Rakuten improves customer service of UK e-commerce acquisition with local approach

Rakuten improves customer service of UK e-commerce acquisition with local approach

Play.com, which was acquired by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten in September 2011, recently announced it has brought its contact centre back to the UK.

It said the move is part of its drive to create a more personal service offering for UK shoppers through a local team. And it is just part of a wider drive by Rakuten to implement the best practice Japanese service style know as ‘Omotenashi,’ which is designed to deliver exceptional and personal online retail experiences.

In addition to improving the service on offer to its customers, the move has created over 55 full-time jobs in the Wirral, where its customer management partner, The Contact Company, is based. A further 150-200 are expected to be added during primetime shopping in the run-up to Christmas.

Social media as well as e-contact services

The 55-strong team responds to general customer queries seven days a week via phone, email and social media (Facebook and Twitter). Currently handling around 12,000 enquiries a week, the team expects that number to rise as they start to provide 24-hour support through social media.

Adam Stewart, Play.com director of marketing, commented: “Research shows that consumers feel a greater affinity and are more trusting of retailers that provide a local and knowledgeable service to those based overseas. With careful consideration we decided one of the first steps to deliver an improved personal service was to bring the contact centre back to the UK.”

He added that it was already proving effective, “as just three months since on-shoring, Play.com’s metrics show an improvement of 10% in customer satisfaction, helpfulness and outcome of query”. “Initial feedback from our customers is that they’re receiving a much happier and more personalised experience,” he said.