From Skeptical to Sold: How Answer HQ Transformed ZURIGA’s Customer Experience

"We set high standards for our espresso machines: Simple design paired with advanced technology, high-quality materials and minimalist design. And our customer service should also be as simple as possible. We were convinced that AI could help us offer an even better user experience – but the right tool was still missing. Answer HQ surprised us with its ability to accurately answer detailed questions about our machines while maintaining the tone and quality our customers expect. The simplicity of customization means we can fine-tune responses instantly, ensuring the information quality matches the craftsmanship of our products." — Michael Eugster, IT & Communication at ZURIGA

Handcrafted Excellence from Zürich

ZURIGA creates meticulously handcrafted espresso machines in Zürich's former SBB workshops. Each machine is built by a single person, requiring 318 unique parts. ZURIGA’s E2 and E2-S models represent Swiss precision engineering at its finest – energy-efficient and fast, able to brew espresso in just 90 seconds, using laboratory glass water tanks and featuring European walnut handles.

Behind the brand with the elephant logo is a team of about 30 people with vertically integrated areas of focus, such as design, engineering, assembly, sales (direct to customer only), service and repairs, communications and marketing, and customer service. ZURIGA’s  philosophy mirrors their mascot: strong, reliable, with excellent memory, and beautiful to look at.

The Challenge of Artisanal Support

For ZURIGA's team, balancing artisanal production with growing customer support needs presented a significant challenge.

"We have a small team that has to handle a rapidly increasing volume of customer inquiries,” said Michael Eugster, who leads IT and communications for ZURIGA. Besides the volume, our biggest challenge is the wide variety of questions we receive – such as inquiries about orders, coffee preparation, or advice on our espresso machines."

With each machine representing a significant investment, and with customers’ detailed, sometimes technical questions increasing, providing timely, accurate support was becoming increasingly difficult for the ZURIGA team.

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ZURIGA & Answer HQ: A Perfect Pairing

Since implementing Answer HQ, ZURIGA has experienced a transformation in their customer experience.

"Our visitors are using Answer HQ to answer all sorts of questions – from transactional and coffee preparation questions to inquiries about our coffee machines," said Eugster. “This saves our team from having to answer questions that are already handled on the website.”

The solution has been particularly effective because of how seamlessly it integrates with their existing knowledge. Said Eugster, "If your website content already covers many topics, you will immediately get great answers."

Unexpected Simplicity

What surprised the ZURIGA team most was the system's adaptability and ease of use. 

"Answer HQ is very easy to customize,” said Eugster. The website serves as the knowledge source, and if an answer needs slight adjustments, you can make changes in a text field that go live instantly. Impressive! And the answers are better than those from any of the countless tools we have tested."

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This simplicity mirrors ZURIGA's own design philosophy: sophisticated technology that appears effortless to the user.

A Relationship Built on Responsiveness

Eugster emphasized the collaborative relationship with Answer AQ that has developed.

"Jacky responds very quickly, takes our feedback and needs into account, and integrates them into the product,” he said. “This level of responsiveness is quite unique. We see that our feedback truly has value and weight. A great experience!"

From Skeptics to Believers

The ZURIGA team admits they were initially doubtful of Answer HQ’s capabilities, having stumbled upon the company by chance. "We initially thought it was just another one of those not-so-useful AI tools,” Eugster said. “But the complete opposite turned out to be true."

"If you want to quickly set up and efficiently use an AI chatbot on your website,” Eugster said, “Answer HQ is the perfect solution." 

Try Answer HQ for 14 days free now.

Answer HQ Impact: Immediate answers to diverse customer questions • Improved visitor experience • Easy customization with instant updates • Reduced team workload