Entertainment products etailer Play.com is bringing its contact
centre back to the UK and creating more than 55 full-time jobs,
as it looks to develop a more personal service offering for UK
shoppers through a local team.
The move comes as part of a wider drive by parent company Rakuten
to implement the Japanese spirit of service called Omotenashi,
designed to deliver exceptional and personal experiences.
The new 55-strong team will respond to general customer queries
seven days a week via phone, email and social media. Currently
Play receives around 12,000 enquiries a week, but the company
expects that number to rise as it starts to provide 24-hour
support through social media.
Adam Stewart, Play’s director of marketing, notes that research
shows that consumers feel a greater affinity and are more
trusting of retailers that provide a local and knowledgeable
service to those based overseas, adding that “with careful
consideration we decided one of the first steps to deliver an
improved personal service was to bring the contact centre back to
the UK.”
The move is already proving effective he says, as just three
months since “on-shoring”, Play’s metrics “show
an improvement of 10 percent in customer satisfaction,
helpfulness and outcome of query”. Stewart adds that
initial feedback from customers is that “they’re receiving
a much happier and more personalised experience”.
Play’s creation of some 55 full-time jobs in the Wirral where its
customer management partner the Contact Company is based,
precedes plans to add a further 150 to 200 jobs in the run-up to
Christmas.
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