3201: How Boomerang Is Using AI to Turn Lost & Found Into A CX Advantage

[00:00:03] Have you ever lost something important? A wallet? A phone? Maybe even a sentimental item? And at a very stressful time you then have to face the dreaded and frustrating process of trying to get it back. Yeah, I'm talking about the world of lost and found. Often famous for long hold times, endless customer service calls and that sinking feeling that that item might be gone forever.

[00:00:31] But try and imagine an alternative world where instead of jumping through hoops, you can simply go to a website, submit a quick claim and get reunited with your long lost item. Seamlessly and stress free. This is something that Boomerang is doing. With AI powered matching and automation, Boomerang is turning lost and found from a logistical nightmare into a competitive advantage for businesses.

[00:00:57] And they are having great success doing it from Wells Fargo Center to Universal Studios to top MLB and NFL teams. These brands are using Boomerang to not just recover lost items, but also strengthen customer loyalty through exceptional service. And my guest today is Skylar Lugston. He's the CEO and co-founder of Boomerang. And we're going to talk about how AI is revolutionizing the lost and found experience.

[00:01:27] Why returning lost items is building trust and brand loyalty, not to mention great customer sentiment on social channels. So the way we think about lost and found is evolving. What if returning a lost item wasn't just about logistics, but about building an emotional connection with your customers? Let's explore how Boomerang is making all this possible by getting today's guest onto the show now.

[00:01:56] So a massive warm welcome to the show. Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do? Hey, Neil. Thank you for having me. I'm Skylar. I'm the CEO of Boomerang. We are the number one way to recover lost items. There's so much I want to find out more about that and especially how technology helps you do that. And also, where did the idea come from? Is there a story there? Yeah, there's definitely a story there.

[00:02:22] So one of my closest mentors, best friends, kind of second father figure in my life is a man named Philippe Inglebrecht. Philippe was the founder of the music recognition app Shazam, where if you don't know the name of a song, you go like this and Shazam will tell you the name of that song. And so I built a company with Philippe for about seven years before starting Boomerang. That company is called Tattari, pretty sizable, quite large company based in the US.

[00:02:51] And it was at my 29th birthday. We are in Cabo, Mexico. This is early days of Coven. And over some margaritas and tacos, Philippe shared this idea of creating the Shazam of Lost and Found, a household name where if you lose an item, you know, you got to go to Boomerang and you got to describe your lost item. And if you find an item, you got to take a photo of it, upload it on Boomerang. And what a magical experience it could be. It just it comes back to you.

[00:03:20] There's a match just like Shazam. There's a magic. Oh, my gosh, that's the name of the song. Oh, my gosh, there's a match. How would you like it back? Would you like it shipped? Would you like to come pick it up? And he's telling me the story of, you know, him losing a cell phone or his partner losing a cell phone in Vegas and just how broken it was. You got to call the venue. You got to email them. You tweet at them. You Facebook message them.

[00:03:44] It doesn't matter how good of a customer you are with them, how much money you potentially have spent with that company. There's no premium experience. You instantly think, oh, my gosh, it's stolen. I'm never going to get this back. It ruins your trip. You know, you're in panic, especially if it's your cell phone or a wallet or your passport or a wedding ring or an expensive watch. This really or maybe even just a blanket or teddy bear that your child will not stop crying about.

[00:04:11] It could really, really ruin the day. And he's like, what a great opportunity to just make it magical and bring that item back to the hands. I fell in love with the idea. Philippe is just known for having incredible ideas. But even more important to me is his ability to execute on the idea and turn it into a big business. So Philippe was like, should we do this? Should we start it? So he's my co-founder, along with my other best friend, Augustine.

[00:04:39] And we started the company shortly after him sharing the idea of Boomerang. Man, what an amazing idea. And I always say at the end of every episode of this podcast, technology works best when it brings people together. But what you're doing is using it to reunite people with lost items. And it's something I've encountered a few times because I'm on the road a lot with tech conferences and things. And there was one occasion I left something in the departure lounge of an airport. That should be nice and easy to find.

