The chat solution of BCC
Live chat with website visitors from shops
The way in which BCC uses its ‘Live Chat’ chat solution can only be described as special and progressive in retail land. Chat sessions aren’t answered from the central customer contact centre, but live from the shops: at the so-called ‘Chat points’. Customers love it; both customers who come into the shops and customers who shop online. Livecom talked to its customer, BCC, about this new service.
We spoke to Sander Kouwenhoven and Wouter Peet. Sander has been a Manager at the Service Centre at BCC for 1.5 years now – the heart of the customer contact. At BCC, Sander has the challenge to reach the same customer orientation as Coolblue (where he previously occupied the same post for 10 years); a tough challenge for the historically traditional retail company. Wouter is Branch manager at BCC Amsterdam Buitenveldert.
Web chat as a service channel
Chat points have been located in BCC shops since October last year. In the beginning, the organisation was quite sceptical and hesitant about adding web chat as a customer contact solution. That is why they started this project on a small scale, with a pilot in 4 shops. In the meantime, almost all BCC shops have been connected to the web chat. “Once the chat took off, we saw that we could do much more with it than we thought at first. And that it also brought more advantages than we had estimated”, says Sander.
“Once Live Chat took off, we saw that we could do much more with it than we thought at first. And that it also brought more advantages than we had estimated” according to Sander Kouwenhoven.
The chat solution fits perfectly with the experience BCC wants to create: BCC is happy to help you. “We want the customer to experience this feeling. There’s nothing we’d rather do than helping our customer; whether it’s in the shop or via a computer, that doesn’t make any difference. The experience should be the same”, says Wouter.