Peak Support

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the customer experience director for Western Rise. We’re a menswear company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Peak Support?

We needed help in our customer service department. We wanted to build a team that we could quickly scale.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Peak Support’s our customer service team that helps us with our day to day operations. They help us answer customer service inquiries such as return and exchange requests. Their team mostly processes inquiries through email because we’re a digitally native company. They also support customers through the live chat feature on our site. Their team responds to any messages sent through our social channels such as Instagram and Facebook.

What is the team composition?

The size of the team fluctuates based on volume. We currently work with three people from Peak Support including a team lead. However, we’ve worked with up to five individuals at one time.

How did you come to work with Peak Support?

Peak Support actually reached out to us, and our CEO brought them on board.

How much have you invested with them?

On average, we spend around $2,000 a month. The cost scales up and down based on the number of resources.

What is the status of this engagement?

We brought them on around April 2018, and the partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our customer satisfaction’s extremely high. It’s within the 98% range. Their response time’s fast. For speed and efficiency, we're probably in the top 10% on industry metrics. They also work to consistently improve.

When we need to change the size of the team, they're flexible. Their team's available for any logistics or inventory management projects too. They cut down on the amount of busywork for our core.

How did Peak Support perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly calls, and their team's integrated into our Slack channel. They’re receptive to changes, and it’s easy to work with their team.

They're internally managed, which is nice. As they’re familiar with the day to day operations, there’s no need for us to manage them. I discuss any special projects with their team lead who shares the details with everyone else. It’s nice to have a single point of contact. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Peak Support team writes well and answers customers accurately. They’re also tech-enabled. We didn’t have to train them to use our tools, which can be the biggest hurdle to an outsourced partnership. It’s also a huge advantage to have one point of contact. I don’t have to relay information to every one of their team members.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their only area for improvement’s team stability. They tend to move people around a bit. While we’ve had the same team lead, the turnover’s higher than we'd like it to be. It doesn’t negatively affect us but it takes time to train new agents.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Outline all of your policy and training materials. To help them ramp up faster, have an SOP in place. It’s important to have a good system for communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of customer experience for American Exchange Group. It’s an umbrella company with several companies under it, such as iTouch Wearables, which is fitness watches and trackers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Peak Support?

We needed a team to help with customer support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have done several projects, including incorporating Facebook into our Zendesk, tag reporting throughout all the different tickets that came in during a certain period of time, and more.

They’re currently working on our customer feedback loop project. They have taken a bunch of different data points from different avenues of returns, feedback, warranties, etc. and are categorizing them by issue, product, and more. 

What is the team composition?

I interact most often with Trish (Associate), Rob, Ramon, Jen (Associate), and two other teammates.

How did you come to work with Peak Support?

I’m not sure of the initial contact since I wasn’t with the company. I facilitated moving the previous team out and this team in. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in December 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They have done a masterful job of rallying to meet, and exceed, service level agreement (SLA) requirements. They maintain a score above industry standard, and our department has a very high amount of ticketing, exceeding industry standard of cases by roughly 5,000. We are maintaining all SLAs at 100%, and a less than 24-hour response time. The team has helped me grow in my position, and have grown themselves, always up for a challenge. They never give up. 

How did Peak Support perform from a project management standpoint?

They have drive and passion to improve, asking for feedback. We communicate via Slack, and have Zoom calls daily, as well as weekly one-on-one meetings. They are very responsive, and work quickly. They often finish ahead of deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion and energy in listening to, and solving, people’s issues, sets them apart from the competition. They have absorbed the information we’ve given them, and become very knowledgeable about our company and our products. That enables them to capture the company’s voice in their dealings with customers. They do an excellent job and are great to work with. They’re good at identify inefficiencies and creating efficient solutions. For example, they created a tracking email for watch warranties, eliminating the need for them to seek out a tracking number as follow-up. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue I ever had was their communication style, lack of asking questions and giving input. That was a cultural difference, and we have worked on it and seen great improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the proper ammunition in training and resources, and don’t understaff. That is key. They will do great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ministry of Supply is a clothing brand based in Boston, MA utilizing science to make the world's highest-performing, most-comfortable, sharp clothing. We're an eight-figure, profitable retailer with a strong ecomm presence and 6 US stores. My role is Co-Founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Peak Support?

We use Peak Support for outsourced customer service and customer relationship management.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed (and continue to need) support to handle the thousands of inbound customer inquires that come in on email and chat.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did an extensive research project to determine requirements, and then evaluated four potential partners on a range of criteria covering cost, quality, and reputation. Peak Support won, hands down.

Describe the project in detail.

We have 3 full time resources and routine strategic audits from our Peak Support team. The resources are scheduled in coordination with our in-house team, and are absolutely an extension of the team - constantly on Slack, and in communication to make sure customers leave happier than they entered.

What was the team composition?

The team has been incredibly consistent for the years we have worked with Peak Support - turnover seems to be low or non-existent, so we've been quite happy there - where training new team members seems to be quick, specially when the old team members stay around and can transfer that institutional knowledge quickly and seamlessly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

As a direct impact of the work we've done with Peak Support, we've seen our NPS grow over 10 points - which is remarkable. They provide a strong blend of respecting our "playbook" but also being able to adjust it for each unique situation that might arise. I think this is their strongest suit - its a team full of so much empathy and judgment that they're able to play within our sandbox, but design unique solutions for each customer.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

This, again, is a strong suit. The integration of teams is seamless - both continuous where needed, and discrete on top. That is, there's always a direct line to both our immediate team, as well as Peak Support HQ; and in addition, there is a monthly audit that helps to grow - not just sustain - our NPS and overall customer satisfaction.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Honestly, there are VERY few companies I would take this long to write a review for - but Peak Support constantly goes over the top to make sure we, and our customers, are happy. They're a case study in how to extend your team with no-risk, and a huge ROI - prompt, disciplined service with so much empathy spread throughout. I cannot more highly recommend their services and even more, their team - a spectacular group of people.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Please keep Kath and Elvie on your team forever - they are absolute gems and deserve all of the praise. Beyond that, keep pushing us to succeed - we really enjoy it when you're candid with us on areas where our product can improve, again showing that you're more than just outsourced labor - but rather, an extension of our team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We connect thought leaders with their audiences via access to a subscription product that provides up to date information on upcoming events and conferences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Peak Support?