[00:05:07] Another occasion, it was just in a hotel room. But as you said, the system is entirely broken. I ended up never seeing those items again because it just seemed like too much hassle. And nobody seemed to be interested in resolving it. So I've got to ask, I mean, AI powered matching and automation seems central to Boomerang's platform. So how does technology streamline this whole process that we've all encountered between lost and found? And what is the key driver of customer satisfaction there?

[00:05:37] Tell me more about it. I'd love to know more about the role of tech and everything in between. I'm quite excited for you here. Yeah, absolutely. I always say Boomerang is an eight billion person problem. It's not hard to find someone who goes, yep, I've done that as well. It's actually very common. Everybody that I talk to you goes, I get it. Yeah. Lost and found sucks. Oh my gosh. Yes. That needs to be solved. Because just like your experience, it usually involves not knowing where you lost the item.

[00:06:06] Was it in the Uber? Was it at the airport? Did I get into the terminal where, you know, the seating in front of the airline? Well, if I was at the airline seating, do I need to submit a claim with the airline? Was it actually on the aircraft? You don't know. Was it back at the hotel before all that? Did I drop it in the street before I got into Uber? Or you don't know where you lost it. So you end up calling all the businesses. You end up emailing all the businesses.

[00:06:33] So businesses that don't even have your item have to spend the money for customer support to answer that phone call, listen to your voicemail, write an email back to you. It's expensive and broken for them as well. So there's frustration on both sides without Boomerang. And so with Boomerang, you lose something, you go to the business's website, you see a lost and found section, it tells you submit a claim here with our partner Boomerang.

[00:06:59] The customers click that link, it bumps them out to Boomerang's website. Boomerang isn't an app today because most people lose their cell phones. You can't tell them to download something if they don't even have their cell phone. So they click that link from their friend's phone, their computer, their iPad. They tell us what they lost. They describe the item with 50 characters. They can upload photos of what their item looks like. They go to Google, type in Patagonia jacket. This model, they could type in Bose headphones. This model, upload a couple images, what it looks like.

[00:07:28] Give their first name, last name, email, phone number, submit. So we tell them dot, dot, dot searching. We then flip around and we start scanning to see did the business upload images and descriptions that match exactly what the customer said they've lost. So that's where the AI and machine learning comes in. And you're trying to match the images, the text looking for whatever they said.

[00:07:52] Apple watch, crack screen, yellow band found on Tuesday, PSG logo on the home screen, lost in terminal two. Bam, there it is. We then email the customer saying, Neil, is this your Apple watch? Yes, no. Yes. Wow. How would you like it back? Would you like it shipped? Or would you like to come pick it back or pick it up? Most of the time people want it shipped. Even if you're local, you don't want to drive out to the suburbs, the oil prices where they're at today.

[00:08:19] You don't want to take the morning off of work to go park at the airport, go to terminal two, go talk to the person. I'm trying to get back your item, telling them your boomerang ID number. A lot of people would rather just pay the shipping rates and get it right back to the doorstep. So we facilitate both in-person returns and shipments. The customer has the option. And within a couple hours, a day, two days, that item could be back in your doorstep. And you're like, oh, my gosh, I love that business.

[00:08:48] Let's just say it's MGM Casino or let's say it's Madison Square Garden or Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. You get that wallet back, you see all your cash inside of it, all your IDs. You are so thankful to that business. They take it to Twitter. They take it to Facebook. They write us incredible reviews saying thank you, MGM. I love you guys like the exact dollar amount that was in my wallet is the exact dollar amount that's still in my wallet. I appreciate you guys.

[00:09:18] See you soon. They're expecting to never see that wallet again. Never see the car keys again. The Apple Watch. When they see it, they fall in love with you. That's Net Promoter Score Booster. It's loyalty. You earn their trust. They take it to social media. They tell the story to their friends. They got new dinner conversation, kind of a piece to talk about. Let me tell you how I actually got back my wedding ring thanks to Madison Square Garden. And this happens every day, Neil.

