My Twinn - The Web-Telemarketing Connection

Catalog companies need to be aware of three trends that will shape how business is conducted in the future, says Steve Rockwood, president at Alpine Access, a provider of Web-based customer service solutions, headquartered in Golden, CO.

The trends are:

• online customer service grows due to customer demand;

• the labor market shrinks, and;

• the Internet enables communication and a new way to work.

For businesses that recognize customer service as a crucial component in customer acquisition and retention, the combination of these trends means forging a new customer service model that is flexible enough to handle multiple points of contact, while providing a high level of service.

For doll cataloger My Twinn, a complex ordering process for its custom-made products paired with a seasonal sales pattern results in the need for a customized customer service program, which is difficult to maintain either in-house or via a traditional brick-and-mortar telemarketing service bureau.

Custom-Fit Agents

My Twinn sells dolls that are handcrafted to closely resemble the children or grandchildren of its customers. It offers doll clothing and accessories, child and adult versions of doll outfits as well as other doll lines.

To create a close match between child and doll, customers are required to fill out a detailed profile form for each order that describes hair color, style and texture; skin color; eye color and special markings like freckles and moles. Because photos and hair samples are required, customers must mail the profile form to My Twinn's Colorado facilities regardless of whether they are placing their order via e-mail, phone or online.

"The ordering process is crucial to getting the right product," explains Gail Hickert, vice president of customer service and sales for My Twinn. "If necessary, we walk customers through the process, especially first-time customers."

To cover the myriad questions that arise from selling both custom products and mass-merchandise items, My Twinn relies on an extensive frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on its Web site and on carefully selected online and teleservices customer service agents.

Taking the custom-match concept to the max, My Twinn contracts with Alpine Access to use customer service agents who fit the demographics of its audience—female, 40 years or older, with a higher-than-average household income.

To hire agents who not only meet these requirements but who also can cover the fluctuating call patterns of My Twinn, Alpine Access taps into the at-home labor market to find skilled employees who are not attracted to the typical 9-to-5, centralized teleservices operation.

By using the Web as a back office, Alpine Access can hire people from Hawaii to Australia, if necessary, to find the right agents for a job. Not having fixed offices also helps Alpine Access provide better coverage for volatile selling seasons, like the holidays, without sacrificing agent quality.

My Twinn uses only part-time customer service agents—as many as 300 during the holiday season, says Hickert.

In addition to a higher close ratio on sales, Hickert reports that the demographic match of customer-to-agent "makes the whole process work better, whether [agents] are suggesting an add-on product or addressing a customer problem."

Because the customer service agent shares the same lifestyle as that of the customer, she can develop a strong rapport more easily than, say, a male college student whose only goal is to make extra money during the holidays.

When switching from a traditional telemarketing agency last June, the only change Hickert needed to make was in the training program content and telemarketing scripting. But even that wasn't due to the new technology; she simply wanted the information and scripts to take advantage of the new agent demographics.

A Better Back End

To ensure that agents have strong computer skills and are comfortable using the technology, Alpine Access conducts all training via the Web in virtual classrooms.

On the operations side, Hickert finds using the Web as a call center facilitator allows her to communicate quickly and easily with agents when she has product or Web site updates; instead of mailing hard copy that doesn't impart enough information, she gets to show agents in advance the same depiction of a new product that customers will see later on the site or in the catalog.

Another benefit of the Web component is the immediate access to detailed reporting. From any desktop at any time of the day, Hickert can see call volumes, number of abandons, call lengths, etc., which helps her plan for the number of agents needed. She can also monitor calls in real time to identify trouble spots, like new scripts that aren't being understood by the agents or missing product information.

Currently, My Twinn drives customers to the phone and e-mail for service, but phase two of the new model will include a Web link that allows agents to work with customers who are currently on the Web site, as well as routing and cuing decision trees that integrate e-mails and phone calls for more efficient handling, says Hickert.