Meet our Founders
Two friends, Alexander and Charl, met while playing Runescape, an online game. They both were upset about the same thing: really bad customer service. They often faced unhelpful people and long waiting times. At first, they just chatted about this during their game, but soon, these talks turned serious. They saw big problems in customer service, especially with the growing use of social media. So, they decided to start a company to make customer service better using social media. Their goal was to speed up chats with customers, make them more helpful, and cut down on wait times.
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From Ideas to Action
In 2012, Alexander and Charl turned their idea into reality by starting The Next Network. This was their way of fixing the bad customer service they hated – the unhelpful attitudes and the endless waiting. The Next Network used social media to make talking to customers better and more interesting.
Innovative Use of WhatsApp
By 2015, their vision evolved into Watermelon. They noticed that WhatsApp, a popular chat app, wasn't used much by businesses for customer chats. So, they decided to use WhatsApp in a new way for business chats. This was a bold move to solve the long waits and poor service they always wanted to fix. Watermelon grew super fast, getting 1000 customers in just 9 months. But there was a big problem. They had to hack WhatsApp to make this work, which wasn't allowed.
Struggles with Facebook
2016 was a hard year for Watermelon. Their WhatsApp idea led to serious legal and technical issues with Facebook, which led to bankruptcy. But Alexander and Charl didn't stop. They worked hard to solve these problems and keep their dream alive by buying back Watermelon.
Rebuilding with Advanced Technology
In 2018, Watermelon made a strong comeback. They weren't just restarting their business; they were sticking to their goal of better customer service. Now, with advanced technology, they focused not only on making service quicker and friendlier but also more caring and tuned into what customers really need. That year, they bought a company called eCreation and used its chatbot technology to improve their service.
Leading in AI
By 2023, Watermelon has become a leader in AI for customer service. Their journey from gamers to tech leaders shows how focusing on a big problem can lead to amazing and world-changing solutions. But their story isn't over yet – it's still unfolding and promising more innovations to come.
