How Hookusbookus answered live chats in 15 seconds on average

In 2022, Hookusbookus answered live chats in 15 seconds on average during business hours. Some companies take a working day to reply, others an hour, and the best a minute.

These numbers are from 2022, when Askly was a live chat tool. The replies came from the Hookusbookus support team, not from an AI agent.

Hookusbookus is an online hotel booking site, built by young people from Pärnu, a seaside town in Estonia. We asked the team how they did it.

We’re sharing their story to inspire other online businesses, because we all like fast, friendly service.

A visit to the team behind the 15-second replies

We met Sandra Polberg, who leads sales at Hookusbookus. Their office was cozy, and as soon as we walked in, we could tell they cared about their customers.

Their partners, too: the table was set with fresh fruit and gifts. During our interview, the support team kept answering live chat questions as we watched.

Left: Askly founder Sandra Roosna. Right: Sandra Polberg, Hookusbookus Estonia.

“Customers like having live chat. Their loyalty grows when they get answers to their questions and can complete their bookings quickly.”

Sandra Polberg, head of sales and marketing at Hookusbookus Estonia

Polberg told us that response time is a key metric.

What customers asked, and how they got in touch

Customers usually asked about:

• vacation deals and recommendations
• how destinations compare
• what a deal includes
• a custom solution for a larger family
• changes to an existing booking

About 30% of requests came through chat. Phone and email brought in similar numbers.

Unlike phone and email, Askly offers real-time translation when it’s needed. The team could also see which product page a customer was on and what they were interested in.

The team started using Askly’s chat in early 2022. By the time of the interview, chat use had grown steadily.

Chat is convenient for both the customer and the support team.

The results: who answered, and how fast

In total, the team had invited 6 people to Askly. Day to day, 2 of them answered customers: Kristin Varblane and Triin Raudtamm.

The numbers from 2022:

• 15 seconds: the average reply time during business hours
• 14 seconds: Kristin’s average reply time
• 16 seconds: Triin’s average reply time
• Almost 500 customers served each month, with thousands of messages exchanged in real time

By then, more than 500,000 bookings on Hookusbookus.com suggested that putting user experience first pays off.

In the rest of the interview, the Hookusbookus team answers in their own words.

What the team looks for in a chat tool

Ease of use, definitely, for both the customer and our team. Other things that matter to us:

• Translation when needed.
• The chat tool’s features. Say someone gets a long phone call mid-chat: they pass the chat to a colleague, and support carries on.
• Seeing which pages the customer has visited.
• Conversation history. If the same customer comes back 6 months later, earlier conversations are there to see.
• Answering from one place, without handling Facebook and Instagram separately.

A smooth start, and why email still matters

We were a little nervous at first. Anything new can seem scary, but everything went smoothly and we soon got over our fears.

Once we started, there were no glitches or problems.

With the technology set up and working, we can focus on answering customers in chat as fast as possible. That makes us more likely to help them complete their bookings.

Now that customers can chat, do phone and email still have an edge? The team’s answer:

Chat is convenient. But we use email for much more than customer service, so for now we still need several tools.

Whichever way customers want to reach Hookusbookus, we want to offer the options that suit them best. That said, answering everything from a single channel would be convenient.

Fast answers are up to each team

The Hookusbookus team also shared product suggestions and ideas for where support tools could go next. The Askly team is very grateful for them.

“We’re glad to build the best customer support tools for teams like Hookusbookus. Askly is only the technology. How fast you answer and how you treat customers is up to each team.”

Sandra Roosna, founder of Askly

Thank you, Hookusbookus, for setting such a high standard for customer support. We wish you every success!