Plato is a social gaming ecosystem that combines a full-fledged messenger with over 50 in-house developed games. Founded by the original creators of Yahoo Games, the app has exploded since its 1.0 launch in 2017, amassing over 100 million downloads and a dedicated community of 2 million daily active users (DAUs).
For a globally distributed brand with 10 million monthly users, the challenge isn't just about growth, it's about sustainability. With a total company headcount of under 50 people, Plato needed a way to provide world-class support across dozens of languages without an army of human agents.
Key Performance Highlights
75.1% Resolution rates
Helply now deflects or resolves 3/4ths of all support conversations automatically.
1:2,000,000 Support Ratio
By leveraging Helply for front-line inquiries, Plato manages 2 million daily active users with just one internal customer support representative.
25% Fewer Support Tickets
The volume of manual tickets created in their helpdesk has declined by 25%.
The Challenge: A Sudden Support Crisis
Plato's lean philosophy worked well until external factors forced their hand. While games often have a clear "start and end," the introduction of in-app purchases and deep customization increased the volume of technical touchpoints.
The breaking point arrived during the pandemic.
"One of the partners we were working with decided to stop doing support abruptly and close things down," explains Joe Wagner, VP of Product at Plato. "That put us in a tight bind where we had about two weeks to figure out how we were going to continue to serve all the people coming in."
Plato was faced with a choice: embark on a massive, expensive hiring spree for a 24/7 global team, or find a technology that could scale infinitely.
The Turning Point: Discovering "Infinite" Support
Plato needed more than a keyword-bot; they needed a solution that felt as modern as their messenger. They turned to Helply to act as their front-line defense.
"What stands out is how easy it is to get set up," says Wagner. "You can literally point it to a webpage URL, click go, and it learns from there. It's an always-available tier-one support team that scales infinitely. As many questions as you can throw at it, it can answer."
The transition was seamless, allowing Plato to pivot from a traditional ticketing system to an AI-first chat format that matched their users' preference for short, fast communication.
Why Helply Was Different
For Joe Wagner, the shift to Helply provided a level of transparency and capability that previous outsourced partners couldn't match:
- Multilingual Mastery: "People start writing in other languages and Helply is smart enough to reply back with the correct information in their native language. That was a surprise—it just works."
- Verifiable Accuracy: "You can actually see the conversations and see the people getting help. I have actual confidence that it's working versus just being told it works. That is incredibly rewarding."
- Zero Friction: "People don't want to talk to 'Joe'—they want the answer so they can get back to playing the game. Helply gives them that answer instantly."
The Results
- Deflected and resolved 75% of all support conversations automatically.
- Reduced the daily volume of manual tickets created in Groove by 25%.
- Successfully managed 2 million daily active users with only one internal customer support representative.
- Reclaimed hundreds of team hours to focus on complex purchase-related issues and high-priority internal projects.
- Scaled 24/7 support instantly across every country and language served without increasing headcount.
- Achieved verifiable confidence in AI responses through real-time conversation transparency and reporting.
The Future
Plato continues to grow its library of games and its global footprint, confident that its support infrastructure is decoupled from its user growth. By treating documentation as a living asset that Helply consumes, Plato has turned support from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage.
"If you're on the fence, just try it," Wagner concludes. "It has been a game-changer for us. It ensures users get the help they need without overwhelming our team. It's been the perfect solution."
