The challenge

An online eyeglasses retailer with a growing global market wanted to accelerate its positive social media buzz and build more business. Customer sales support was provided by local staff, but with purchase abandon rates running at 30 percent, it needed to boost operations efficiently to help U.S. customers complete their eyewear purchases.

Our solution

TTEC deployed a team of 30 associates, based in Mexico, to provide near-shore voice support to customers who called in with questions, advising them on the technical aspects of purchases—including how to order, how to enter prescriptions, and matching frames to faces. The associates also provided follow-up support relating to order status, shipping status, refunds, and post-sales information.

TTEC facilitated the deployment of an omnichannel system, which currently supports the voice channel with plans to soon offer chat and email.

Core to program performance was a comprehensive training and knowledgebase initiative that was launched with a certification element to ensure staff were fully conversant with the nuances of the organization’s website and its return policy. Experienced trainers were hired to train associates in the client’s certification process to ensure all associates represented the brand and were consistency in customer interactions.

Another major focus of the program was the development of critical thinking and customer service skills. The new training curriculum reduced the training time by 50 percent, from three weeks to just 1.5 weeks.

The results

Customer abandon rates fell from 30 percent to just 1.74 percent, a 1,600 percent improvement, due to a larger staff of better trained and knowledgeable associates. Through team-based collaboration, occupancy rates were maintained and staff attrition was reduced. That resulted in a 39 percent drop in average talk time and a 59 percent drop in post-call associate work, which increased associate productivity.

TTEC has also begun to work with the client more proactively, such as offering script and policy enhancements based on common call types, for example. The improvement in customer service and the overall success of the program resulted in an expansion of the team by 68 percent, with plans to establish a second location.

The client was also named the top online eyewear retailer in a recent best customer service list published by a major news publication.

Overall, the agility of TTEC’s staffing model and customer service experience enabled the client to grow its business while also making significant improvements to customer satisfaction levels.