Closed-Loop Alerting, Surveys Drive Better Customer Experiences At Tommy Bahama

By Erin Harris, Editor-In-Chief, Cell & Gene
Follow Me On Twitter @ErinHarris_1

March 2015 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

The lifestyle retailer’s new customer experience management (CEM) tool reduced feedback response time from nearly seven days to within 24 hours.

Omni-channel retailing is all about managing and enhancing the customer experience, and lifestyle brand Tommy Bahama has taken CEM to a new level. Michael Barrow, Tommy Bahama’s VP of retail, and his team implemented a CEM solution in its retail and outlet stores to take action on the issues and services deemed most important to guests.

Retailers attempt to produce and maintain an inviting customer experience, but the real value comes from the data garnered from actual customers. According to Barrow, Tommy Bahama’s e-commerce site collects a great deal of customer-centric data, but the brick-and-mortar stores were unable to boast the same level of actionable information. “We did not have an efficient way to identify our guests’ interpretations of their in-store experience — did they enjoy the shopping experience; were they able to locate and then navigate the store easily; was the merchandise in-stock?”

Further, from a customer feedback perspective, there were too many touch points to respond to someone who had contacted the call center. Guests contact the retailer’s call center for any number of reasons — from questions about returns to product and inventory information. Despite Tommy Bahama’s due diligence, responding to guests took anywhere from five to seven days because of the retailer’s lack of a closed-loop alerting system.

To better understand Tommy Bahama’s customers, Barrow strives to emulate best-in-class retailers in terms of customer interaction, and one way that’s done is via customer surveys. As such, Barrow and his team chose a CEM solution from Medallia to generate and analyze customer surveys and to capture the Voice of the Customer (VoC) from guests who purchase in retail stores, at outlet locations, and through in-store kiosks. The Medallia software enables Tommy Bahama to collect customers’ preferences and experiences and then share this information within the organization. The system integrates survey data with data from its POS system and ultimately sends it to all employees in real time, so they can act on the most important guest issues and continue to turn shoppers into brand advocates. Closedloop alerting enables Tommy Bahama associates to immediately reach out to guests who want to be contacted. “The alerts contain everything about the transaction, including customers’ comments about their experience,” explains Barrow. “It is the responsibility of the person who received the alert to contact the customer within 24 hours to resolve the issue.”

Inside A Well-Designed Customer Survey
Barrow and his team were able to customize their survey, which includes 10 questions (i.e., three open-ended and seven rating key experience drivers). The survey is linked to a receipt transaction as well as guest records so the retailer can review historical spending to determine whether it has changed over time. “There are a number of things we can do now to drive informed decisions and analyze our business — anything from the size of our stores to how guests flow through the cash wrap and transaction process,” states Barrow.

The entire executive team has access to the survey results, which is a critical component to the success of initiative. “Executive involvement is important; system processes and implementations must start at the top with the CEO,” explains Barrow. “Our executive team is very interested in what our guests have to say, which is essential for improving the customer experience.”

Indeed, the new CEM system and the surveys it provides help Tommy Bahama identify opportunities for training and coaching by store and down to the associate level. “Now we have a rich understanding of how resolving guests’ issues affect their future spend,” says Barrow.

For More Information On Medallia Go To www.medallia.com