THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!
From the 9th Annual Shorty Awards

@Casper Tackles Tiredness

Finalist in Customer Service

Objectives

The majority of customer service exchanges happen before or during a purchase. Agents are trained to focus on anything and everything to help consumers decide to click buy. But what happens next? When the 30 day return window has passed and you're stuck with your purchase, does your email address just become a cell in a database?

We care most about what happens after you get a Casper mattress. Night after night, we want to make sure we're doing everything we can to help you sleep soundly. We know that not even the world's best mattress can guarantee that everyone will be able to routinely fall asleep each night. Unfortunately, sometimes there are things simply outside of a mattress' control. Work deadlines, early morning meetings, or a new season on Netflix can keep you up at night and make the next day extra sleepy.

Our goal on social media is to help the internet become less tired. Whether you can't find the energy to pull yourself out of bed, need help pushing through the midday slump, or can't seem to fall asleep once you finally hit the sheets, we want to be there in their moment of need.

Strategy and Execution

After you buy a Casper, the real customer support begins. Don't worry about having to stay out late for your best friend's birthday or wake up early to finish a presentation. We created a comprehensive approach to tackle any tiredness at any time, and make the late-night hours when you can't fall asleep more bearable.

Through social listening, over-the-top gifting, and a 24/7 approach to social, we identify the best ways to help our customers get through the day and even the night.

@CASPER WRITE LATE NOTES: Getting out of bed is the hardest part of the day. If our customers sleep through their alarm, hit snooze, or just need five more minutes, we are there to help. Every morning we are stationed at our typewriters to dole out personalized tardy notes. You know, just like the ones you're mom used to write you in elementary school when you were late. The team uses a listening tool to proactively send them out, and Casper customers know they can always ask. Through a Twitter bio scan, they turn out both absurdly funny and realistic. Fine print: Promotion not guaranteed.

@CASPER CURE HANGOVERS: There is no greater injustice than having to get to work on time after a long night of celebrating with coworkers. During the holiday season, Casper encouraged Twitter users to share the date of their office holiday party and how late they would be out. When it seemed like they'd be up all night, we sent the ultimate hangover kit the morning after. It was complete with coffee, energy drinks, breakfast, mouthwash, pillows for a desk nap, and Casper sunglasses.

@CASPER PROVIDES INSTANT COMPANIONSHIP AT NIGHT. Sure, our social media managers have to sign off eventually. Everyone needs sleep after all. Even if you're tired all day, we know what it's like to try to sleep with a to-do list on the back of your mind. Insomnobot-3000 takes the night shift while the Casper social media managers catch up on sleep. It's the first-ever bot that is only available to chat in the middle of the night. Text it about anything from weekend plans to late-night delivery options. Insomnobot sounds like a real human and becomes a fast friend.

@CASPER SENDS MORE THAN JUST MATTRESS: We use a social listening tool to figure out when our customers are most tired, and send pick-me-ups. Loud roommate? We send ear plugs. New job? We send coffee.

Results

A tiny team responds to hundreds of inbounds every single day, around the clock. Casper customers, social media followers, and influencers applaud our quick response times and even thank us for responding to their questions, comments, and emails within minutes on the weekend. We have one of the most engaged fanbases. They are eager to applaud our customer service and share our gifts on social — further driving buzz for Casper and encouraging others to engage.

Insomnobot-3000 was featured in more than 30 outlets including Refinery29, New York Mag, Inc., Elite Daily, Venture Beat, CNET, Trend Hunter, Digiday, Lifehacker, R/GA FutureVision, Cool Hunting, PSFK, Digital Arts, Springwise, and American Genius. It aired on CBS news in 8 major markets, was applauded in the CMO's Guide to Chatbots on Adage, and was included in "3 Examples of Tech Marketing We Wish We Thought of First." Screenshots of funny conversations with Insomnobot filled newsfeeds, and users continue to text Insomnobot night after night.

Our unique approach to customer service was even recognized by the Stevie Awards. This year, we are a finalist in the retail category and will be awarded gold, silver, or bronze at the award ceremony.

Overall, our customer support has helped double our social following in 2016 from 300,000 to 600,000 fans, and Refinery29 has named us "the internet's favorite mattress."

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Casper

Links

Entry Credits