[00:09:46] Things that I'm like, wow, workers did not take that Rolex. Like workers did not take that wallet that says it had $10,000 worth of cash in it. That's incredible. That's awesome. I want to make sure that employee gets recognized. And now Boomerang gives them a piece to be like, hey, look, you know, I returned 300 wallets filled with cash this year. And I hope that helps you in your annual review time where you have this ammo to show how much integrity you have.

[00:10:16] Wow. So many incredible stories. And the thing that really stood out to me as you were sharing some of the stories around that, as you said, that the first reaction of anyone that gets their item back is I'm so thankful. I'm so grateful. And it almost increases loyalty towards that venue, that business, whoever gave that back to you. And trust seems to be a major theme of Boomerang's mission.

[00:10:40] So that side of things for a moment, how does reuniting customers with lost items, has it helped these brands that you're working with build those stronger emotional connections and long term loyalty? Because it seems like there's a huge opportunity here that's been overlooked. Yeah, that's right. And I think, you know, we've we're dealing with decades of lost and found not being effective. Most people's experience with lost and found is it's a waste of time. It never gets you back your item.

[00:11:10] Companies steal stuff. And because of that stigma and that experience, when companies give them the complete opposite. Right now, they're just customers are shocked. I can't believe it. I can't believe this. I it was that easy. I just submitted my claim within 10 minutes. Boomerang told me my items been found and asked me, how do I want it back? And with Boomerang, we're not gouging the customer and shipping like a lot of organizations do and lost and found.

[00:11:39] They will put 40, 50 bucks inside of every label for themselves. With Boomerang, we have incredible shipping rates. I think that helps win over the customer as well. And they go, it's only 12 bucks to get back my sunglasses all the way to, you know, six states away. And so when they see that the companies that they love to go visit are doing the right thing, even in the worst of moments, you're just proud to be a customer.

[00:12:07] You're proud to give that business your business and to come back and spend more money with them. So I think for loyalty, it's such a clever hook. It's such a great way to show what your business stands for and the integrity and the core values, even in the worst of moments. And before you came on the podcast today, we were just talking about tech conferences and things. You were saying you were at airport conferences at the time. I thought airport conferences, but it's all coming to life now.

[00:12:36] I understand why that is such a big deal for you. And before you came on the podcast, I was doing a little research and I was reading that Boomerang is working with huge major brands from the Wells Fargo Center, Universal Studios to top MLB and NFL teams. So I'm curious, do you get to hear any success stories that might highlight the impact of your solution on that customer experience and brand loyalty? Do you get to hear any stories? Yeah, every day.

[00:13:04] I mean, you see the reviews coming in in real time of like, wow, you returned something as small as a stuffed animal. You know, when that stuffed animal gets back to the customer and the child gets to see, you know, their favorite turtle. They write a review back to the business saying like, thank you, Wells Fargo Center for getting, you know, Teddy, the turtle back to my son. Like, it means the world.

[00:13:32] Thank you for getting, you know, treating this as a priority to get this back to my child. Like, it's probably, you know, pretty easy to go. It's just a stuffed animal like that's it was on the floor, put it in the trash. But no, they didn't do that. They took a photo of it. They uploaded it to Boomerang saying like, I know someone's going to submit a claim for this. And when the claim comes in, it's a match. They're tickled. They're fascinated. They're like, thank you, Wells Fargo Center. Thank you.

[00:13:58] So, yeah, I think, of course, you you wow the customer. But internally, oh, this is eliminating so many calls and emails for businesses. This is a cost center for every item you find. It used to get four to five phone calls because Neil will just keep calling. Hey, did you find my item yet? And then you say, nope, give me a call tomorrow. Guess who's calling first in the morning? Neil. Hey, did you find my car keys again yet? Let me go check. They go check the box. They say, nope.

[00:14:28] And Neil calls again tomorrow. And that time you spend on trying to go match the item, putting the customer on hold. I mean, this is, you know, with with employee cost, $18 an hour, 19 or more plus benefits. So with Boomerang, you can drop that hyperlink. No more calls. No more emails. All the claims come to us. Now that team can go focus on other things rather than focusing on calls and emails all day long. So Wells Fargo center.

