Client Spotlight: Kid & Coe

If you’ve traveled to new cities with your family, you’re likely aware of how limiting and compact a hotel room can feel when you add kids to the equation. That’s how Kid & Coe, the subject of this Client Spotlight, came about — out of necessity to founder Zoie Coe. Traveling with her family, she quickly discovered that hotels aren’t always conducive to family living. Inspired, Coe found a way to ensure that families around the world can make advance bookings at residences that are designed with families in mind. A perfect example is this charming Amsterdam house, a kid-friendly offering that’s indicative of the quality spaces vetted by Kid & Coe.

We sat down with Coe, who described how her situation brought about the light-bulb moment that eventually birthed the eponymously named company and how she relies on ModSourcing to boost her customer support offerings.

How did Kid & Coe come about?

My husband is a touring DJ, and we travel a lot. When we had a little boy, we traveled to Australia and it took me a very long time to find a vacation rental in Sydney that touted itself as “family friendly” — and when we arrived, it really wasn’t. That term means different things, depending on your child’s age. For us, with a one-year-old, it was about as un-family friendly as you could get. It planted the seed in me that there had to be a better option to search for family friendly accommodations. There was no one website that spoke to that singular need.

On the flip side, we owned a small apartment in London that we were looking to rent out while we traveled, because it was extremely family friendly. I thought it would be great to share with other families when we’re not there. I only wanted to list it out to families. That singular focus is what sets us apart. It’s about creating a very focused offering of properties versus the thousands that you’d have to sift through otherwise. Some short-term rental sites have family-friendly filters, but what works for a family with teens isn’t necessarily appropriate for a family with toddlers. We offer clearly outlined amenities so families have the info they need to book the best holiday for their own personal circumstances.

What were some of the customer support challenges you originally faced?

We’re a direct-to-consumer business with two sets of customers, the guests and the hosts, each with very unique needs. Another challenge is that it’s a 24/7 global business, so families arriving in Shanghai, Sydney, or New York are in different time zones. We’re a small team, and it’s physically impossible for us to be present at all times. That was where ModSquad was really able to help, with comprehensive coverage.

Why did you choose to work with ModSquad?

We had previously engaged a digital answering service. ModSquad nicely bridged that service and my internal customer support team. And now the Mods work with an operations handbook, and they just integrate with our team in a seamless, friendly, and professional way. The other big bonus for us, which made ModSquad an efficient choice, is that the Mods were very familiar with our CRM, which they use to log tickets. For those questions they can’t answer, they create tickets within our CRM, and our agents are able to pick those up. It’s important that that information is collected correctly, so it doesn’t look like it’s an outsource team. It’s very seamless, it’s efficient.

How has it been working with ModSquad?

The thing that’s helped the most has been that knowledge that we have 24-hour support. The Mods can ping my director of customer service over the weekend if something comes up, and he can determine if it’s urgent or can wait until Monday. Having that kind of filter has given everyone a bit more breathing room to deal with the truly urgent issues.

What’s next for Kid & Coe?

We’re focused on growth of new customers and inventory. We offer a home exchange program that we’re continuing to develop. And we’re focusing on refining what we do and doing it better, stronger, and more amplified. Another great thing about ModSquad is that they’re able to scale up with us, so come Christmas or some of our busier times, they’re flexible and nimble, and are able to refine support based upon our needs. You can’t do that with the typical team structure, so those benefits are hugely advantageous.