We've all been there. You're a frustrated customer, you really need to talk to someone at a company, and then you get lost in the circles of IVR menu options when all you want to do is get just one question answered. With an app like Miyou, companies can reduce the friction customers often have communicating with them.
While traditional customer relationship management tools ("CRMs") or customer support tools can help bridge the communication gap between company and customer, they're often enterprise-level or very sophisticated, so they're not always a feasible choice for smaller companies to implement. Vick Bouloute is trying to change the way businesses interact with their customers with Miyou, a new real-time B2C communication tool that's geared for mobile devices.
Here's a glimpse into how Miyou Founder and CEO Vick Bouloute (@VickATL) got the idea for the app & landed in the startup world:
Your Pitch:
Miyou is an instant messaging app that allows businesses and customers to communicate, ask questions, and share ideas.
Owner:
Vick Bouloute (Founder & CEO- pictured above)
Location:
I'm from Decatur. I went to the Flashpoint Demo Day in June last year. I fell in love with the entrepreneurial spirit and energy in the room. I feel like all the inventors and entrepreneurs in the city are on the same page and want to make Atlanta a major tech hub in the coming years.
Employees: 1
Founded: April 2013
Funded or bootstrapped: Bootstrapped
Price of services: Our product (an app) is free for users on the App Store and Google Play.
What customers get: Customers will get an app that strives to help businesses meet diverse needs of their customers—and delivers. Miyou supports growth and will improve businesses and their relationships with their customers.
How you got the idea for it: I pitched Miyou as an "Instagram for the workplace" at Startup Atlanta last April. After several iterations, Miyou is now what it is today.
Collaboration tools & processes you use: Box, GitHub, and Skype
Where do you gain your insights from and how do you stay on top of emerging trends? Tech blogs and internet trends reports such as KPCB Annual Report by Mary Meeker.
What's unique about your company culture: Miyou harbors creativity, weirdness, and trying new things.
What you need most right now: Talent. Being a solo founder can sometimes get overwhelming. Doing everything from designing, programming, and business development is literally a 24/7 task.
Hypepotamus is a publication, housed in open collaborative space, where startup stories are living and told. The doors are open for students, developers, creatives and tech entrepreneurs willing to participating in the startup ecosystem. Hypepotamus is nonprofit, community supported and located at the historic Biltmore in Midtown, Atlanta.
