Virtual Service in Bloom
A good customer service rep is an invaluable resource — even if she isn’t human. That’s what San Diego-based Proflowers.com learned when it introduced Emily, a virtual assistant created using Kana’s Advisor tool.
Emily went live on the flower and plant e-tailer’s Web site last May, and is used by about 10%-15% of all purchasers, according to Kin Lo, Proflowers’ senior manager of customer service. The virtual assistant allows targeting by walking customers through their floral purchase. Users fill in basic information — who the flowers are for, the occasion, the sentiment they want to express and the price point. Then Emily offers the chance to either see recommendations right away or give additional information (style of arrangement, colors to use, whether allergens or fragrance are of importance) for more customized suggestions.
According to Lo, it’s difficult for Proflowers to track the return on investment of specific customer service initiatives like Emily. “Her” work is judged on how many people use the virtual assistant, favorable feedback from customers and the overall success of the site.
When Proflowers first started taking orders in August 1998, Lo says Microsoft Outlook was used to manage incoming e-mail. But once the business started to take off and volume increased, this became admittedly inefficient. The site now uses Kana’s Response tool to manage, track and route e-mails to different categories, allowing Proflowers to analyze customer interactions and track performance of promotions. For example, the site may alter a promotion if it sees a lot of customers are having trouble understanding the wording. Likewise, it helps see quickly if a promotion is getting a great response.
During an average week, the number of customer service inquiries averages between 5,000 and 6,000 (75% by phone, 25% by e-mail). During the site’s busiest seasons — Thanksgiving to Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day — that can increase up to twentyfold. All e-mail inquiries are handled by live agents; the targeted turnaround time is to answer 80% of e-mails within eight hours. The site has a core customer service staff of about 20 to 25 people, and adds supplemental staff during busy periods.
Lo attributes the high volume of incoming customer service calls (compared to e-mail) to people wanting information about the service, or customers tracking orders. Recipients who see the 1-888-Freshest toll-free number on their packages are also more likely to pick up the phone and call if they have questions rather than go to the Web site. Proflowers has approximately 500,000 customers, and the average order is in the $40 to $50 range; 90% of orders are received online, 10% by phone.
For just under a year, Proflowers offered customers help via live text chat. While customers liked the service, the company found it took reps way too long to answer questions — sometimes up to 15 minutes.
“It wasn’t the most effective way to communicate,” says Lo, noting that customers who used the chat option often ended up following up by e-mail or phone with additional queries.
Proflowers plans to introduce a new version of live text messaging targeted to specific areas of the site, like check-out, where people frequently have questions.
