1. Empower agents with autonomy: Delegating decision-making authority to agents expedites resolutions and increases loyalty. Nathan points out that agents with greater authority can provide quicker, more individualized service.
2. Prioritize fast and simple resolutions: MORI's clientele values prompt responses, particularly newlyweds. Nathan highlights that prompt, decisive reactions make customers happier and are simpler to handle in the retail industry.
3. Leverage technology for efficiency: Tools like Gorgias and Swap optimize returns and streamline communication, allowing Nathan’s team to operate efficiently and make data-driven decisions.
4. Focus on customer-preferred communication channels: Nathan emphasizes that clients would rather communicate via email or chat than by phone. Recognizing client preferences facilitates quicker, more effective service.
5. Balance AI with a human touch: Nathan emphasizes that although AI can answer basic questions, people who purchase baby products frequently want individualized assistance, necessitating deliberate human interactions.
Meet Nathan Booth, Customer Service Lead at MORI!
Since 2015, MORI has been crafting sleepwear every parent dreams of. MORI understands how delicate a baby's skin can be, which is why it uses a unique blend of bamboo and organic cotton to create its signature sleepwear. Not only super soft and temperature regulating, but MORI sleepwear and products are also kind to the environment.
After nearly two decades in the hospitality industry, Nathan wanted more of a work/life balance and shifted to retail working for UK-based heritage brands such as Liberty London. The experience prepared him to join MORI in 2019 when he took the position of Customer Care Manager. Looking back, Nathan says, “We started as a nice little team and weathered the pandemic together.” His team has become larger to accommodate MORI’s significant growth over recent years. “From 2022 onwards, it’s been about leveraging data and information to make sure our CS (customer service) is delivering what our customers want and expect in a way that also works for the company,” he adds.
MORI recently opened a US warehouse to serve its expanding market there. While the US and the UK are English speaking, there are linguistic differences between the countries that impact customer service in E-Commerce. Nathan explains, “What we call a sleepsuit in the UK is called pajamas or a romper in the US. It keeps us on our toes - we must always be considerate of where customers are located so we accurately describe a product in a way they will understand.”
Nathan currently leads a tight-knit team noting that they were larger when MORI was undergoing a massive peak period that correlated with the Pandemic and US expansion. He credits Gorgias, their main CRS system, for being in a place where they can leverage information, staff accordingly, and serve customers efficiently. “We can make decisions based on when communications are happening, when they are coming in, and staff accordingly rather than guessing,” Nathan notes.
Emerging in the E-Commerce space during Covid meant that MORI had no choice but to be a remote company. Nathan and his team supervisor periodically go to the London office and are supported by a remote UK agent and overseas agent who covers international time zones. Customer service is provided Monday through Friday ending at 4pm west coast time and 9pm UK time. An agent does a weekend shift handling emergency tickets that come in during that time.
CX Philosophy: Autonomy Leads to Quick Resolution
Nathan has strived to make a team of “semi-autonomous agents” capable of making decisions that both satisfy the customers while backing the business. “We learned during onboarding, the freelance agents had come from larger companies where they didn’t make decisions on their own and needed permission. I encouraged them to get comfortable using their own judgment.” With autonomy comes a sense of empowerment and loyalty – those freelance agents are still with MORI after 4 years.
Quick resolution time is a focus and Nathan believes that fostering independent agents has been imperative in the team’s performance in this area. “Selling children’s clothing means the issues usually aren’t complex,” he says. “The MORI customer appreciates fast service and definitive answers regarding orders.” Their efforts are paying off - recent data shows 86% resolution within 24 hours.
Customer Service and Integrating New Channels
To manage the influx of customer inquiries stemming from MORI’s growth during the Pandemic, Nathan evaluated channels to identify what wasn't working for them. They got rid of the telephone, finding that it was inefficient and focused on email and chat to interact with customers. “We are currently looking into adding WhatsApp. The idea is that our agents can multi-task across these different channels on their laptop, providing quick support while reaching more people,” he says.
Innovation in CX: Looking to the Team for Ideas
Nathan is open to ideas about innovating customer service from his agents. They have the most interaction with customers and are the first to hear feedback and requests. If supported by data, he will propose the idea to upper-management, noting that it “came from one of my agents and I believe in it.” He goes on to mention that successful changes to MORI’s subscription service, Sleep Club where members tailor monthly orders according to the child’s age, size, and personality, came from within the customer service department. Now, the team helps decide on the print of the month. “We have the most contact with our customers and have that sort of input needed to take the lead in this area,” Nathan says.
Meeting Customer Service Expectations in E-Commerce
Nathan is aware that customer’s expectations are shifting in E-Commerce. “Speed will always remain, all that will change is how people want to talk to you,” he remarks. Surveys show that people now prefer chat, text, and other fast methods of communication over telephone. As MORI continues to grow, he sees expanding communication channels into customer service as a main goal. Being a small company, it’s important to make sure new processes work before investing time and money. “You’ve got to be open and willing to make those changes at the right time,” Nathan adds.
Balancing AI with Human Touch
Nathan feels that AI should be offered as a supplementary self-service, but not as a replacement for human touch. For MORI, the question is “how can we have AI available, but with a click of a button, connect our customers with an agent.” Feedback reveal that customers most often want to talk to a human, Nathan notes. He sees AI’s value for answering simple questions, which frees his team up to handle more complex issues.
That MORI is a baby brand also means that all responses given to customers shouldn’t be automated. “Many people buying from us are first time parents with a lot of information coming at them,” Nathan reasons. “They have particular questions – we as agents need to be careful with advice, making sure it’s correct and in the right context.”
Slack “For our internal communication, we use Slack. It allows us to communicate with the other departments, cross-team collaboration, and quick responses to questions and issues that need resolution,”
Swap “We use Swap for our returns platform. In the beginning, we could handle doing the returns manually. But as the company grew, a tipping point came where we needed to integrate an automated returns process.”
Gorgias “We moved our CRM system to Gorgias, and I’ve been able to leverage useful information regarding our customers from there.”
Can’t-Live-Without-Tool? Slack. As a remote company, we depend on it to communicate.
Key Hiring Trait? I look for people who are passionate about their role. We have a two-stage interviewing process. Once my supervisor passes a potential hire on to me, I look to see if the person will fit, like the work we do, and be a good ambassador of our brand.
Favorite CX Thought Leader? I attend webinars and listen to people, but I am more interested in data points guiding in a better direction that is particular to our company. And I have a great team – I can bounce ideas off them and vice versa.
#1 Challenge as a CX Leader? Striking the right balance between getting all the information to customers whilst maintaining a simple order process without overloading them.
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