Backend data management, product design, content updates, and market research.

What were your goals for this project?

To create and launch a product within 8 months of inception.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A pre-existing relationship with the parent company.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Peak Support supported us with a high degree of flexibility as we were launching an early-stage business, providing services ranging from data entry to workflow management and even sourcing a UX designer when we needed it. Each team member had a strong work ethic, delivering to a high standard of work each day. The team manager was exceptionally skilled, proactively anticipating business needs and organizing the team to pivot quickly to meet these. The Peak Support team rarely felt like an outsourced function - they worked as a seamless extension of our operation.

What was the team composition?

Team lead, assistant team lead, junior team members, software support, and UX Designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We couldn't have developed the product without the Peak Support team. We had an aggressive timeline to launch and they essentially worked as an outsourced Operations arm, sourcing new positions as needed and scaling staffing support to meet both content and workflow planning needs.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very effective. We rarely had to oversee this function in detail. They communicated with us over Slack and email, joining weekly calls to discuss upcoming requirements and sending reports to keep track of what was being worked on.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Peak Support has a particular brand that is strongly reflected in all its staff. The workforce is sharp, efficient, and pleasant to work with. Pair that with their flexibility and personalized client services, and you have a winning solution to outsourced staffing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The difference in timezones should be considered if the project has multiple parties across the US working with an offshore team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Community Company help our members engage, retain, and monetize their biggest fans and most sought-after prospects with a community experience they’ll love. I am the Director of Retention Operations and work on all of processes and systems to ensure our members have a valuable experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Peak Support?

We hired Peak Support to help us build out and sustain our customer service department. We found that the team members we were hiring for this role previously were not what we should have been doing and when we got introduced to Peak Support and learned about how they build, scale and sustain customer service teams we knew this was the right choice.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to have team members who were fully integrated into our company systems and culture. We needed team members to come onboard who have a passion for being in the front lines of customer service. All while, building out our playbooks for CS and allowing us to grow quickly as the company grew.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We considered one other vendor but the offerings from Peak Support were truly unmatched. The decision process was made up of our COO, myself and another Member Success Manager.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

To provide excellent support staff to allow us to build and grow our business. After the initial training with our first hires, PS handles all training, educating and coaching of their new staff for our account. We also asked for data analysis around core business practices like online chats served, wait times, first reply time, full resolution time - just to name a few. These insights help us understand where we can improve, where we can celebrate the team for working in an effective and efficient manner and lets us understand when the need for more hires might arise.

What was the team composition?

We started with 3 hires and we are now at a team of 11. We have one team lead, an assistant team lead within these roles as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The team has helped us transition to a new ticketing system, and with that has built out a robust metrics and reporting for data analysis. We have an opportunity to see at a glance how the team is performing, what our top requests are, and more. This has been so valuable for us to help us plan on new hires, change systems or processes that are no longer fruitful or to take a step back and reassess working measures as needed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was extremely effective. We shared our plan of how we were going to onboard the team, what systems we would use, like Slack, gmail, Zendesk, etc. Project timelines were always met and if there was a slight delay in any aspect of these projects, we were kept in the loop from the beginning!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The communication from all levels of staff at Peak Support, from senior leadership to our customer service agents. This is something that I find to be quite rare, but they have built their company in a way that transparency and honest is at the core and it shows in everything that they do.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that I can think of at this time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the customer experience manager at a startup apparel company. We sell leisurewear with a tailored fit. We’ve been around for about three years.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Peak Support?

They staff and oversee our customer support team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our support team they staff is based in the Philippines. They do our customer support services, as we have an omnichannel support team. That meant their duties include live chat, email, and phone support. They’re interacting with our customers on a daily basis, responding to hundreds of emails and trafficking questions about online orders, garment fit, and things like that.

We have some basic outline scripts and responses, most of which the Peak Support developed themselves. Overall, we’re not a very scripted team, however, as they are very experienced and have a lot of freedom.

What is the team composition?

It fluctuates. During the holiday, we had 12 people. The smallest we get is 8 people. I work directly with the agents but most of my interaction is with the team laed. We do have an account manager with them who is hands-on.

How did you come to work with Peak Support?

The partnership began before I started working at the company. As we started scaling up, we needed more outsourced call support.

How much have you invested with them?

In total over the three years, it’s been estimated around $500,000. Last year, we spent $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work began around 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They have a lot of experience. Clearly everyone has been in the industry for a long time. They’re autonomous and require little management on our end, which is refreshing because it frees me up to work on other projects. They know their stuff, which you can't always expect coming into a role like this.

The quality of their work is solid. They’re very experienced and have measurements for standard KPIs. They have a consistent grasp and awareness of metrics at all times.

How did Peak Support perform from a project management standpoint?

The leadership team does well in hiring and training each agent. There’s not a ton of proactive communication from the individual agents, but they’re very receptive if I need something. There isn’t much of a language barrier at all.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a solution for most things.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. We have a general feedback survey each year, and they always make adjustments.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Lean on their expertise because they know their stuff. If you’re apprehensive about outsourcing, you won’t find any issues at Peak Support.