Social Listening: Hiboy S2 Electric Scooter

    The Hiboy S2 electric scooter is the first company’s prototype. Well known for having affordable prices for those looking for high features, Hiboy S2 is compact and foldable. You can take it everywhere. You can ride up to 18.6 mph over a maximum range of 17 miles. It has 8.5-inch flat tires, an e-braking and disk braking system, dual rear suspensions, customized cruise and speed control, 3 speeds mode, a regenerative battery that can charge in 5 hours, and a Hiboy S2 app that you can control all features on your smartphone. Hiboy provides customers with a 1-year warranty for all their products, along with a 6 months warranty for batteries.

    According to my research, I have listened to and read good things about Hiboy’s products. Last year, I purchased one of the S2 e-scooter for myself. That’s the reason why I chose to write about them. During my research to find out the perfect electric scooter for myself, I read blog reviews and watched multiple video reviews. This company seemed to be one of the best in the market. So far I’m really satisfied with my scooter. 

     Hiboy’s value proposition is based on high-quality products at an entry-level price. The focus is on sustainability and environmental protection by manufacturing electric single-person scooters.

     Hiboy has 7 years in the market, and I believe that they do something remarkable by creating these alternative products. Hiboy is using social media: They have a website where people can see information and purchase products. On the website, customers have access to their customer service email address, a blog link, a buying guide with all their products for people to compare, FAQs, a user manual to be downloaded, and repair instructions for each product.

    On their blog, you can find articles about the best-fit product, how to make your commute better, and everything you need to know about e-scooters. They also have Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter where they advertise their product along with customers’ pictures using their products. Even though they have many online resources, I don’t think they’re trying to engage with customers. Their posts are pretty straightforward advertising.

    Hiboy’s goal is to be the number one leading global fashion scooter manufacturer recognized for its experience in making designs with sustainable materials in less than 10 years. In my opinion, the company faces great challenges because they have a long list of competitors in the market, some of them are even more popular. 

     I went on its Instagram profile to find out what customers are saying about the S2 series.

    Lorelynne, gretigreti along with other profiles commented on the post. It seems like everyone shares the same problem: Hiboy’s customer service. I read a lot about this problem last year before buying my e-scooter. It looks like the problem persists. Ibeetheki profile also commented that they don't reply to their emails. Unfortunately, customers have to deal with the company's delays.  

     In this example, skilledchris profile commented that the e-scooter stopped working (it can happen with electric products). Hiboy took a week to give a response. That's when the warranty takes place. Luckily the customer was able to receive the parts from Hiboy. However, the problem wasn't solved and the result wasn’t positive for the customer. 

    I noticed that Hiboy answers all of their customers' comments (good and bad ones). However, they take at least a week to answer. They try to direct the customers to email them. It has been a year since I read the same complaints about their customer service failing. Unfortunately, the problem persists.

    If I was the manager, I would respond to my customers as soon as possible. Especially when the complaints are about defective products. For me,  this is an urgent problem. Companies need to communicate instantly with customers. I would solve the customer service problem once and for all, by creating an option to chat online. That way we would use the quick answer method. I believe this would improve 70% of their customers' complaints.

    I would use the blog to keep customers engaged. Storytelling would be my approach as a manager. I would connect with scooter lovers to generate content together on the blog and all the social media platforms.

    This assignment taught me that not only great products with affordable prices are enough for a business to thrive. Social engagement is very important, and without it, companies cannot build a relationship with their customers. This assignment taught me that the best way to keep customers satisfied is by sharing everything they need to get their problems fixed. Be quick and precise in answering them.