Startups talk growth, customer support, and change
Getting your business off the ground is tough. We get it, now can be even harder, we are altogether navigating stranger waters. That’s why we invited leaders that are building startups to share their knowledge and have a “coffee with us,” take a zoom break and tune in on our new podcast, learn all the latest tricks on how to startup.
Whether you’re working on your own startup or leading within an organization, the series will give entrepreneurs the latest insights, thought leadership, and resources to get shit done, while jumping from one screen to another.
An Aura of success
In our first episode, we invited James Gutierrez, founder, and CEO of Aura, to chat with Zendesk CFO, Elena Gomez. Aura is a fintech startup based in San Francisco that provides affordable and credit-building loans to working families in the US. Their mission is to use technology to build credit and get access to affordable loans so hard-working people can buy homes, pay the debt, and generally pave their way for success.
James’ calling came from a desire to give back. Growing up in a Latinx, Mexican family, he saw firsthand that hard-working people get left behind in the world because a lot of mainstream institutions in the US don’t work for them, or give them access to the same opportunities. You’re sure to love his conversation with Elena, as she shares Jame’s passion and has quite an impressive path herself.
How to retain my customers
During this crisis, James realized the important role of technology in getting capital out to communities that needed it most, since many government-funded programs haven’t been able to reach low-income communities. He also learned that many of his customers responded well to communicating via SMS, so he took that as a jumping-off point to help his customers establish a more digital relationship with the company.
To bridge the gap, Aura built a technological system that allows local businesses located in low-income communities to offer a credit application directly into Aura’s system. It removed the need for brick-and-mortar locations, which, given the current health crisis, are becoming harder to access.
Aura is all about fairness, leading with compassion, and bringing people into the system on their path to prosperity.
In it for the long haul
Business isn’t business as usual anymore, and things may never go back to “normal”, companies realized the need for a technological step-change that opens the door for more digital relationships. Now more than ever, customer experiences are top priority, companies making changes are putting systems in place that are adaptable, long-lasting, and make communicating with customers easy.
Want to hear more? Listen to the full here. [Embed link: https://www.zendesk.com/campaign/sitdownstartup/]
