Company: Empire Today, Northlake, IL
Company Description: Empire Today, LLC has been a leading provider of installed home improvements and home furnishings for over 50 years. Empire provides, shop- at-home convenience, next day installation, quality products at great prices, and world-class service to more than 35 major metropolitan areas in the United States.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year

Nomination Title: Empire Today's Customer Service Organization

Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

At Empire Today® “We are passionate about building customers for life!”  Living our mission requires we provide world-class service to every customer.  We appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate why Empire merits being a 2013 American Business Award winner. 

As a national leader in the installed home improvement and home furnishings industry, our goal is to provide every customer with excellent service.  Founded in 1959, Empire began as a Chicago-based, family owned business.   More than 50 years later, we have grown to serve over 55 metropolitan areas across the United States by continuing to treat every customer as though they were our only customer while maintaining our A+ Better Business Bureau Rating.  

Customer-focused achievements and newly completed initiatives during 2012 include:

  • Net Promoter Score:  To evaluate customer satisfaction and loyalty, Empire uses the Net Promoter Score metric.  2012 marked Empire’s sixth consecutive year of increased customer satisfaction as documented by an independent third party.  In 2012, 89.2% of our customers rated us eight, nine or ten on a scale of one through ten with ten being the highest.

  • Company Website:  Using customer feedback, we reengineered our website, empiretoday.com, to improve our customers’ online experience.

  • Product Quality Testing:  Before adding a carpet or solid surface style to our product offerings, we send a sample to an independent agency to test the quality against manufacturing specifications.  If all of the criteria are met, we consider adding to our product offerings.  This diligence ensures that the consumer is buying a product that meets manufacturing specifications and our stringent quality requirements. 

  • Social Media:  We understand customers may prefer to communicate through social media.  We have dedicated national teams that manage our interactions with customers through social media.  We strive to reply immediately, with no responses longer than two hours from the time of a post.   

  • Customer Service Audit Scorecard:  Each local service region is audited four to six times a year against 22 criteria.  This ensures every customer receives the same level of service regardless of location. 

  • Customer Response Time:  We demand immediate action to customer concerns and strive to continually improve response times.  Our goal is to resolve customer issues within 48 hours, 90% of the time.

  • Customer Service University:  We have over 200 associates in our installations, sales and customer service organizations  that are required to take 48 months of web-based customer service training.   This creates one message across all departments relative to how we work with our customers.

  • Annual Meeting:  Empire’s Annual National Customer Service Meeting, gathers customer service personnel nationwide in one location for training, best practice sharing and team building. 

  • National Customer Service Week:  Celebrated Empire’s 8th annual National Customer Service Week, an international event dedicated to recognizing people on the frontlines of customer service.  The companywide celebration emphasized the importance of providing world-class service.

As shown in the examples presented, our commitment to customer service excellence is more than a theory.  Each and every day we live, monitor, enforce, improve and exceed our standards.  Our commitment goes beyond the consumer to our associates, contractors, suppliers and vendors and impacts every member and level of the Empire organization.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:

Bridget Moscatello, Vice President of Customer Operations, has spent over 25 years in the service industry, focusing on driving workplace efficiencies across all customer facing groups to leverage people, processes and technology. She is dedicated to delivering a world-class experience and ensuring customers always receive the right service at the right time.  With Empire since 2005, her commitment to providing excellent service is evident through her philosophy of treating every customer “like they are our only customer.” Ms. Moscatello has served on the Board of Directors and Standards and Ethics Committee for the Chicago and Northern Illinois Better Business Bureau since 2006.