Company: FCP Euro, Milford, CT
Company Description: FCP Euro was established by Harry & Kathy Bauer in 1986 as a small brick and mortar auto parts store in Groton, CT. Transitioned to an online store in 2001 by their son Nick Bauer & friend Scott Drozd, we have grown to become a leading eCommerce provider of Genuine, Aftermarket, OEM, and Performance parts for European cars.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - All Other Industries
 Nomination Title: FCP Euro Sets a New CX Standard in the Automotive Industry
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2020 of the nominated team, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Briefly describe the nominated team: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 157 words used.
FCP Euro is an industry-leading supplier of Genuine, OE, and OEM parts for European cars. Located in Milford, CT, their 105,000 square foot Distribution Center stocks over $25 million of inventory and has developed a highly efficient distribution model that gives them the ability to ship out almost all orders placed within 24 hours. The company has been one of the fastest growing firms in the United States, being named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list for 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 and is now planning expansion into new distribution centers in the United States.
FCP Euro's customer experience consists of 50 full time employees, which includes both administrative and technical customer assistance, an in-person Pickup Center, and a growing quality assurance function. Since 2020, the team has doubled in size. It is headed by Director of Customer Experience, Joe Coppola, and Alan Brashears, VP of Customer Experience.
- Outline the team's achievements since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 246 words used.
In the spring of 2020, the company's CX team made the decision to go fully remote. The prior year, they proactively provided employees with equipment to replicate their office set-up in their home for additional flexibility and redundancy. As a result, they successfully navigated the 2020 remote transition within 24 hours. Over the next year, Coppola and Brashears implemented many hybrid and remote work best practices to ensure that the team maintained a positive culture, including strong lines of communication, personal touchpoints, virtual meeting cadences, establishing quarterly team outings, providing gift cards for virtual lunches, and creating team awards driven by customer sentiment. Since the start of 2021, 10 team members have exited the department and 30 new team members have been added in that time frame.
Beginning in Q3 2022, they moved from a horizontal structure to promoting five team members as leads to oversee the expanding team and dedicate focus to different communication channels and quality assurance initiatives. Through prior knowledge of each customer service specialist's strengths and interests, they were able to optimize the team without additional training resources. With the additional headcount, new technology, and optimized scheduling and team structure, FCP Euro expanded phone support hours and introduced 24/7 live chat and e-mail coverage.
Their efforts resulted in NPS scores consistently hovering between 85-90. The average eCommerce and retail score is in the 60 range. The company has also cultivated an incredibly loyal following, with 50% of customers being repeat customers, driving 80% of orders, 23% of customers being referred by a friend, and 21% of customers ordering more than 4 times.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the team's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 239 words used.
FCP Euro stands head and shoulders above their industry in terms of NPS and customer loyalty. The automotive aftermarket is challenged by complex data that can lead to difficult decision-making and requires exceptional support to ensure a quality experience.
There are a number of things the FCP Euro team has done to provide exceptional customer satisfaction. The company's CEO embodies their commitment to customer service, soliciting and responding personally to customer feedback and ensuring that FCP Euro continues to keep the voice of their customer at the forefront of their decision making.
They also understood earlier than others in the industry the importance of eCommerce, and have become a digital-first company in an industry still largely defined by brick and mortar. This has allowed them to be much more nimble and responsive to customer inquiries and also ensured that they were able to handle the rapid rise of online shopping in the wake of the pandemic.
FCP Euro's teams are also customer data driven, with weekly leadership meetings integrating a Voice of the Customer data readout, where relevant customer service trends and insights are presented to the team so that all departments can find ways to improve the customer experience. Additionally, the company's CEO sends a survey to customers every year, the results of which are used to inform all major planning and strategy discussions about the following year, which ultimately result in OKRs derived directly from customer feedback.
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