Kinko's Japan Co., Ltd.
DX Strategy Department DX Marketing Team
Digital Innovation Group Team Leader
Daijirou Sekiguchi

Please explain your company's service and characteristics.

Kinko's service started in the United States in 1970 (started in Japan in 1992.) Right now, Japanese corporation belongs to Konica Minolta Group and expanded to open 57 directly managed store, 18 franchise store, in total of 75 stores. It has been 28 years since foundation and it is still being used by many people, people are using our self-printing service in the store, or online printing service.

We also have sales department not only for individual customers but also for corporations. We visit them and offer printing solutions according to their each needs.
In addition, we have merged with our subsidiary which handles billboard and store decorations, so we can design and construct exhibitions and event's decoration. Right now, we are putting an effort into Digital Solution. We are developing solutions related to printing and offer it to customers. For example, business card. Before, it was normal to create business card in stores, however, by offering our solutions, customers can decrease burden of managing business cards, which leads to the reform of how they work.
Other than that, we have a co-working space called [TSUKURU WORK] as a new business which aims to [TSUKURU (create)] communication in the area.

What do you do in marketing department?

Kinko's offer both BtoB and BtoC services.
About BtoB, we have been dealing with about 6,000 companies, and in our marketing department, we operate as a bridge to sales department handing over good leads by using digital marketing like MA (Marketing Automation)etc.
About BtoC, we do marketing by utilizing Web marketing, and putting an effort how to guide the customer who made an inquiry to the Kinko's store, and how to guide to offer an estimate. This time, we utilized ChatPlus in BtoC Web marketing.

What made you decide install ChatPlus? and what task did you have before installing ChatPlus?

In August of 2017, we updated our Web site. We changed to improve the line of customers who accessed to our Website to smoothly contacting our support center. In result, we got 1.5 times more calls than before.
Before the number of calls were about 1,000 cases and sometimes 1,200 cases per month. However, by improving the line flow of Website, the number of calls increased to 1,500-1,600 cases per month. Because the number of calls increased drastically, the operators' work increased, so before the response rate was above 90% but it happened to decrease to 80% sometimes.

We are more than happy to receive many inquiries, but it was more than we expected. Normally, the support center was receiving calls in two lines, and we thought to increase the number of lines or if there is other method to improve this situation.
First, we thought about how to cover the over flowed calls. We thought that there might be people who want to ask more lightly, using other than calls, so we started searching for text message tools.
Next, we put our focus into connecting with our customers and going into exhibitions, we chose three chat tool companies to choose from.

What was the conclusive factor to choose ChatPlus comparing with other chat tools?

We offer many products and services and it is difficult to make an simple estimate. For example, let's say we print out one pamphlet. In that case, we have the estimate criteria of options like Size, Paper type, Display effect, and how to fold, so we thought about doing not only Chatbot but also manual chat operation too. It was an important point which Chatbot an manual chat operation would be connected seamlessly.
The reason why we chose ChatPlus is first, we can switch Chatbot and manual chat operation smoothly. Second is cost. And third is we felt that the setting was easy. In fact, the initial setting was very easy. If we don't know how to do it, we make inquiry to support and they would respond fast. We are thankful for the speedy support. In the installation test phase, we asked the support center's operators to try it, and we decided to go forward with ChatPlus.

How do you operate ChatPlus?

We put the chat button at the bottom right of the Website for individual customers, and when the customer clicked the button, the Chatbot will be activated. When the customer wants to chat with the operator, they would click [Chat with operator], and it would connect customers and operators through chat.
We are consigning the chat operation to the call center bender which we are now consigning our call responses, and we have a meeting once a month about the chat operation.
There, we look at the chat's log and discuss about how to respond, if there is anything to improve, or the maintenance of Chatbot. We can see the response history for calls but it is "translated". In chat's log, you can see the real voice from customers, so it helps a lot when we are trying to improve something.

How did it affect you by installing ChatPlus?

After installation, the number of call response of support center decreased to 20-30% compared to last year. Now, we have total number of inquiries over 2,000 cases per day. Calls are decreased in 1,200 cases from 1,500 cases, and the gap of 300 cases became to chat responses. And in addition, chat has been acquiring new 500 cases. So chat consists 800 cases within the 2,000 cases.
We think that we acquired new customers that could not been acquired if it was for only call responses, and this is huge. Note that these numbers does not include the inquiries solved only by Chatbot.

Do you have a unique way of utilizing ChatPlus?

By using ChatPlus' unique function, we are able to guide customers to making an estimate without putting an effort and smoothly.
　In ChatPlus, it has a function to automatically display a form according to specific word, and we use this within the conversation between customer and operator. To customers who want to make estimate, it is set to automatically opens the form to enter names and emails if a certain word was typed.
After a customer filled out the form, operator will end the chat to relay the customer's information to other store which will get back to customer with an estimate.
When that to happen, we are using the function [send chat log by email] to relay the chat content to the store which is making the estimate. Store side would also benefit from this by sending them the chat content, they would know exactly what the customer wants and be able to make the accurate estimate.

There are 30-40 cases which are being escalated to the store from the estimate request.
Before, it was like Chinese Whispers, and it was a stress for both end to ask for the same thing over and over again. But with chat log, those things would not happen so it is a merit for us.

Do you have any plans to use ChatPlus after this?

We are thinking to install it to Website for corporations. We want to install is as soon as the support center is ready. Now we put out our phone number mainly in the home page, but we are thinking to put a main focus on chat supporting service.
In addition, we want a function which enables customers to make their own estimate by just answering YES, NO. If we can make such Chatbot, ChatPlus would be more useful as a Web marketing tool.

At last, please leave a message for people looking at this home page.

As I said before, Kinko's are expanding services for corporations also. We believe that we can help you [create], so please contact us.