Bonobos Again Wins Award as Overall Customer Experience Leader

| Mike O'Brien

Ever-rising expectations call for retailers to be increasingly tuned in to customers’ needs and wants across channels, while consistently delivering on promises and being more flexible and responsive when issues arise. See why Bonobos once again won the award for Customer Experience Leader.

Nordstrom Wins Award for Excellence in Customer Returns

| Mike O'Brien

How you handle returns goes a long way toward defining how customers perceive your brand and how loyal they will be. So what are some of the key elements that make up a great returns experience? See why Nordstrom won the 2016 Excellence in Customer Experience award in this important category.

Operations Summit 2017 Call for Speakers Open

| Mike O'Brien

Are you an industry professional with a great merchant story to tell that will educate and inform your peers? Come share your insights at Operations Summit 2017, March 27-29 in in Pittsburgh – the only conference exclusively about direct-to-customer and omnichannel operations. Send us your proposed session topic and speakers by Sept. 30 for consideration.

Best Practices of a Winning Customer Experience

| Donna Devaul

In an era when the customer is king, retailers need to elevate their game to gain loyalty, an edge over the competition in a fierce environment, and drive sales. Here are some best practices culled from winners and finalists of the 2016 Excellence in Customer Experience awards at the Operations Summit.

Ops Summit 2016 roundtable

Hot Topics Covered at Operations Summit, Growing Global 2016

| Mike O'Brien

Figuring out how to make omnichannel operations successful and profitable, dealing with Amazon’s continual disruptions, creating a consistently excellent customer experience across operational areas and growing cross-border commerce were among the hot topics at the fifth annual Operations Summit. The event was held in Cincinnati, OH, an ecommerce operations hotbed, and drew more than 800 direct-to-customer and omnichannel operations professionals and providers.

Operations Summit, Growing Global Deliver Relevant, Actionable Content

| Mike O'Brien

Everything you could possibly want to know about operations fundamentals, global ecommerce, shipping and distribution strategies, omnichannel and contact center/customer care – and then some – is being covered at 50+ information-packed workshops, keynotes and breakout sessions during Operations Summit and Growing Global 2016, April 12-14 in Cincinnati.

Operations Summit 2016

Operations Summit Will Help With Your Systems, Fulfillment Strategies

| Curt Barry

I go to lots of conferences, but for me the Operations Summit is the most helpful to our clients and our consulting practice because it’s dedicated exclusively to improving direct-to-customer and omnichannel operations, presenting a broad range of operations experiences and solutions. It’s not too late to join us, April 12-14 at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati.

2016 Excellence in Customer Experience Awards

Bonobos On Excellence in Returns, Customer Experience Leadership

| Mike O'Brien

How you handle returns goes a long way toward defining how customers perceive your brand, and how loyal they will be. So what are some of the key elements that make up a great returns experience? And what does it mean to be an overall customer experience leader?

Angela Goldstein, director of operations for men’s apparel company Bonobos, spoke with Multichannel Merchant Senior Editor Mike O’Brien on these subjects, after Bonobos was named a finalist in the two categories for the 2016 Excellence in Customer Experience Awards.

Vermont Country Store

Training Agents to Reflect the Brand at Vermont Country Store

| Mike O'Brien

Vermont Country Store trains its agents to go beyond basic product knowledge to see themselves as brand ambassadors, and treat each everyone like family. See how this ethic is instilled in reps, and how they use active listening to pick up on cross-sell and upsell opportunities, without the hard sell. You can also hear the brand go more in depth on the subject at Operations Summit 2016, April 12-14 in Cincinnati.

Vermont Country Store

Vermont Country Store On Creating Agents as “Shopkeepers”

| Mike O'Brien

What does it mean to have CSRs act not just as problem-solvers but as “shopkeepers”of your brand’s unique style? Kara Soulia, director of operations, and Melissa Lackney, operations training and development coordinator for Vermont Country Store, explain the concept, and how they train their agents to extend the down-home feel of the company’s trademark stores to every channel and interaction, while being alert for “cues and clues” that can lead to cross-selling and upselling opportunities.