Customer service startup SupportLogic just raised $12 million in a funding round backed by Sorenson Ventures

* Customer service startup SupportLogic just raised $12 million in a fundraising round backed by Sorenson Ventures and Sierra Ventures. * Founded in 2016, SupportLogic promises clients the "world's first intelligent support platform," using AI and natural language processing to extract data from customer queries. This can reduce churn, prevent complaint escalations, and help companies better understand customers' needs, SupportLogic claims. * The customer experience industry is predicted to be worth close to $15 billion globally by 2025. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. SupportLogic, the San Jose-based startup trying to revolutionize customer service through AI, just raised $12 million in a Series A funding round backed by Sorenson Ventures and Sierra Ventures. The firm promises clients the "world's first intelligent support platform," using AI and natural language processing to extract useful data from their online ticketing systems. This can reduce churn, prevent complaint escalations, and help companies better understand customers' needs, SupportLogic claims. SupportLogic says it has helped clients reduce operational costs by 35%, reduce escalations by up to 40%, and sped up the rate of customer queries being resolved by 25%. "Support datasets contain valuable insights about how customers feel about [companies'] products," said Krishna Raj Raja, founder and CEO of SupportLogic. "It's critical to extract signals from this dataset and foster collaboration between support, sales, customer success, and product teams." Ken Elefant, managing partner at Sorenson, which led the round, said that the rise of subscription services means "churn and customer retention is a top priority for organizations." "SupportLogic's unique approach to this space and the technology they have built to extract signals from existing systems really excited us," he said. The customer experience industry is predicted to be worth close to $15 billion globally by 2025, according to research from analysts at Markets and Markets. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Why Pikes Peak is the most dangerous racetrack in America
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Apple has backed down in its latest developer fight, apologizing to WordPress after it pressured the website-builder to add in-app payments

* Apple has apologized after it tried to force WordPress to add in-app payment options to a free app. * WordPress' founder said on Friday that Apple was refusing to allow any updates to the WordPress iOS app until the website builder added in-app purchases, from which Apple takes a 15-30% commission. * Apple is in a fierce fight with developers including "Fortnite" maker Epic Games and Spotify over its rules on in-app purchases. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Apple has backed down in its latest skirmish with a developer over its App Store rules. The tech giant on Sunday issued a rare apology to WordPress after it pressured the website builder to add payment options to its free iOS app, or else be blocked from updating. "We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved," an Apple spokesman told The Verge. "Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free st...

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX. Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...

What an independent contractor actually is and how it's classified under California's Assembly Bill 5, the gig worker law Uber, Lyft, and others are fighting with a November ballot measure

* California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect in January, adopting a narrow definition of independent contractor that forces Uber and other gig economy businesses to choose between reclassifying workers as employees or risking significant liability for misclassification. * The law serves as a reminder to California businesses to be careful when classifying workers as contractors. * Classifying independent contractors falls into two main categories: the "right to control" test (often called the "IRS test") and the tougher "ABC test" recently adopted in AB5. * Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have recently poured $30 million into Proposition 22 — a ballot measure intended to exempt major ridesharing and food delivery companies from AB5. If California residents vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft can continue classifying drivers as contractors. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September 2019, Californ...

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