How Estee Lauder Group Used Glassix Unified Messaging to Deliver a Conversational Customer Experience
Decades before social media became mainstream, Estée ran word-of-mouth campaigns. Her oft-repeated mantra was “Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Woman.” She believed that women who liked her products would spread the word.
That same spirit works beautifully on today’s digital communication channels - WhatsApp, email, messengers, Facebook, Messenger and Instagram - and today it is perhaps possible to propose an innovation to the slogan coined by Estee Lauder, and say:
WhatsApp, E-mail, Text-a-Woman
Zohar Shemesh, who spearheads Omnichannel messaging at Estee Lauder EMEA, shared his thoughts about how the Glassix unified message platform enables the company to bring the vision of the company's original founder into the 21st century.
The Estee Lauder global group of companies was established as early as 1946 in Queens, USA, with the establishment of the Estee Lauder brand. The founder, Ms. Estee Lauder, and her husband, Joseph, began their journey by directly selling four beauty products for women in hair salons and beauty salons throughout the city. Since then the brand has become a group of companies and in fact an empire of cosmetics and one of the world's leading companies in the field of care and beauty. The company markets thousands of products across dozens of brands, in addition to the private label ESTEE LAUDER, and employs over 48,000 people worldwide. The company's products are sold in approximately 150 countries with an annual turnover of over $14 billion.
What was the key factor that led the decision to integrate a digital call center?
Our service center caters to to a very large variety of customers and handles a huge volume of inquiries - ranging from professionals such as makeup artists, as well as consumers - hundreds of thousands of women and men who use our care and beauty products.
In order to provide the highest standard of service our customers have come to expect, Estee Lauder, it was clear to us that a unified messaging platform, and in particular WhatsApp, should be integrated into the entire service system. The reason is that in such a digital service model, each representative can manage multiple inquiries simultaneously, enabling faster response times to the point of even eliminating wait time entirely - all without compromising on quality of service.
Did implementing the solution really allow you to meet your goals?
Absolutely. To realize how successful the system has proven to be, it is important to understand the complexity. All the service representatives at our call center must be knowledgeable and familiar with all the different products and brands we market . Thanks to Glassix, agents who receive an inquiry can respond effectively across any channel, providing detailed information such as professional advice, clarification regarding delivery, order status, and more.
The company also operates a number of ecommerce websites offering thousands of product. Thanks to Glasix, we are able to track the customer journey across digital touchpoints, document engagement, and receive a complete snapshot of all interactions at any given moment.
Glassix also interfaces with our CRM system, so that all written communication with marketers is fully documented. Also, through the system we can transfer to partners and marketers products such as forms and digital documents as well as explanation and training products, which has led to a significant optimization of intra-organizational processes.
How did the customers and partners adjust to the transition from traditional call center service to digital messaging?
They embraced the transition enthusiastically! Within a couple of months we went from a traditional call center operation to over 70% of customer inquiries coming in via WhatsApp for Business, with automated routing to qualified and available agents. This enabled us to manage a variety of issues effectively - ranging from order changes, returns, exchanges, delivery inquiries, professional advice, all using a single unified messaging platform.
How does the Glassix messaging platform fit into your customer loyalty club?
ELC PRO is a great example of a customer loyalty initiative that enables professional makeup artists stay informed about new products, special offers and relevant information in the domain of beauty care. Members are eligible for fixed discounts at branded physical and digital touchpoints as well.
It is also important to note that during the pandemic, traffic to our ecommerce stores increased significantly as many stores were closed or operated by a reduced staff. Glassix enabled the team to deliver comprehensive business continuity. Not only was customer service unaffected, but it was even enhanced, and during the 2020 holiday shopping season, Glassix did an outstanding job of keeping up with demand and even exceeding expectations.
Thank you, Zohar, and the entire Estee Lauder group for an amazing collaboration!