleb Elston said in an interview that the
company's simple format and usability on all platforms helps it
generate above average response rates. "We see response rates over
25%, with some customers achieving 45%," he said. "This compares to
traditional surveys in the low single-digit response rates."
Some customers already on board are Bonobos, Silvercar and Hotel Tonight.
One feature that should be especially enticing to marketers: the
ability to plug into marketing automation systems. "Customers have
connected to Salesforce, Marketo, Pardot and countless others," Mr.
Elston said. "Many customers use the API to survey automatically
based on key customer events."
Some marketers, for example, place those who rate their company
highly into a special segment. Those customers then get special
perks, Mr. Elston said, which they value more than discounts since
they have strong brand loyalty.
Delighted is based in Palo Alto, Calif., and is run by a team of
three people. The company's investors include Google Ventures, Shasta
Ventures, SV Angel and more.