Assembled Raises $16.6M to Revolutionize Support Teams

The Evolving Landscape of Customer Service Technology

For the average consumer, customer service often appears as a unified entity. However, the reality is a highly fragmented industry, reliant on numerous companies offering diverse tools to empower support agents.

Assembled, a startup originating from the minds of three former Stripe employees, is addressing this complexity. They’ve developed a platform designed to streamline customer service IT infrastructure and enhance operational efficiency. The company is now announcing a new funding round to fuel continued growth.

Securing Series A Funding

Assembled has secured $16.6 million in Series A funding. This capital will be allocated to team expansion, platform development, and the acquisition of new clients.

The funding round was spearheaded by Emergence Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in enterprise startups. Their portfolio includes prominent communication-focused companies such as Salesforce, Zoom, and Yammer. Additional participation came from Stripe, Basis Set Ventures, and Felicis Ventures.

Stripe’s involvement is particularly noteworthy, as they are both an investor and a customer of Assembled. They previously led Assembled’s $3.1 million seed round a year prior.

From Stripe to Startup

The three co-founders of Assembled – Brian Sze and brothers Ryan and John Wang – initially connected at Stripe. It was there they conceived and built the initial iteration of their current product.

CEO Brian Sze, a former early employee at Stripe, drew inspiration from the internal customer support platform he developed while overseeing business operations. His co-founders, Ryan and John Wang, contributed their engineering expertise honed at the financial services giant.

Platform Features and Pricing

Assembled’s platform offers tiered pricing, beginning at $15 per agent per month. It integrates with leading customer service solutions like Salesforce, Zendesk, and Intercom via API integrations.

The platform doesn’t merely consolidate customer support data from various sources. It also provides tools specifically designed to optimize support team performance. These include team management, performance analysis, and demand forecasting capabilities.

The Rise of “Support Ops”

The digital transformation extends to customer service and people management. Sze notes that many organizations still rely on spreadsheets for managing support rosters, a practice that is gradually evolving into a more strategic approach known as “support ops.”

This emerging role requires individuals to proactively plan for future support needs, rather than solely reacting to current issues. Assembled aims to provide the tools necessary to navigate this evolving landscape.

Pandemic-Driven Growth

The number of support channels – encompassing email, messaging, phone, and social media – is continually expanding. Sze highlights that the pandemic significantly accelerated Assembled’s growth, with the customer base doubling in Q3 of last year.

“Support became one of the most critical teams within organizations,” Sze explained, underscoring the increased importance of effective customer service during a period of widespread disruption.

Current Customer Base and Revenue

Assembled currently serves a diverse clientele, including tech companies and consumer-focused businesses like Stripe, GoFundMe, Monzo, Looker, Everlane, and Harrys.

The company has experienced a five-fold increase in customers over the past year, accompanied by a 300% revenue growth (specific figures were not disclosed).

An “Operating System” for Customer Support

The concept of an “operating system” for customer support reflects the evolution of the role itself. Historically, support primarily involved in-person interactions or phone calls.

From Phone Calls to Omnichannel Support

Early support systems gradually incorporated automated responses and improved call triage processes. As marketing and sales embraced software solutions, customer support expanded its responsibilities to include upselling and sentiment analysis.

The advent of the internet introduced new communication channels, leading to the development of more efficient tools, cloud-based services, and mobile solutions.

Assembled’s Approach: Integration and Harmony

While some companies strive for all-in-one solutions, Assembled adopts a more flexible approach, similar to Slack. It facilitates the integration and management of various tools from a central location, fostering seamless collaboration.

Crucially, the platform also provides tools for managing the teams responsible for utilizing these software solutions. Recognizing that customer support is equally dependent on its personnel and its technology, Assembled’s name reflects this holistic perspective.

Looking Ahead

The shift to remote work and the surge in online interactions have further amplified the relevance of Assembled’s platform. However, many businesses are still in the process of adapting to these changes.

“Today’s customer support teams operate in a dynamic, increasingly remote environment vastly different from that of a decade ago,” stated Jake Saper, Emergence General Partner. “But it’s shocking to learn how many support teams are still operating out of spreadsheets. We believe that Support Ops will become a critical complement to support teams.”

The company’s valuation remains undisclosed.

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