At a time when the inclination towards conscious consumerism is calling businesses to revisit their practices and embrace sustainability, we are excited to partner with a visionary furniture brand like Floyd because they are as enthusiastic about making a difference in the world as we are.
Who is Floyd?
Based in Detroit, Michigan, Floyd set out to create durable and practical products that are not only ethically sourced and manufactured, but also serviceable throughout their lifetime. Their goal: buy a Floyd once and you never have to throw it away. By servicing furniture over time, it was better for their clients and better for the environment. Floyd quickly became known as a pioneering furniture company that was deeply rooted in social and environmental responsibility, which resonated with current conscientious shopping trends.
But their environmentally-friendly approach is not the only thing that differentiates Floyd from other players in the household goods industry. At the heart of their business rests the true secret to what makes Floyd unique. According to David Norton, the Head of Customer Experience at Floyd, it’s not just about people having a relationship with their products, it’s a relationship with the people behind their products. As a CX professional, David has an intense passion for solving customers’ problems. His mission is to make customers fall in love with their brand, believe in the product, and also feel supported every step of the way.
The members of a company’s CX team are often the only people customers will ever interact with. They are the face and the voice of that company and should therefore be able to surprise and delight their customers on a daily basis. At Floyd, they have embraced this viewpoint by empowering team members to pursue customer satisfaction.
Finding the right outsourcing partner
Floyd was looking for a specific fit when they began vetting outsourcing partners. They not only wanted a company that would deliver a fantastic customer experience but one they could trust with their customers while they had the freedom to build their brand.
“We are a startup, so we wear all the hats. Some of that is doing frontline customer support. When building a company, you’re building a customer experience program. We had to leave the support to the customer support professionals so that we could focus on the strategy, metrics, analytics, and the other things we had to focus on to drive the business forward.”
The startup community is a small and collaborative one. As such, Floyd had friends in the industry that were using Boldr and they quickly recommended us as a partner. The Floyd team was impressed with how conversational and responsive Boldr was from the first interaction all the way through to the interview and onboarding process.
Floyd was also confident about the idea of building a team in South Africa. They were looking for individuals who would operate in a customer’s best interest, who weren’t paralyzed to the point of inaction by sticking to the rule book, and who had the ability to be authentic, which happens to be one of Boldr’s core values. We began screening potential team members who would embrace Floyd’s values and tone of voice.
During the pilot phase, the team was determined to get the hang of reporting on Floyd’s preferred customer service CRM. They continuously met daily goals and KPIs by improving ticket volumes, response times, and overall CSAT scores. The team was also quick to notice when there was a volume increase in post-delivery product issues. They were able to identify that this increase was due to a defect caused in the manufacturing process. Once flagged, the Floyd Team moved into action to create a system to support these customers and all future customers who wrote in with the same issue.
Where customers queried some policies or FAQs on the Floyd website, such as the Returns Policy or Product FAQs, our team was instrumental in highlighting areas that were unclear or lacked specific information to assist customers when making purchases. This enabled Floyd to provide additional information on their site to improve the customer experience further.
“I don’t think customer experience is black and white. It’s definitely not one size fits all. Partnering with people that understood that and were willing to think creatively was important. That’s the team we recruited. The team in South Africa has that warmth, a capable sense of supporting the customer. Boldr’s operation is polished and buttoned-up, and we could trust them from day one. Everything was taken care of, even things that we hadn’t thought about. Boldr brings the human touch and it’s a pleasure working with them every day.”
Building global teams together
As an ethical outsourcing company, our decision to pursue impact sourcing and equitable employment at all costs inadvertently places us at the forefront of a transformative movement that is sure to change the stigma around conventional outsourcing. Our enriching journey with Floyd, as with all our amazing clients, showcases the importance of partnering with the right company, especially where the CX solution involves offshoring and multi-jurisdictional support.
We continue to forge powerful collaborations with like-minded companies that want to make a positive impact on the world. If you are looking for an impact-focused and purpose-driven outsourcing partner, then contact us for a free consultation.
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.
