STORES Magazine - February 2008 - (Page 46) NUTS AND BOLTS / CUSTOMER SERVICE Scheduling Is a Snap Self-service appointment system generates repeat business, satisfied customers BY MICHAEL HARTNETT or retailers whose business models require customers to make appointments and provide details of their needs — portrait studios, dog grooming services, bridal shops — the key to building samestore sales volume is an efficient system for making those appointments and ensuring that they are kept. F For Ritz Camera PROEX Portraits’ 21 studios in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market, that initial customer call for an appointment is also an opportunity to cultivate a lifelong relationship, from portraits of newborns to those customers’ wedding albums. The customer service component of that initial contact requires several details of the caller’s needs and, for the company, coordination of variables such as the appropriate studio, the photographer to best handle baby pictures versus wedding portraits, an e-mail reminder of the appointment and access to fundamental operating details like the number of appointments made and kept. Until May 2007, Ritz Camera PROEX relied on a network-based system that represented cut— Bryan Engblom, Ritz Camera ting-edge technology when it was designed 15 PROEX Portraits “We’ve seen an immediate benefit in the customer service and the rapport we’re able to offer our customers.” years ago, but which had become cumbersome and difficult for new staff members to learn. The company has now become one of TimeTrade Systems’ newest clients, relying on its self-service appointment scheduling system to set up thousands of photo sessions each year. “We’ve seen an immediate benefit in the customer service and the rapport we’re able to offer our customers,” says Bryan Engblom, general manager, portrait studios, for Ritz Camera PROEX Portraits. “Both the call center and the website have allowed us to be more effective and to offer better service to our clients.” Enhance the experience For many customers, portrait making “is very emotional,” he says, and taking kids’ portraits is right up there with root canal. We want to make it an enjoyable event and not a chore: anything that enhances that experience will build revenue.” WWW.STORES.ORG 46 STORES / FEBRUARY 2008 http://WWW.STORES.ORG
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