With Yext, the AI Search Company, German telco behemoth Deutsche Telekom saw significantly increased visibility, website clicks and conversion rates despite the COVID-19 pandemic and temporary branch closures. Deutsche Telekom's investment in digital, including Yext technology, is delivering significant results.
Despite a difficult 2020, 2021 is proving to be a very successful year for the collaboration. This is evident in that when comparing the figures from the same period in the previous year, clicks on Telekom's websites from listings via Google and other search platforms increased by 101%1. These clearly positive developments can also be attributed, among other things, to Telekom’s use of Yext Pages; which are strategically optimised for search discoverability on the search engine results page (SERP). In the same period customer reviews have also increased significantly in both quality and quantity since Telekom’s deployment of Yext Reviews. The brand has increased its average monthly star rating by almost a whole star, from 3.8 to 4.7.2
Accurate information delivered in the height of the pandemic
Telekom has been working with Yext since 2018 and has continuously improved the digital visibility of its locations ever since. To achieve this, they use a range of Yext products, including Pages, Managed Duplicate Suppression and Reviews, to surface accurate information for around 400 Telekom stores across Germany. During the height of the pandemic, regulations for retailers, and therefore Telekom stores, changed almost daily. This information had to be updated and communicated with confidence and speed.
"The pandemic and the associated measures are defining examples of how important it is to be found online with the right information. This was the only way we could provide our customers with up-to-date information in challenging times," says Björn Weidenmüller, Managing Director Operations, Deutsche Telekom Privatkunden-Vertrieb GmbH. "Manual maintenance of location data would not have been possible during this time and by using the Yext platform, we can change the information in just a few clicks and surface it on many relevant platforms, such as Google, Bing and Facebook."
Appointment booking option as essential factor
While online appointment booking was previously available, it became a key point of contact during the pandemic and was deployed on pre-existing Yext Pages. Because of this, Telekom stores were prepared for the significant increase in inquiries. In addition to booking appointments, consumers could also find out about a store’s services, products and opening hours or browse through the company's current advertising brochure, all through its dedicated location page.
"The appointment booking option was an essential factor in keeping our stores open for our customers," explains Weidenmüller. Temporarily, bookings rose to a total of 80k appointments per month. Telekom has seen a 2.5-fold growth in clicks on "make appointment" per year3 since 2019 and not even the pandemic diminished this trend thanks to increased online visibility. Even after COVID-19, Weidenmüller sees potential for these CTAs: "as services such as Click & Meet or Click & Reserve continue to be in demand, the necessary infrastructure already exists for us to support that" In this way, customers can avoid unnecessary waiting times in the store. "Many of the measures are now appreciated by customers. With this technology, we are ideally positioned for the future," adds Weidenmüller.
Reviews as Benchmark
The Yext dashboard provides Telekom with an overview of all the reviews that customers make online via Yext Reviews. "Star ratings are an important decision-making criterion when choosing a suitable provider. High ratings can support a positive outcome for us."
"The customer journey of consumers is constantly changing, and with that changes the way they gather information before making purchasing decisions," says Tobias Dahm, Senior Vice President Central Europe at Yext. "Today, even before visiting a store, consumers want to find out what products and services are offered locally and when the stores are open. They also look closely at the reviews of other customers - increasingly, purchasing decisions are influenced by the experiences and ratings of other customers," adds Dahm. According to Dahm, this behaviour has only increased during the pandemic, with location data being a critical part of discoverability, to avoid being faced with closed doors.
Results aside, the teams at Telekom and Yext work closely and have formed exceptional professional relationships. Yext’s expertise in search and forward-thinking vision allow Telekom to be inspired and contribute to a truly successful collaboration.
Source: https://www.totaltele.com/511000/Deutsche-Telekom-increases-customer-interactions-with-Yext
