Lifestyle brand Tommy Bahama recently announced a partnership with Medallia to help it expand its customer experience program.
Using Medallia’s real-time CEM software, Tommy Bahama will build the Voice of the Customer (VoC) into its operations so employees everywhere can act to improve the guest experience and drive lasting loyalty. Since 1992, Tommy Bahama has opened more than 130 retail stores throughout North America and in select markets in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, and Singapore.
Drew Bell, Director of Store Operations at Tommy Bahama, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty360 to discuss the partnership goals with Medallia.
What specific factors prompted Tommy Bahama to enhance its customer experience?
We’re always looking for ways to improve the guests’ experience, so why not go directly to the consumer to find out how we can improve. Medallia gives us opportunity to hear from a wider array of guests than just in the past. While we love to hear from our raving fans, the feedback we get from the casual guest gives us insight into what we can do to engage them more deeply with the Tommy Bahama brand.
Was customer feedback a factor and, if so, in what way?
The Tommy Bahama guest is very connected to the brand and Medallia gives us the opportunity hear directly from him and her on what’s working and what is not. The guests' unfiltered feedback is priceless.
How will Medallia’s expertise assist Tommy Bahama in impacting its customer base in ways it hasn’t before?
The volume of information that Medallia gives us and the ability to filter that data into actionable items means, we can respond much more quickly to trends and guests impression of the brand.
How will this impact the employee engagement levels?
The information Medallia provides empowers our team members to be creative in building personalized experiences for guests. Medallia makes managers and associates much more aware of our guests’ true wants and needs.
How do you define customer loyalty today and has that definition changed in recent years?
Customer loyalty is not just about how many times a guest shops with you, it’s about turning them in ambassadors of the brands. People love to tell their friends about the great experiences they have dining or shopping and it’s the best marketing a brand can have. Social media has changed the landscape. Now a guest experience can be shared in the moment. Learning from your guests what they need and want, and turning more guests into promoters of the brand has gained importance, not only for customer loyalty, but is key in building a brand.
As a marketer, what things/challenges keep you up at night?
Today’s consumer has more choices than ever. Understanding how, when, and where they want to interact with the brand and how to deliver on that is a challenge for a lifestyles brand.
What metrics will you use to track the customer experience moving forward?
As we move forward, tracking the number of guests who are promoters of the brand is important to us. It’s not good enough to simply make the sale. We have to build a foundation for future visits. The Net Promoter Score is a metric that we can use to ensure that we are doing the things we need to do to ensure future business. If we’re not creating memories and lasting impressions, we’re not marketing the brand to its fullest potential.