[00:14:56] Just told us they've reduced the workload by 40% internally. I mean, it's hard to find such levers like that 40% reduction in the time spent on lost and found management. Now they can go do other things that are critical to the company rather than answering phone calls and emails. But people don't want to sit on hold. People don't want to leave voicemails. That doesn't comfort me knowing I just left a voicemail. I have no idea who's going to answer that thing. Who's going to listen to it? Who's going to get back to me?

[00:15:25] Phone calls. I have Robo killer. Everything gets blocked. You know, if I don't have your number saved, I would prefer if I lose something just a quick online submission through Boomerang telling you what I lost. And please just email me if there's a match. And every morning we update all of our customers saying, Neil, your item is still up and found. We'll update you again tomorrow morning. Just so you don't have to think about reaching out to anyone. We just play offense like I would want if I was the one that lost something.

[00:15:53] And the Dutch airline KLM, they famously started the trend of customer delights programs where what they would do is they'd monitor social media. Let's say X, for example, if someone had forgot their Bose headphones or they've got a long flight and they forgot something that would make their journey easier, they would turn up at the departure gate. They track them down and go here. Here's a little thing.

[00:16:15] And they would share that all over social and obviously so much good positivity or a lot of positive social posts around that go down really well online. And when people lose items, they often carry deep sentimental value. So I'm curious, have you seen brands use Boomerang's platform to turn those moments of customer frustration into positive, memorable experiences, maybe share it online, et cetera?

[00:16:43] Anything that you've seen around that? That's right, Neil. It is just constant flow of opportunity to take to marketing channels. Like we got someone back their wedding certificate in Vegas at a festival named EDC, Las Vegas. They stored their wedding certificate in a locker at one of our partners mobile charging lockers. And yeah, they left it there.

[00:17:10] And that's like a really important piece, a document that you do not want to live without. So we see wedding certificates, Rolex watches, car keys. Think about car keys at a stadium. If you do not get back those car keys, your cars are going to get your car will get towed. How much would that be to get your car out of the tow yard? Then you may live in a suburb an hour or two away and you're going to have to Uber there now.

[00:17:35] So the cost just for a car key not being found is very expensive to get the car key replaced. Have you ever had to, you know, go pay to get another Mercedes key or BMW be made or when your lease ends and they say, all right, show me your two keys. You only have one thing. Another 600 bucks added to the fees you got to pay at the end of the lease. It's expensive.

[00:18:01] So even something like a car key that get back to people every day on boomerang really saves them a lot of headache, a lot of money because that item was recovered. And doing a little research, boomerang, you've, uh, doing a lot of research on boomerang. You've proven successful across quite a broad spectrum of industries from travel, sports, entertainment, hospitality.

[00:18:26] So how does the solution adapt to the uniques of the unique needs of these different sectors? Because they are very different. Yeah. When you think of the customer journey, you don't know where you lost it. As I mentioned earlier, is it in the Uber? Is it at the hotel? Is it at the airport? Is it with the TSA agents? Is it on the aircraft? So all these companies are dealing with the same thing. They find items. They take photos of the items.

[00:18:53] They upload what they found to boomerang, whether you're a hotel or whether you're an airport or an airline lost and found on boomerang works pretty much the same. Now, depending on the state, you may have to hold the item for a few days longer. Certain states have certain state laws. You have to hold the items for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, no matter what type of business you are.

[00:19:16] An airline is a bit different where like, hey, the traveler could be passing through multiple airports in one day. So they could have a transferring flight. These are nuances specific for an airline. You know, Uber and Lyft will have certain use cases where, you know, it's a driver that doesn't work for them. But for the most parts with the hotels, the stadiums, the convention centers, the theme parks all using boomerang, you know, they have their full time employees find an item. They upload it to boomerang. They approve matches.

