When it comes to customer service, Signature Hardware has it all — including the kitchen sink. A top choice for celebrity interior designers and DIYers alike, the housewares retailer prides itself on offering only the highest-quality products with exceptional care.

They haven’t forgotten their humble beginnings in 1930s Kentucky, when the company grew the business by treating every customer as a neighbor. Narvar helps them keep this tradition alive by continuing that level of care beyond the purchase, through fulfillment and even if their product selection doesn’t work out.

Built on being better

When a customer calls Signature Hardware, renovation experts answer their questions. If a product consistently gets poor reviews, it’s removed from their online store, regardless of sales numbers. It’s this customer-first mindset that has made Signature Hardware a $150 million business today.

The company implemented Narvar’s platform to keep the momentum going. The number one reason customers contacted the support team was to ask “Where is my order?” (WISMO), taking the experts away from solving more complex issues. With Narvar Track, customers receive proactive communications about their shipment status on a branded page, with the option to sign up for notifications via SMS or a chatbot on Facebook Messenger. This freed up Customer Support to spend their time providing invaluable subject matter expertise instead of fielding simple WISMO inquiries.

“We immediately saw a decrease in customer service calls,” says Sean Fisher, Director of eCommerce. “Before Narvar, asking about the status of their orders was the number one reason customers contacted us. We took away their biggest pain point.”

“Before Narvar, asking about the status of their orders was the number one reason customers contacted us. We took away their biggest pain point.”

Sean Fisher

‍Director of eCommerce

Doing the right thing for their customers was top of mind when Signature Hardware implemented Narvar’s tracking solution. The company expected long-term payoffs from giving their customers this service, but there was another unexpected benefit: incremental revenue from customers buying more items promoted on their Narvar Track page.

“We weren’t expecting this at all, since our industry is project-driven,” explains Fisher. “Our customers tend to buy for a single renovation and then not again for a while. Getting incremental sales from the Narvar tracking experience was a nice surprise.”

Rehabbing the returns process

Once Signature Hardware dramatically reduced their WISMO contacts, inquiries about how to return a product bubbled up to become the new number one reason customers contacted support. Luckily, implementing Narvar’s online returns experience helped solve this pain point, too.

Once again, the number of calls about returns (WISMR) dropped right after launch. Fisher explains that, although that alone was a success, the company enjoyed an even bigger surprise benefit: a ton of timely, rich data that provided additional fidelity into what was being returned and why.

“It was fast and furious when we first launched Narvar’s returns solution,” says Fisher. “Like a firehose of data that we never had before.”

“By leveraging the returns data we receive from Narvar, we can better meet those expectations as well as reduce returns before they happen.”

Sean Fisher

‍Director of eCommerce

Fisher and his team now have a view into the reasons for a return. Was the color or finish not as expected? Are the measurements off? With this new insight, the company can do ongoing quality checks and, for example, update product images and descriptions to make sure what they’re showing is true to life. If there is a serious, recurring issue, the team can alert the manufacturer or remove the product from inventory.

“It is critical for us to provide the highest-quality product we can, and ensure that it meets customer expectations upon arrival,” says Fisher. “By leveraging the returns data we receive from Narvar, we can better meet those expectations as well as reduce returns before they happen.”

Next big project

With WISMO and return calls on the decline, Fisher says they are now focusing on adding estimated delivery dates to their product and checkout pages through Narvar’s shipping solution, so that customers can be assured their new farmhouse sink will arrive before the contractor does. In the meantime, the company will continue to do what they do: delight their customers and focus on building those relationships so they come back to Signature Hardware for their next home improvement project.

“What do people who are passionate about their homes care about?” asks Fisher. “That’s what we try to learn as we create and deliver our content. It’s less about sales and more about design inspiration, trends and how-tos. We aim to show our customers the possibilities and that we can help them achieve them.”

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