GigPro case study

Addressing marketplace communication challenges in the gig industry

GigPro operates as a vibrant two-sided marketplace that connects businesses with an on-demand workforce of contractors, known as 'pros,' across approximately 30 cities in the Southeast. As the platform evolved, GigPro identified a critical need to improve communication between businesses and workers, ensure privacy, and adhere to marketplace rules.

Identifying the core problems and requirements

Initially, GigPro's users—businesses and workers—relied on traditional communication channels such as phones, reducing control over the communication experience. To address these challenges, GigPro thought of implementing a new online chat messaging system that could simultaneously be convenient, modern, secure, and private.

SMS and standard telecommunication limitations

• Authentification: The use of a phone or SMS did not allow for an optimum experience, creating unoptimized identification of the user.

• Regulation and oversight: There was a need to monitor communications to ensure compliance with the platform's policies.

• Temporary communication needs: Gig-related communications must disappear after the gig concludes to prevent post-engagement issues.

Requirements for an effective business messaging solution

The solution needed to meet the following criteria:

• Platform Compatibility: To accommodate all users, the messaging solution must allow the creation of a unified inbox that can integrate seamlessly with web-based and mobile applications.

• Enhanced Features: The system required profanity filtering, multilingual support, and private online group channels accessible through the web or Gigpro’s mobile apps for each gig.

• Scalability and Rapid Integration: With rapid growth on the horizon and limited resources, GigPro needed a solution that could be deployed quickly without extensive development.

Why GigPro chose Sendbird for online messaging

Before using a third-party solution, Gigpo considered building chat in-house. It quickly became evident that developing a custom solution for real-time communication would be daunting, diverting precious engineering resources from Gigpro’s core business. Therefore, Gigpro looked at messaging providers. After evaluating several options, GigPro chose Sendbird due to its robust features and strong industry presence. Sendbird stood out as a leader in the field, already trusted by many platforms such as Doordash, Yahoo, and Hinge. This gave GigPro confidence in its reliability and effectiveness.

Online messaging platform decision factors

The main factors for Gigpro to choose Sendbird were its:

• Strong Market Presence: Sendbird's established reputation and widespread adoption in similar industries instilled confidence.

• Cost Efficiency: Sendbird offered a reasonably priced solution, which was particularly appealing given GigPro's startup nature.

• Rich Feature Set: Necessary features like private group channels, profanity filtering, and automated translation were readily available.

• Ease of Integration: Sendbird’s React Native UIKits and comprehensive documentation promised a swift integration process, which is critical for maintaining GigPro’s operational pace.

Implementing and developing private and secure online messaging with Sendbird

The implementation of Sendbird was swift and efficient. Within a month, GigPro was testing the solution with actual users. The availability of Sendbird's React Native UI Kit streamlined the integration process, allowing GigPro's developer, UX, and UI teams to focus on other critical aspects of their platform. Sendbird's support team was responsive and helpful, ensuring that all questions were addressed promptly, facilitating a smooth transition and quick adoption.

Measuring the implementation success of online messaging

The implementation of Sendbird Chat was deemed highly successful by GigPro, marked by several key achievements:

• High Adoption Rate: 100% of users transitioned to the new system, indicating the substantial value of online communication through apps or mobile web.

• Enhanced Privacy: The new system eliminated the need for users to exchange personal phone numbers, thereby enhancing privacy.

• Increased Efficiency: The system was widely used, with messages sent by 70% of the gigs, demonstrating the importance of allowing communications between businesses and pros.

• Positive Business Impact: Repeat gigs and user retention increased significantly, indicating that the unified inbox made communication more appealing and user-friendly.

GigPro successfully enhanced business communication with Sendbird’s chat solution

GigPro's implementation of Sendbird's chat solution significantly enhanced the communication capabilities of their marketplace, addressing major privacy concerns and improving user satisfaction. The enhanced communication reinforced businesses’ and pros’ trust in the platform while offloading a massive development, management, and maintenance effort covered by Sendbird’s platform. 

With the benefit earned from centralized customer communication in their applications, Gigpro can now consider leveraging other Sendbird capabilities, such as multi-channel notifications for cost-effective app engagement or deploying custom AI chatbots to help deflect frequently asked questions, reducing workload for the support team. To improve customer communication, consider an all-in-one, mobile-first platform like Sendbird.