This week, I was fortunate (and unfortunate) enough to have been by my 88 year old grandfather’s side as he passed away from what Hospice called “adult failure to thrive.”
In essence, he was ready to let go, and did so peacefully and at home with his remaining two children, and two of his grandchildren. He was a kind man, and a devoted United States Marine who was given an Honor Guard at his funeral for his service during World War II. Quite a fitting send off for Sgt. George J. Coppola, Sr. You will be missed.
The hours and days leading up to his peaceful departure were anything but that. I’ll spare the details, but with the blizzard and some emergency work situations that needed my attention, there was not much time left for me to think about packing to go home to see my grandfather.
When I realized that my grandfather was deteriorating at an alarming speed, and the end was near, I rushed home to be with him and my family. In the chaos that led up to my trip, I forgot most of the clothing I would need to wear to the services, viewing, funeral mass and repast that we would be having–the Italian heritage bleeding through.
(I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is quite trivial. And the customer service I received after trying to find something suitable to wear to the funeral to honor my grandfather, was anything but trivial.)
Around 11p two days before I would need my suit, I noticed it was not with me. How could I forget that I didn’t have a suit for the funeral? I was agitated at myself for such a simple mistake. As a Marine, he always made sure the grandkids were dressed, and his funeral would be no exception.
I had to make a quick decision, and I remembered reading an article in the New York Times about CEO Mickey Drexler and his retake on American suiting at J.Crew, and how well received it had been. I felt that my best bet, for a properly fitted, last minute suit, would be through their brand.
No Solution.
I called the 800 number, already agitated, and explained my situation to the call center agent. I thought that I was speaking with one of their “personal shoppers” which I receive weekly postal-mail about, and special "front-of-the-line" phone numbers to call. (Marketing!)
I said that I had an emergency and that I am without a suit but I need one by tomorrow afternoon. I explained I could not get it online, but that if the agent could let me know what stores carry men’s suiting, I would be able to see if they had my size, and problem solved.
The young lady told me that the online store doesn't have that type information, and I would have to call each individual store to see if they carry men's suiting, or I would need a particular part number and she could find out if it was a retail part.
What?
I was thoroughly confused. J.Crew has been over advertising their “white glove” personal shopping service, and for me to get the response I did, I was dumbfounded.
Conveniently, J.Crew lists a 24-7 email address that I sent a brief but specific query to. I needed my suit for an emergency situation, and I needed it the next day. I just wanted help in finding a store that would meet my needs.
J.Crew Customer Care
Within 10 minutes, at 11:40 that evening, a representative from J.Crew called my cell. I realized that I didn’t provide my cell in my email, which I’ll speak to later. The agent offered her apologies for the mix up, explained the process, asked for my sizes, and said she would be back to me within 30 minutes or so. Either by email or cell.
At 12:15a, I received another phone call, and they had located a grey suit for me, and they were placing it on hold. They also had just sent me pictures and the details to my email address with this information. The following morning, just after 9a, another agent called and said he had already talked to the personal shopper at the store, and everything will be ready for me to pick up when I get there.
My WOW Moment
I was blown away by a few things about this experience. First their customer service was exceptional. I wasn’t expecting a return phone call, and yet, had one within minutes. I didn’t even give them my phone number, so they used their relationship manager to uncover my past “contacts” and called me at the most likely number I would be reachable at.
I then wasn’t expecting to have them find a suit for me, and yet, they did, but what was most impressive, was that the technical ability for them to do such a thing would not have been possible without a proper CRM system in place, and the training of their more veteran staffers to take care of unique and unfamiliar situations.
For them to take my size from me at midnight, find a store nearby that they were certain would have it in stock, and then place it on hold without anyone in the store was remarkable.
This is why I love working in technology. Take a situation like the one I was in, and from a systems stand point, J.Crew did an amazing job at repairing a relationship that would have caused me to bring my business elsewhere. It worked out so well for me, that I’m spending time writing about this, and sharing my fondness for the relationship management systems they have in place and training they provide for their people.
Job well done J.Crew
Glad systems integration is truly having an impact on your customer’s lives.
Update (03/04/10 9p)
I've had some comments from friends relating to the fact that what transpired was "people" related, as opposed to technologically related, but I will gladly elaborate on why I feel this is a win for technology, without downplaying the people piece.
Yes, it was a phone call that initiated this exchange, and a return phone call that made me think twice about the customer service that I received from J.Crew. But, it was a CRM package that allowed the rep to contact me in a matter of minutes when my email came through the generic "24-7@jcrew.com." It was a CRM package that gave the rep my cell phone number when my email failed to list one. It was an ERP package that allowed the rep to track down inventories at closed locations, and place them on hold for me, and it was a CRM system that triggered a follow-up phone call the next morning.
The processes that are in place and the technologies that are integrated into said processes, are what enabled the "people piece" to work flawlessly. The training systems, the exceptional customer service levels, and the quest for client satisfaction are all filters that firms use to transform mediocre experiences into those of the exceptional variety. But, to have these experiences on a global level with the sheer volume of transactions that take place, it absolutely requires incredibly integrated systems just to handle the simple workload, let alone, keep track of the progress of each customer "touch."
So, yes, it was ultimately a personal experience between myself and many service reps at J.Crew throughout their store and their personal shopping center, but it was the technology working behind the scenes and systems integration of those technologies that made it all possible. At least, in my biased opinion.
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