How ASOS Leads Fashion Retail Customer Service on Twitter
In this second edition of the HelpHandles Insight Series, we take a closer look at ASOS (ASOS Here to Help), and their ability to combine business philosophy and operational performance to lead on customer service on Twitter.
Summary
Since the beginning of the year (Q1 2016) ASOS Here to Help have emerged as true best-in class leaders across both the fashion and retail sectors on our real-time index of over 250+ help handle accounts. Their ability to provide outstanding customer service on Twitter is testament to their commitment to making a positive impact on the wider industry on sustainable fashion issues.
ASOS doesn’t just focus on handling customer queries properly. Their commitment to doing the right thing, putting the customer at the heart of their core business values is evident from the wide range of initiatives they are involved in to make a positive impact on society and young people in general.
Businesses should not just provide good products for their customers and a good environment for their staff. Businesses are part of society and should contribute positively to society. It is ASOS’ recognition of this that has made them stand out as a true leader across the Fashion Retail sector for social customer service on Twitter.
Here’s how they are doing it.
Customer Service Performance on Twitter
First Response Time
ASOS Here to Help are fast. Their First Response Times are consistently under 10 mins which actively contributes to the real-time nature of addressing their customers via the Twitter platform.
Inbound Mention Volume
With over 3,500+ inbound mentions last week, ASOS Here to Help are one of the busiest accounts on Twitter for customer service. They sit in the Top 10% of companies by mentions providing customer service on Twitter.
Response Rate
Their rate of response is admirable. With 76% of all mentions being replied to, they are serious about ensuring their customers are acknowledged over Twitter. With more effort, ASOS could well improve their overall rankings on Help Handles and compete for the top spot.
Responses Under 30 mins
Even more impressive, 96% of all ASOS Here to Help responses are made to their customers within the 30 mins. Again placing them within the top 10% of most responsive accounts on Help Handles.
Corporate Social Responsibility & Transparency
ASOS adopt a transparent approach to managing their business and this is reflected throughout their corporate website, and defined in their own Corporate Social Responsibility Framework .
Started in 2008, ‘Fashion with Integrity’ brings together 4 key elements; Customers, Community, Products and Business that shapes ASOS values and purpose as a company.
Performance and achievements are measured and published both on their website and in their annual report and focuses a wide range initiatives to address impact of their business on ethical trading, sustainable sourcing, animal welfare, the environment and investment in people.
In their commitment to their Customers, ASOS outline an inclusive approach to their products and communications with a strong focus on Customer Care. With a 24/7 operation based across the UK, Portugal and Russia, ASOS employ approx 650+ customer service staff who handle multi-lingual queries mainly across social and email channels.
What impresses most about ASOS is the awareness of the complex range of issues that the fashion industry has on young people’s lives. The Customer Care Teams have been setup to play a central role in influencing, creating awareness and addressing sensitive issues such as Positive Body Image, Model Welfare, Digital Retouching and Body Confidence. In their 2014/2015 achievements ASOS outline the progress made in employee training, to help customer care teams respond sensitively to questions from customers about body image and eating disorders, and direct them to appropriate help where required.
It is their participation in Government backed advisory panels, working with and funding anti-bullying and eating disorder charities and enabling customers to post images of themselves wearing the clothes they have bought through #AsSeenOnMe and #MySenseofSelf that shows a real pro-activeness and contribution to society.
By outlining a clear, defined and transparent strategy, backed with a solid operational performance across social customer care channels like Twitter, ASOS sets out their own expectations to be a responsible company who actively works to minimize the negative effects of the fashion industry on society and ensure their customers continue to enjoy their fashion.
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For indicative purposes all metric analyses have been conducted over a period of last 7 days from (25/04/2016–18/04/2016) Accounts are programmatically scored out of 100 for performance across 4 metrics. Weekly inbound mentions (25%), Response Rate (25%), Responses under 30 mins (25%) and Sentiment (25%). All metrics are available and updated every 15 mins on HelpHandles.com
