How to ensure you never compromise customer experience

How retailers can go from zero to hero!

Peak season is upon us! The Christmas gift shops have opened in department stores – supermarkets are prominently displaying their seasonal ranges and the annual hotly awaited adverts can’t be far behind. And this year it’s even more important than ever that we get it right.

Customers, stretched by the rising cost of living will be making sure that they get a good festive experience for less. In fact a recent report by McKinsey has identified the phenomenon of what they call the zero consumer who has higher expectations of brands than before but lower loyalty, patience, and channel boundaries when buying from them. This means retailers may need to work harder to get the attention of U.K. shoppers this festive season.

It’s a familiar problem of trying to do more with less and as smart retailers already know, you can’t cut corners on customer experience in order to deliver great deals. Tech savvy companies are addressing these issues and empowering customer service teams when they use to technology to  unlock efficiency but before we get into that, we’d like to share some stories with you.

Real-life customer stories are invaluable in helping identify the areas where we can go wrong. In fact when you hear a story you might gasp and exclaim “We’d never do that.” But without the right safeguards in place you may find yourself letting customers down as peak season surges find you chasing your tail.

Give them the boot!

Our first story concerns a guy who ordered a pair of upmarket wellington boots online. They are not the best known brand in that space but their marketing seemed to promise a step up from DIY store versions.

Our guy ordered a size 11 and when they arrived he eagerly put them on and set off to walk the dog. From the outset it seemed like one was a little tight but he thought he just needed to wear them in. At the end of the walk his foot was in shreds and he sadly realised they would have to go back.

A man’s welly boot is not a small item and he packed them up and returned the pair. Sadly for him the customer service team were not impressed and told him they had been worn – there would be no refund, no replacement and they shipped them BACK to him!

He was understandably unhappy. Then, on close examination he discovered that he had been sent one size 11 boot and one 10.5. Mystery solved, the boots were sent back once more. However, far from reaping the happy outcome he expected – an apology and some new boots – he was rather curtly told that there were now no size 11s to be had. A refund was issued and there was bad will all round.

Splitting the difference

There was a much happier outcome for our next consumer whose story concerns a pair of trousers. Again, not a budget brand by any means so he was horrified when he bent over one day while delivering a presentation and his new strides split down the back. Mortified, he contacted the merchant to let them know what had happened.

In stark contrast to our previous customer, the retailer replied swiftly with a full explanation. They had been trying out a new thread, they explained, and some of their styles had, as a result, come out with weaker seams than they would have liked. They apologised, said they were not selling any more from this batch and offered to replace the trousers in any style he liked. They suggested a number of different items which might suit and enclosed a returns bag for the faulty pair. Our customer was very pleased with the outcome, the explanation and the speed of resolution. He says he would be happy to buy from them again.

Size matters!

Finally a missed opportunity. A lady shopper on a weekend break was browsing in a store one day and spotted a cardigan in a remarkable shade of blue. The item was very expensive and not her normal purchase at all but the colour was so arresting she tried it on. The cardigan was too small and she eagerly asked the assistant if there were any larger ones available. The assistant told her that sadly this was the only item in this colour in store but there were other colours she could purchase in store in her size. Since it was the colour which attracted her she declined to buy.

The sale was lost – but why? Why, when the store is well known for its online offering? If she had been given the chance to order the item there and then, online and have it shipped to her home, I feel sure she would have done so. By waiting until she returned home the pricey item no longer seemed like a good idea – the holiday glow had gone and her budget became her primary decision driver.

In all three of these examples we can see how customer experience impacted reputation, loyalty and sales.

How technology can make a difference

With a well-rehearsed and smooth omni-channel operation no shop floor colleague would ever pass up the chance to sell a premium item even if it was not available in store. Systems which join point of sale to stock availability and smart ordering can ensure no sale is ever lost in this way. You can find out more about how we do that here…

When your stock is picked, packed and shipped by staff with access to smart technology like the Modulus Order Management System, mistakes are minimised and wellington boots which are mismatched in size should become a thing of the past. Efficient processes ensure that merchants are not sending items back and forth needlessly, wasting money, time and goodwill. Any customer with views on a greener planet will thanks you for it.

Lastly, good customer service is always about great communication and with our trouser supplier we can see an example of a company which clearly has good, well supported processes which can identify errors and move quickly to put them right. Modulus 365 seamlessly integrates with your CRM to ensure all your customer information is available to CX teams.

Great joined up technology supports and empowers teams to offer a high level of service to customers even when orders are spiking and enquiries are flying in from all sides. Retailers who have invested in smart order management and warehouse management technology will always know where the order is, what issues the customer may have encountered and how to put it right.

McKinsey’s Zero consumers have zero patience and zero boundaries and will shop anywhere and at any time so we need to work harder to attract, delight and retain them. A seamless customer experience means a seamless technology experience in the back end to make that happen.

Total visibility across the whole process from order to pick, pack and ship plus quick insights to sort out problems is a basic requirement for the modern retailer who wants to deliver a great deal more than ZERO!

To find out  more about how Modulus technology can help you become more efficient please feel free to chat to us here….