Customer & John Lewis



Customer & John Lewis

Section 1

According to the literature UK retailer John Lewis is dedicated to customer service. Partners are experts in their product areas [1]. As the face of the brand in stores, these passionate product gurus give shoppers expert opinions and answers, and are a large part of what makes customers love the in-store experience[3]. John Lewis recognizes the important of expanding the exceptional service and expertise of their in-store Partners - a differentiator for the brand - into the online channel[2]. They launched reviews both as a way to bring Partners online and as a way to get customers talking. Customers quite easily tell you what's wrong, and they'll also tell you what's right. And if you act on both in a way that moves your business forward, you'll make a big difference.

One of the best-stocked shelves at John Lewis is the trophy cabinet as Britain's favourite retailer has notched up an impressive collection of prestigious awards in recognition of its excellence in customer service. This year alone John Lewis has been named Multi-Channel Retailer of the Year and Best Online Department Store, adding to a haul that last year included awards for Most Trusted Organisation, Best Online Retailer and Britain's Favourite Retailer[4].

According to the recent research [4] The accolades just keep coming for the retailer which has a history dating back more than a century and whose financial performance belies the fragility of the wider retail sector. The John Lewis group comprises 81,00 partners (employees are all partners who share in group profits), John Lewis department stores throughout the UK, an insurance operation, and 279 Waitrose supermarkets[5].

The numbers are impressive - it achieved group sales of £8.73 billion in the latest financial year, it typically stocks more than 350,000 separate product lines in its department stores and its website sells more than 200,000 products spanning fashion, beauty, home, giftware and electrical items. Partners need to be knowledgeable on everything the group sells[6].

According to the literature [2,3,4] John Lewis has much to be proud of but it is not resting on its laurels. It is focused on executing a multi-channel service strategy that will ensure customers continue to enjoy excellent service regardless of whether they are shopping in a department store, supermarket or online.

The task of devising and executing that ambitious strategy falls to David Dickins, who is responsible for all non-branch customer service.

The John Lewis recipe for customer service success is a mix of culture, training and process and involves technology investments that make it easier for its partners to delight customers at every touchpoint. Online sales are growing rapidly and in that context the priority is “to serve multi-channnel customers better than anyone else"[2].

Dickins has overseen the establishment of two contact centres in Manchester and Glasgow which collectively have 1,000 partners handling 4.5 million calls a year. In 2011 he engaged Transversal, a leader in knowledge management solutions, to introduce a system to share knowledge across its service ...