[00:19:45] They print shipping labels. They hand items back to people in person. So I think we have a pretty uniform solution across all these verticals. Some of the verticals have a little twist to it. That's unique to their vertical. And boomerang is expanding rapidly, building a global network. But for everyone listening, where do you serve at the moment? What are your plans for growth this year and beyond?

[00:20:11] And are there any other industries or markets that you're particularly excited to enter or just exploring? What's happening now? Yeah, lost and found is an eight billion person problem. This isn't just unique to the US. It's not like a US are the only people that are losing items. You know, everyone's forgetful. Everyone's moving fast everywhere. It's it's it's every single country needs boomerang.

[00:20:35] So our work is not done until every single business that finds a lost item globally is uploading it to boomerang. And when that's done, I'll be able to tell you, hey, Neil, you saw my strategy. Now my strategy was get everywhere and get every single business on boomerang. And now that that's done, our mission is complete. So you name the country, you name the business. We're going after them. We're expanding there. And yeah, you'll see it.

[00:21:02] Boomerang will be everywhere and will be the household name for lost and found. You lose something. You think boomerang you find something you think boomerang. So for anybody listening, maybe they've a moment of serendipity. Maybe they listen to this podcast and just accidentally lost something or left something behind. They're going to download boomerang on Android or iOS. I would imagine you just walk me through the whole process and and how they would get up and running.

[00:21:29] So remember, Neil, boomerang is not an app today because most people lose their phones. So in order to submit a claim on boomerang, it's simple. You lost something at the business. You go to help. You go to support on that company's website. They point you to boomerang. If you've lost an item, you submit your claim on boomerang. You sit back and wait for us to notify you if there was a match or not. If not, we update you every single day on the status of the claim saying your item is still not been found.

[00:21:56] Your item is still not been found potentially on day three, four beyond. Your item has been found and we'll tell you, hey, Neil, is this your passport? Yes. No. Yes. Great. How would you like it back? And the item is either coming in on its way back to you or you're coming to the location to pick up your item. So does that business or that location, wherever it is, the item is, do they have to be registered to boomerang and that's why you need to get hold of them? And do they need to be part of your website at the moment? Yep, that's right.

[00:22:26] So we're in partnership with the stadiums and all the venues that use boomerang, whether it's a hotel, an airport, an airline, metro, police station, ski resort, casino, all these companies partner with us. They license our software on a monthly basis and they use our software to take photos of everything they find. They upload it to the boomerang network.

[00:22:48] So if the company that you lost something with is not using boomerang, you should tell them, hey, get on boomerang calling you, emailing you, tweeting at you. It was very inefficient. It wasn't effective. There's a better way you guys should join the boomerang network. And the question I have to ask on behalf of many people listening, they'll be scratching their head now thinking, this is amazing. But how do you guys make money? Which is a question you probably get asked a lot too. Yeah, we're a software feed of the business.

[00:23:17] So we bring a lot of efficiencies to their business. They don't have to answer phone calls and emails or spend time trying to match items in a box to voicemails. So we charge them monthly for using our software and that's how we make money. Awesome. And if we're to look further ahead, how do you see the customer experience evolving and what role will innovative solutions like boomerang play in shaping the future of brand loyalty?

[00:23:42] Because it feels like there is a measurable difference that you can prove and show here. So how do you see it all evolving? I see us evolving by being everywhere. It's expansion time. It's all about bringing every single business small or large to the boomerang network because for the customer, you often don't know where you lost your item, as I mentioned earlier. So by having everybody on boomerang, you then could say, I may have been with that business. I did pass through them.

[00:24:11] I also went through this business, click that business as well. And then I also was with that business all within the same day. Can you do a master search across all of them to see which one has my item? Now, when I close my eyes, that's what boomerang looks like in a few years from today is every single business that finds items is on the boomerang network and they upload it to boomerang. What a fantastic story.

[00:24:38] And we began the podcast talking about your origin story, where the idea for boomerang came from and how your vision for the future, where it's heading. But if I was to ask you to look back now as we come full circle and look back at the funniest or most interesting things that might have happened throughout your career and your journey with boomerang. Is there any stories that spring to mind that you can share and leave everybody listening with? Oh, gosh, I would just say in general, like talk to strangers.

