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Fat Brain Toys

  

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Company: Fat Brain Toys, Elkhorn, NE
Company Description: Begun as a literal garage startup in 2002, husband and wife team Mark & Karen Carson have grown their company into one of the largest independent retailers of specialty toys in the country. Recognized as one of the fastest growing e-retailers by Internet Retailer magazine, Fat Brain Toys credits their rapid growth to offering quality toys coupled with truly remarkable customer service.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: e-Commerce Customer Service Award

Nomination Title: Online Retailer Employs "Old School" Customer Service Techniques

    Tell the story about your e-commerce-based customer service initiatives since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 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:

In an age of faceless technology, many online companies rely upon self-help
tools, FAQs, outsourcing, and email to address customer needs. Fat Brain Toys,
an eight year old retailer of educational toys and games, has taken a very
different approach to meeting the needs of it’s customers. Using good old-
fashioned human-to-human communication and Midwest hospitality, the retailer has
garnered a loyal following from coast-to-coast and around the world.

While many online companies bury their phone numbers or don’t provide phone
support at all, you’ll find a toll-free 800 number boldly listed on every page
of FatBrainToys.com. When consumers call that number, they aren’t greeted by an
endless maze of buttons to push or the need to shout “agent!”. Instead, a
highly-trained representative located in their home offices in Elkhorn, Nebraska
promptly answers the call and politely helps the customer with whatever question
they may have.

These dedicated agents, led by Customer Care Manager Becky Killian, are not only
adept at handling the varied requests from consumers, but they are also highly
efficient. During the peak toy shopping month of December, they handled 24,419
phone calls, replied to 5,528 emails, and participated in 425 live chat
sessions. This was accomplished with a full-time staff of just four individuals
with the assistance of another 10 part-time representatives. That equates to a
staggering 1,744 calls/rep during the month of December!

But the true value of customer service is not measured by efficiency, but rather
in customer satisfaction. While it’s easy for any company to SAY that they’ve
provided good customer service, we have the great fortune to have thousands of
customers who have written glowing testimony of the quality service they
received. Several of these testimonials can be found at the following URL:

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/about_us/testimonials.cfm

For the skeptical types who may think that we moderate these testimonials, we
have a third-party review service that has likewise collected numerous comments
that equally demonstrate our customers’ satisfaction with the service they received:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Fat_Brain_Toys

All of these positives comments have manifested themselves in significant growth
for this family owned and operated business. Overall customer satisfaction is so
high that over 60% of their revenue in Q4 comes from repeat visitors. Fat Brain
Toys serves as a great example of a company who has successfully blended
technology and personal service to satisfy the needs of its customers.

    List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/about_us/testimonials.cfm
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Fat_Brain_Toys
http://vimeo.com/17114546
http://www.fatbraintoys.com/about_us/people.cfm

    Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated customer service organization:

Begun as a literal garage startup in 2002, husband and wife team Mark & Karen
Carson have grown their company into one of the largest independent retailers of
specialty toys in the country. Recognized as one of the fastest growing
e-retailers by Internet Retailer magazine, Fat Brain Toys credits their rapid
growth to offering quality toys coupled with truly remarkable customer service.
You can see their complete selection of specialty toys at
http://www.fatbraintoys.com