Online retailer bucks global trend and enjoys a 46% increase in online sales during the 2008 holiday season, thanks in large part to LivePerson Contact Center
Canvas on Demand implemented LivePerson Contact Center, an award-winning multi-channel solution. Using live chat, Canvas on Demand specialists are available to interact with customers, many of whom who have just received their canvases and simply want to say thanks. They also help customers make rendering and finishing selections, troubleshoot issues relating to the submission of their digital photos, and answer customer-service related issues, such as status and shipping updates. Today, the eight specialists at Canvas on Demand handle some 30 to 50 chats per day in addition to their other duties. “Nearly all of our chat interactions involve helping a customer complete a purchase. Without LivePerson, our sales wouldn’t be as good as they are,” said Mr. Schmidt.
Despite its huge impact on sales conversion, live chat is not the co-founders’ favorite feature. That honor goes to the real-time monitoring tools available through the Agent Console. These tools provide Canvas on Demand with insight into who’s in their store, how they arrived there and what they’re doing. It also enables them to identify potential problems with Web-processes. “LivePerson turned our retail site into a real, organic retail experience. We can sit in our store all day, and see what goes on,” Mr. Schmidt said. “It provides us with a much deeper connection to our store.”
When they first installed the software, Mr. Schmidt admits that he and his partner were shocked. They realized that they didn’t have enough people in the store, and that meant they needed to convert nearly every visitor in order to survive. The two of them immediately began taking chats. “We chatted all day at the office, and all night at home. I put a wireless card in my computer and kept it next to my bed. If a chat came in during the middle of the night, I’d get up to answer it. I had to; the impact that chat had on conversions was profound.”
Soon, the partners decided to purchase licenses for their customer service representatives and turn the responsibility of handling chats over to them. At the same time, they implemented the Email Management System that comes with LivePerson Contact Center. The system automatically creates a ticket and assigns a unique ID number for every incoming message, enabling fast and efficient tracking and resolution. All follow-up correspondence is stored with that recording, ensuring that any specialist who responds to a customer has the complete history at his or her fingertips. “This as one the best customer response management systems I’ve ever seen. We couldn’t believe it came with Contact Center,” said Mr. Schmidt.
“Nearly all of our chat interactions involve helping a customer complete a purchase. Without LivePerson, our sales wouldn’t be as good as they are. ”
Joe Schmidt, co-owner
Canvas on Demand