SUSE streamlines checkout in just 5 days with Cleverbridge

How the open-source leader rapidly migrated to Cleverbridge, reducing customer friction and unlocking new revenue opportunities.

The challenge

SUSE is an open-source software company that develops and sells Linux products along with optional subscriptions for customer support services. In seeking a new Merchant of Record (MoR) provider, SUSE was determined to improve its checkout process, which, under a prior vendor, was marred by having too many clicks, a poor interface, invoice issues, and other deficiencies.

Having to cut ties with its prior MoR vendor rather unexpectedly, SUSE was also looking for a partner that would let them migrate platforms and go live as soon as possible. It was critical for the company to promptly wrap up its RFP and implementation processes, to avoid any prolonged downtime and potential churn.

Finally, SUSE wanted to enhance its customer experience and retention marketing efforts with new subscription features, ensuring that expansion efforts (i.e., cross-sells and upsells) were leveraged at opportune times and targeted to the right customers.

The solution

In carrying out its RFP process, SUSE was surprised to encounter a dearth of strong options that offered a fast and easy implementation process. Enter Cleverbridge, who, according to Miki Gavrila, Ecommerce Specialist for SUSE, set the tone early with communication.

“I reached out to Cleverbridge via an online form and heard back very quickly. So that was a great sign from the very beginning,” said Gavrila.

Of utmost importance for Gavrila was correcting prior issues with SUSE’s subscriptions, in which existing customers were erroneously asked to create new accounts. Customers were also asked to change passwords, but never received confirmation emails, leading to increased friction.

“That bothered me a lot. I could empathize with our customers, especially from a personal online shopping perspective. If I run into something like that, I am not going to buy anything else from you, period,” added Gavrila.

Cleverbridge was able to step in and fully implement SUSE’s online shop within 5 working days — a target that easily exceeded the company’s expectations. Instead of suffering a prolonged outage due to the sudden loss of its prior provider, SUSE was able to preserve — and even grow — its customer base, turning a potential catastrophe into a blip on the radar.

Gavrila noted that when her dev team had questions during implementation, Cleverbridge was quick to respond, and in a manner that wasn’t too technical for any SUSE stakeholder on the opposite end. The support provided in these instances harked back to the clear communication SUSE experienced when first reaching out to Cleverbridge during the RFP stage.

The results

A smooth implementation was just the start. What really impressed Gavrila and the SUSE team was Cleverbridge’s ability to lift the proverbial weight of their shoulders.

“I no longer have to deal with refund requests. I don’t need to explain payment processes or address several other customer issues that were once common,” said Gavrila. “It’s such a relief, due to how time-consuming it all was, and now it's super clear for customers that if they have any questions about payments, taxes, anything… to reach out to Cleverbridge.”

With their new solution in tow, a clear delineation was created for customers in which any ecommerce-related issues would be handled by Cleverbridge Customer Support, while all product and related technical questions would be directed to SUSE.

“My inbox — and my mind — is a lot clearer now,” remarked Gavrila.

SUSE is also benefiting from better fraud prevention mechanisms with Cleverbridge to address potentially deceitful disputes. Gavrila noted that the previous process for handling chargebacks lacked transparency. 

The overall boost in security and customer support services resulted in a 64% reduction in refunds and an 85% drop in support tickets.

In addition to experiencing zero churn during its initial ramp-up phase with Cleverbridge, SUSE also increased its conversion rate from visitor to buyer to 12% in just a few months. (With their previous MoR provider, SUSE was unable to track this metric.) The conversions were optimized thanks to a 93% credit card authorization rate, a personal best for SUSE.

Partnering with Cleverbridge has also allowed SUSE to optimize its revenue beyond initial checkout and throughout the subscription lifecycle, thanks to personalized incentives banners, the ability to turn discount codes on/off for varying products, and other cross-sell/upsell opportunities. As a result, the company has also witnessed a stunning 28% increase in average order value (AOV).

Furthermore, SUSE is now able to support 30 total languages (up from eight previously) at checkout and in other transactional communications, thanks to Cleverbridge’s global commerce and localization features.

In the future, the SUSE team is excited to explore even more opportunities through the partnership, whether it’s integrating their online shop with Cleverbridge’s Salesforce connector or fully exploring the opportunities of CleverPartners — especially vital for SUSE, which generates most of its business from outsourced purchase orders.