Building loyalty with a customer-centric culture

1-800-FLOWERS.COM was among the first retailers to use a 24/7 toll-free telephone number and the Internet for direct sales to consumers, expanding in size from a single flower shop to become one of the world’s largest florists.

“At 1-800-FLOWERS, it is our job to make it easy for customers to act on their thoughtfulness wherever they wish to engage with us--in a retail store, online, on their mobile device or within their social networks,” CEO Jim McCann said. “The challenge for our customer care organization is to provide the same reliable and memorable experiences across every service channel--to recreate the same experience we had with the 35 key customers in our first retail store for the 35 million customers we have today. Fortunately, we’ve always been willing to adopt new technologies--and partner with industry leaders such as KANA Software--to deepen our relationships with customers.” McCann made his comments recently in a keynote address at the KANA Connect North America Annual Customer Conference.

In early 2013, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM selected KANA omni-channel customer service technology in the cloud to further its customer experience initiatives. The company’s customer service agents use a KANA system to capture, access and share knowledge that improves customer interactions and accelerates customer support resolutions.

“In a customer-centric culture like ours, instilling trust and convenience as you grow your business is imperative,” McCann said. “Engaging directly with your customers and using the insights this analysis provides is key to building customer loyalty. Today's 24/7 consumer culture demands that technology be your ally. Mobile devices, for example, are now the remote controls of our lives. Make sure customers can reach you there in an instant. Don't pass them to another channel. Assist them right then and there.”

McCann continued, “KANA helps us manage service across traditional and digital channels, and quickly add more agents during peak gift seasons, making it a valuable asset. Placing customer profiles on agent desktops, alongside details about past orders and offers ideal for each, helps our employees personalize the relationships that are central to our business.”

(Image courtesy of ShutterStock.com)