[00:25:06] I'm meeting new friends every single day. I have always been curious and people I want to know their stories. I want to know what made them. And, you know, I met the founder Shazam when I was 19. I went to an event and he was the guest speaker and I sat in line. I got his business card and he ended up mentoring me all through college. And then I ended up starting a company with him when I was 23. And then we started another company again when I was 29.

[00:25:36] And that all came from meeting a stranger, turning that stranger into a friend who ended up mentoring me, who ended up being my co-founder and one of my best friends and a second father figure to me. And I think, you know, if I could encourage anyone is just be curious, ask questions, listen to people, really try to learn. Everyone's got something they can teach you.

[00:26:01] And, you know, that would be my encouragement to anyone listening to this is make friends, talk to everybody, sit in the middle on flights and go ahead and talk to each person left and right at each other on Facebook, Instagram, get their phone number, get their email, just make friends. I completely applaud everything that you stand for and everything that you said there, apart from one thing sitting in the middle on flights. I can't bring myself to be in the middle of the seats.

[00:26:29] I'm an aisle guy for whatever reason, just for more for old man stretching reasons than anything. But the middle is not for everyone. The one benefit that it has is you don't have to bend over like this. It's kind of hard to, you know, be on the window and talk to the person on the aisle. So frozen con. Yeah. Oh, I'm completely with you there.

[00:26:53] And for anybody listening that's thinking this is a great idea, maybe they are in charge or work in a large venue or an airline or a hotel or any area that could really benefit from boomerang. Maybe they want to find out more information, start a conversation with you. Where would you like to point everyone listening? Send me an email. Skylar, S-K-Y-L-E-R at thanksboomerang.com. You can find me on LinkedIn as well. Skylar Logsdon, S-K-Y-L-E-R space L-O-G-S-D-O-N.

[00:27:25] Fantastic. I'll add links to everything so people can find the website, find you on LinkedIn, all the social channels. And hopefully we can deliver that serendipity moment here where they've listened to a random podcast episode and end up reunited with their product. Hopefully we can make something like that happen. And we covered so much there talking about the transforming of the lost and found process and using it as a CX driver, but also building trust and emotional connections.

[00:27:51] So many big, big opportunities here around this growing network of loyalty and trust and everything in between. But most importantly is the user that's gone away or customer that's gone to a venue, lost an item and been reunited. And the whole process is seamless. I'd love to hear any stories from any of your customers that maybe listened and have such a story. I'd love to share that too, but more than anything, thank you for joining me today and starting that conversation. Thank you, Neil. Pleasure to be on.

[00:28:22] Wow. What used to be frustrating, time consuming is now becoming a seamless AI powered experience, one that businesses can leverage from frustration into delight and increase brand loyalty. And it seems listening to Skylar today that lost and found is no longer just about recovery. It's about trust. And customers remember when brands go that extra mile to reunite them with their belongings. I know I would if I was in a situation like that.

[00:28:49] And if you're looking for ROI and measurable difference, boomerang is reducing operational burdens by up to 40% for businesses, eliminating phone calls, manual searches, all that kind of stuff. So what does the future of customer experience look like when even lost and found can become a moment of delight? And how can more businesses rethink everyday pain points to build those long lasting relationships with their customers? Let's keep this conversation going today.

[00:29:18] It's how tech can solve that lost and found frustration that we've all encountered. Any other areas that we think we should be going after or are you going after? Do you have a story to share? Tech blog writer outlook.com, Instagram, LinkedIn, X at Neil C Hughes. Let's see how many more frustrations we can turn into positive outcomes and moments of delight. Lots to think about there, but it's time for me to go now.

[00:29:47] I will leave you on those thoughts and I'll be back again tomorrow with another guest. But thanks for listening as always today. If you've got anything that you've been reunited with, thanks to boomerang, I want to hear that story too. Other than that, I'll return again tomorrow. Bye for now.