Digitizer Group Blog

In June 2007 LivePerson agreed to acquire the Israeli online expert advice provider Kasamba Inc. for about $40 million. LivePerson, a New York provider of online conversation products and services, have acquired the company for $9 million in cash and about $31 million in stock to expand its global presence.

Kasamba’s 30,000 Experts Receive Wider Platform with LivePerson

LivePerson has always believed that what the Internet needs most is real people to interact with visitors who go online with a specific mission to fulfill, whether that’s finding the perfect present for a friend or selecting a web-hosting provider for a growing business.

That’s why LivePerson decided in October 2007 to acquire Kasamba and its network of 30,000 experts. Our goal is a simple one: to make trusted, expert advice available to anyone anywhere who needs it.

Extending LivePerson’s Mission with Kasamba

LivePerson’s mission has always been to help people help other people online; it’s something we’ve been doing all along with our business solutions. What we’ve learned through research and listening to wide variety of people is this: Sometimes our customers’ website visitors need to advice from experts that work for the company, and sometimes they need expertise that the company simply doesn’t offer. For instance, a seasoned filmmaker probably knows more about how to achieve certain cinematic affects using Final Cut Pro than the product development team that created the program. Rather than turn those visitors away, shouldn’t companies make it easy for their customers to find the advice they need?

That’s how LivePerson is leveraging the Kasamba platform to extend its mission. Now, our business customers can offer access to their internal knowledge through the same business solutions they’ve always used. And, they can enable their visitors to chat with their brand enthusiasts and experts through our Affiliate Program. Simply invite the experts to join LivePerson, and place their profile on the company’s site, perhaps on the Support page. LivePerson takes care of everything on behalf of the expert and company.

Everyone wins: the brand enthusiasts have the opportunity to earn money by providing expert-level advice in the products or services at which they excel. And the company’s site is a lot stickier, now that their customers have a strong incentive to return frequently (with no additional headcount or internal resources required). Finally, LivePerson shares some of the revenue that stems the site back with the company.

A New Web Home for Kasamba

We’ve worked hard to complete the merger between LivePerson and Kasamba, and to blend the combined talent of both of our companies. Now we’re pleased to present to the online community a fully integrated online destination where people who seek advice can find and chat live with experts who can provide it.

Such an online destination needs a single identity and address. So as part of the integration, we’ve officially retired the Kasamba name, and moved Kasamba to www.liveperson.com. All of Kasamba’s service, functionality, pricing and payment structure remain the same. Neither the experts nor their clients will experience any interruptions in the service they’ve come to rely upon.

There are plenty of benefits for all of our users, thanks to the integration. Experts can extend their reach by adding online widgets to their blogs or providing links to their profile in message board posts and other forums. And clients can leverage the same Affiliate Program mentioned above to recommend their favorite experts to their friends and colleagues, and receive a piece of any revenue that’s generated.

While 30,000 may seem like a lot of experts, we see it as a starting point. Over the next year we will focus on increasing the ranks of our experts so that no matter what kind of advice you need, you’ll be able to find it quickly and conveniently.

Click HERE to see Kasamba Experts in action NOW