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1008 furn world:furnworld 9/3/08 4:41 PM Page 26
Pictured are Roomful Express furniture
craftsmen and a customer service person.
Build Loyalty
Before 5PM With...
THE SAME DAY
SERVICE CALL
Roomful Express Furniture improves key operations metrics with new program.
by Michael Bowman, Roomful Express
ur number one priority at the additional service expense, this pro- our customer support representatives
Roomful Express Furniture is to gram has generated a cost savings to the would have an exchange delivered to the
build customer loyalty and earn company by providing a 20% reduction in customer’s home within 3 or 4 days. This
Orepeat business. We, therefore, exchanges. addressed the fact that customers didn’t
regularly look at every point of contact a Dan Bolger, in his September 2007 arti- want to wait the week it took to have a
customer might have with our organization cle “Delivery Survey 2007”, published in technician come out to fix their problem.
and evaluate ways we can make it better, FURNITURE WORLD Magazine, stated The exchange was faster, but turned out to
easier, or more valuable for our customers. that, “An exchange costs five times the be a more costly option.
The economics of running a retail busi- original delivery cost and frequently For that reason, we insisted that our ser-
ness in a non-growth region requires us to exceeds the margin on any given order. vice company provide us with service that
find new ways of servicing and exciting our Returns and cancellations can devastate was no more than 48 hours out in our core
existing customer base. your bottom line because you lose the business area. That challenge eventually
This task is as important for the opera- sales revenue but incur logistics costs for led to our Same Day Service Program.
tions side of our business as it is for sales the initial delivery, return costs and the
and marketing. After a sale has been com- wrath of the unhappy customer who looks CUSTOMER OBJECTIONS
pleted and the delivery made, there are elsewhere. In the worst case scenario, the
additional opportunities to create or lose product is damaged along the way and As part of the new program, we found
customer loyalty. Such is the case when the has to be scrapped.” We completely agree that we needed to address a frequent
customer calls us and requests service on with this statement. objection expressed by customers whose
their furniture. Most importantly, this program has had new furniture needed service. Many felt
that they wanted new furniture, not “used”
a measurable positive impact on customer furniture that had been repaired.
BUILDING LOYALTY satisfaction and loyalty. However, getting to Customers needed to be convinced that
THROUGH SERVICE this position wasn’t easy. The company had they would actually be getting more value
to change its way of thinking about service,
The Same Day Service Program is the costs, and operations. We also had to edu- out of the service call then they would from
newest customer loyalty-building program cate our customers about the value they an exchange. Therefore, in-house cus-
at Roomful Express Furniture. When cus- would be gaining by utilizing our crafting tomer service representatives were taught
tomers who need service contact our call services. that service team members are profession-
center, we offer them the option of having ally trained, furniture builders and crafts-
a craftsman come to their home THAT DAY, men, with years of experience. These
at no cost to them. Although it seems GETTING STARTED craftsmen do not repair furniture. They
counter intuitive, this program actually pro- Before the Same Day Service Program “deluxe”, “correct”, and “upgrade” furni-
vides an operational cost savings while was instituted, when a customer called in ture. They add value to the furniture. They
boosting customer satisfaction! Even with to report, for example, a split sofa seam, are able to make the furniture “better than
26 FURNITURE WORLD September/October 2008
Pictured are Roomful Express furniture
craftsmen and a customer service person.
Build Loyalty
Before 5PM With...
THE SAME DAY
SERVICE CALL
Roomful Express Furniture improves key operations metrics with new program.
by Michael Bowman, Roomful Express
ur number one priority at the additional service expense, this pro- our customer support representatives
Roomful Express Furniture is to gram has generated a cost savings to the would have an exchange delivered to the
build customer loyalty and earn company by providing a 20% reduction in customer’s home within 3 or 4 days. This
Orepeat business. We, therefore, exchanges. addressed the fact that customers didn’t
regularly look at every point of contact a Dan Bolger, in his September 2007 arti- want to wait the week it took to have a
customer might have with our organization cle “Delivery Survey 2007”, published in technician come out to fix their problem.
and evaluate ways we can make it better, FURNITURE WORLD Magazine, stated The exchange was faster, but turned out to
easier, or more valuable for our customers. that, “An exchange costs five times the be a more costly option.
The economics of running a retail busi- original delivery cost and frequently For that reason, we insisted that our ser-
ness in a non-growth region requires us to exceeds the margin on any given order. vice company provide us with service that
find new ways of servicing and exciting our Returns and cancellations can devastate was no more than 48 hours out in our core
existing customer base. your bottom line because you lose the business area. That challenge eventually
This task is as important for the opera- sales revenue but incur logistics costs for led to our Same Day Service Program.
tions side of our business as it is for sales the initial delivery, return costs and the
and marketing. After a sale has been com- wrath of the unhappy customer who looks CUSTOMER OBJECTIONS
pleted and the delivery made, there are elsewhere. In the worst case scenario, the
additional opportunities to create or lose product is damaged along the way and As part of the new program, we found
customer loyalty. Such is the case when the has to be scrapped.” We completely agree that we needed to address a frequent
customer calls us and requests service on with this statement. objection expressed by customers whose
their furniture. Most importantly, this program has had new furniture needed service. Many felt
that they wanted new furniture, not “used”
a measurable positive impact on customer furniture that had been repaired.
BUILDING LOYALTY satisfaction and loyalty. However, getting to Customers needed to be convinced that
THROUGH SERVICE this position wasn’t easy. The company had they would actually be getting more value
to change its way of thinking about service,
The Same Day Service Program is the costs, and operations. We also had to edu- out of the service call then they would from
newest customer loyalty-building program cate our customers about the value they an exchange. Therefore, in-house cus-
at Roomful Express Furniture. When cus- would be gaining by utilizing our crafting tomer service representatives were taught
tomers who need service contact our call services. that service team members are profession-
center, we offer them the option of having ally trained, furniture builders and crafts-
a craftsman come to their home THAT DAY, men, with years of experience. These
at no cost to them. Although it seems GETTING STARTED craftsmen do not repair furniture. They
counter intuitive, this program actually pro- Before the Same Day Service Program “deluxe”, “correct”, and “upgrade” furni-
vides an operational cost savings while was instituted, when a customer called in ture. They add value to the furniture. They
boosting customer satisfaction! Even with to report, for example, a split sofa seam, are able to make the furniture “better than
26 FURNITURE WORLD September/October 2008
