Urth needed an outsourcing partner to help augment their support services when they experienced exceptional growth. Boldr has sourced the right talent and improved on CSAT KPIs.
Urth, founded in 2014 by Minnie, Chris, and Christian, is an Australia-based company dedicated to designing superior photography equipment while embracing a profound commitment to environmental consciousness. With a mission to make a positive impact on the planet, Urth consciously designs its products, while planting trees through partnerships with organizations like Eden Projects. For every product sold, Urth plants five mangrove saplings and encourages customers to plant an additional five trees. This conscious business model not only contributes to reforestation but also supports local communities and aids in carbon sequestration.
Challenge: Urth faced unprecedented growth and had to scale its support team
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented growth to Urth, particularly in its customer base. As more people turned to photography as a new hobby during lockdowns, Urth experienced a surge in demand for its products. This rapid growth led to a significant increase in customer inquiries and support needs. Urth’s internal customer support team was stretched to its limits, and it became clear that a scalable solution was required to meet the rising demands effectively.
Impact: Finding an outsourcing partner that resonated with their values
Urth embarked on a quest to find an outsourcing partner capable of providing the scalability and expertise needed to maintain high-quality customer support during this period of growth, allowing Urth to focus on its core business activities with confidence.
“I hadn’t quite joined the business yet, but I know COVID had just happened and we were growing rapidly, especially with our customer base,” explained Isaac Gray, Urth’s Support Manager. “We got more customers and so customer support just went through the roof. We had to look elsewhere to see how we can grow our customer support team.”
However, Urth was determined to partner with a company that was as focused on making a difference as it was. After considering various options, Boldr emerged as a possible standout choice because there was a definite alignment of values. It was around this time, during the mandated Covid lockdowns, that Boldr submitted its B Corp application. Unknowingly, our dedicated pursuit to achieving this milestone was a key deciding factor for Urth that they had found the right outsourcing partner.
“We saw B Corp as this thing that we wanted to try and achieve. We looked up to other companies who were B Corp certified. So, when we found out Boldr was, it ticked a lot of boxes for us … Boldr definitely stuck out in terms of what you guys were doing with B Corp and with your employees. That was sort of a no-brainer at the time. And we haven’t looked back ever since.”
Boldr’s dedication to social and environmental responsibility resonated with Urth’s ethos, cementing their partnership. Urth recognized that Boldr was not only at the top of the outsourcing game but also shared a vision of creating positive social and environmental impacts. This alignment made Boldr the perfect fit for Urth’s customer support needs.
Solution: Achieving a seamless collaboration
The partnership between Urth and Boldr began with a period of mutual adjustment as both organizations worked to understand each other’s processes and expectations.
“When we first started with Boldr we were sort of figuring out each other for a while and working out the kinks in the chain, but it’s been three and a half years now. We’ve really got a good flow and we’ve got a great team. The hiring process is just so smooth and we’re getting the right people.”
During the first 60 days after partnering with Boldr in June 2020, Urth’s overall First Response Times (FRT), which includes email and chat response, was reduced by 35%. With a downward trend, their FRT remained consistently below the 24-hour KPI threshold. CSAT had an upward trend throughout and remains above the 85% KPI target, averaging around 90%. In September 2023, Email FRT was 2h32m and Chat FRT was 2m52s. Email CSAT was 91% and Chat CSAT was 96%.
A shared commitment to Impact and Conservation
In August 2023, Urth embarked on a visit to Boldr’s offices in the Philippines. Isaac Gray was able to engage with the Boldr team in person, which made for a meaningful experience. During a tour of the office, Isaac gained insights into Boldr’s history, expansion, and recent impact projects.
As a group, they headed to Tacloban, where they explored local tourist attractions and conducted a client testimonial video interview. Afterward, they played badminton with children at Streetlight in the Philippines, a team-building activity at a surf camp, and the planting of mangroves at a local sanctuary to protect the Philippine shorelines.
Future State: Fostering a sustainable support team to achieve exceptional results
One significant achievement has been the establishment of a cohesive and sustainable extended customer support team. The hiring process, facilitated by Boldr, consistently brings in the right talent, contributing to a low team turnover rate, currently averaging a 21-month tenure for team members, and reflecting in Urth’s customer satisfaction rate, which consistently exceeds 90%. This stability in their support team aided the company in achieving its key revenue metrics.
“We’re really confident in the professionalism that the team has. That shows off in a lot of statistics for our customers. Every month our customer satisfaction rate is over 90%. And all the statistics in terms of revenue, it’s all really at the high end, and that’s thanks to Boldr and what they’ve allowed us to do. Couldn’t be happier with the relationship we’re in right now.”
The partnership between Urth and Boldr exemplifies how conscious businesses can work together to achieve sustainable growth while delivering exceptional customer support. By outsourcing its customer support to Boldr, Urth not only managed to meet the challenges posed by rapid growth but also enhanced its ability to create a positive impact on the planet and its people. It underscores the power of aligning values, as Boldr’s B Corp certification and dedication to ethical outsourcing complemented Urth’s mission-driven approach.
James Fouche is the Content Manager at Boldr, as well as an author and a columnist. He is passionate about sharing his love of reading and writing with others.
