Episode 38 - Asia's iflix Offers Low-cost Video Streaming with Top-notch Service

Focus on Customer Service Podcast

Unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows to any device for a monthly fee – sound familiar? Up until recently, this service that Americans take for granted wasn’t available in many countries throughout Asia. Enter iflix, a Malaysian-based video-on-demand startup that aims to “bring the world’s best content to emerging markets at a price that everyone can afford,” according to Philippines Country Manager Sherwin Dela Cruz. That affordable price, by the way, is just $3 a month for content from 150 sources that ranges from the most popular television shows in the U.S. to local Asian favorites. Dela Cruz, a self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur”, and Jeremiah Carcellar (pronounced “Car-seh-yar”), iflix’s communicatons manager, oversee customer service operations in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. The company is looking to expand its offering to Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Middle East and Africa by year-end. Operating on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, iflix uses three guiding principles in its approach to social customer care: Effectiveness (actually addressing the customer’s concern), Creativity, and a Personal Touch. “We really try and practice as much as possible to have that personal touch, human-to-human conversation,” says Carcellar. He says the company handles about 3,000 posts a week in the Philippines alone, representing about 50% of all customer service inquiries. The brand demonstrates a friendly demeanor online, often employing emoji and retweets of compliments to “make sure that customers are left with a better impression of our company.” “If we can get to the point where we’re part of their everyday conversation, [where] we end up talking to them because we’re a part of their life, then in that sense we’ve achieved something and we end up building a trusting relationship which can go a long way,” adds Carcellar. As with many brands, speed of response is critical. “This is the world we’re living in now,” says Dela Cruz. “Everybody’s expecting an answer almost immediately.” Carcellar adds that iflix’s customers are showing lots of appreciation for the startup’s efforts in social media. “People really respond positively to the genuine effort and attention you give them,” he says, explaining that even when they experience issues with the service, the company has earned “the benefit of the doubt”. With the company expanding rapidly into new countries which require additional language capabilities, Dela Cruz and Carcellar are trying to duplicate their success. With their relentless focus on the customer, they are confident they will succeed. “The heart of the whole company is the customer,” says Dela Cruz. “If that voice goes unheard, then we’ve lost that customer.” The Focus on Customer Service Podcast featured iflix in its most recent episode. Here are the highlights of Episode 38 and where to find them: 1:15 The lowdown on iflix 4:20 What iflix is doing in the social customer care space 8:37 How iflix decided to make the investment in social customer care 11:43 What types of questions iflix sees in social media 12:45 The most popular video content in Asia 15:08 How iflix handles inquiries from multiple countries and multiple languages 16:36 The role of Instagram in social customer care 18:11 How social media integrates with other customer service channels 19:28 The future of social customer care for iflix 21:45 Sharing a memorable interaction with a customer 23:01 What the iflix team has learned in its first year of social customer care