How the Largest Carmaker in the US Leverages BL.INK’s Integration With Khoros To Get More Accurate Campaign Data
A US car manufacturing giant switched from another link management system to BL.INK’s platform, looking for more functionality, efficient customer service, and better pricing. BL.INK allowed them to create branded short links for their social media and SMS campaigns, while our native integration with Khoros improved data tracking for their social networks.
About Our Customer
Founded in 1908, our customer is a global automobile and parts manufacturer that produces some of America’s most popular cars, trucks, and SUVs. They also have been at the forefront of advancements in the automotive industry for over a century.
With headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, they currently employ over 155,000 people in 396 facilities worldwide. They are now the largest automaker in the US and the second largest worldwide.
The Problem: Car Manufacturer Needed a Short Link Provider with Better Functionality, Pricing, and Customer Support
Before signing on with BL.INK in 2017, this automotive industry leader was using Bit.ly to manage their short links for social media. However, between the inefficient customer support and the rising cost of services, doing business with Bit.ly wasn’t adding up for them.
They began their search for a new solution that would provide a better fit for their needs, including attentive customer care and allow them to add new domains to their account without breaking the bank.
One of their main requirements was to provide their global workforce with an easily accessible and intuitive platform while keeping processes consistent across multiple brands.
For user-level access to be a success in a workforce this size, they needed sweeping standardization company-wide. They found all of the above in BL.INK.
The Solution: An Accessible and Feature-Rich Link Management System That Can Be Used Across the Whole Company
This carmaker’s journey with BL.INK began with creating short links for SMS messages and multiple social channels. A big plus for our customer was BL.INK’s capacity to natively integrate with Khoros, their social media management platform.
1. Khoros Integration
Thanks to the integration, every link Khoros sends out can have the carmaker’s branded short domain.
“Then, every click the link collects will be visible inside Khoros. So if you’re doing a Facebook and Twitter post, you’ll see both the Facebook and Twitter stats and our stats. The two will be different because Facebook and Twitter measure things differently than we do,” explains Andy Meadows, BL.INK’s CEO.
“So, basically, BL.INK’s numbers will serve as a source of truth for campaign data tracking across multiple social networks,” Andy adds.
Because of BL.INK’s native integration with Khoros, a company with which we have collaborated closely for several years, users of both tools just need to connect the two platforms to benefit from the additional functions and data.
2. Accessibility & Multiple Domains
The switch from Bit.ly to BL.INK provided this massive car company with many other benefits. As a worldwide automotive leader with multiple brands under their belt, our customer wanted to enable its users to create links while maintaining compliance. With BL.INK, the framework was already laid out for them.
Andy explains, “The way our system works is you can give a brand full control over their domain so that they can manage links, users, and everything around it, but not even see the other brands.”
This multi-domain system also works for specific departments inside each of the brands.
“The barrier to using the platform is very low. Teams, such as marketing and technology or even chat agents, can create links,” Andy adds. Each of these teams has access to its links but cannot see or manage links in other departments.
3. Customer Service
Bit.ly’s customer service was a significant pain point for this car manufacturer. They often felt left to their own devices when encountering problems that required extra assistance. Some questions went unanswered for weeks at a time, and they wanted better communication from their link provider.
BL.INK prides itself on superb customer care. We know issues can arise at any time of day, in any time zone, so we are always available to help.
Where other customer service centers may direct their customers to an FAQ page or a video, we get to the bottom of the issue.
Andy says, “We want to know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and your expectations. We will figure out how to best solve the problem instead of pointing you to someplace and hoping it solves itself.”
4. Pricing Model
The price of link management for multiple brands was another factor for this automotive corporation. BL.INK proved to be a much more cost-effective solution for our customer, especially when it came to adding extra users and domains.
Andy says, “With our competitors, there’s almost a penalty for adding seats. Our pricing structure works in a way that it isn’t cost-prohibitive to onboard additional seats or brands.”
In addition to being the more economical choice, BL.INK also adapts to its customer’s specific billing processes. “Every organization has a way that they like to bill and keep track of things internally. We have a very flexible billing structure that allows us to work flexibly within an organization,” says Andy.
5. Longevity & New Initiatives
In an industry where technological advancements happen like clockwork, our customer wanted to be sure their link management platform could adapt. BL.INK’s feature-rich platform empowers companies and their people to come up with fresh, innovative ideas.
One of the projects this giant carmaker is currently working on is the implementation of QR codes across their organization. Andy says, “They are experimenting with possibilities as they evaluate the technology. Their products and materials will last for decades, and QR codes are sustainable.”
The Takeaway: An Accommodating Platform that Makes Link Management, Campaign Tracking and Innovation Easy
One of the world’s biggest automotive manufacturers found more than they expected in their move to BL.INK’s platform.
Now they have an efficient link creation structure that functions across multiple domains, gives them much-needed features, and empowers them to imagine.
At BL.INK, we are constantly driven to meet our customers’ needs, whether it’s providing around-the-clock customer support, flexible long-term solutions, or economic features. We cover all the bases so you can focus on what’s important: growing your brand.
Learn how BL.INK can help you accomplish your goals.
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