Drugstore.com Chooses RightNow's CRM Solutions

By Anil Sharma

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

Drugstore.com, an online retailer of health, beauty, vision and pharmacy products, reportedly has selected RightNow Technologies’ on-demand customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to improve customer experiences.

 

The RightNow CRM suite of service, marketing, and sales is also designed to help the clients reduce operating costs, improve customer experiences, retention and advocacy, and maintain a competitive edge.

 

Officials at drugstore.com say they’re faced with a tightening retail environment has differentiated its customer care by using the RightNow solution to help its contact center agents provide timely and relevant information to customers, as well as web self-service so customers can help themselves.

 

“The challenge that companies face in the retail market is that customer expectations are going up, up, up. We don’t have the same branding opportunities as a brick-and-mortar store, so for us, every customer service touch point is vital. Our brand IS our customer experience, and RightNow ensures that we don’t miss a step,” said Ron Kelly, vice president of customer care and logistics at drugstore.com.

 

Beauty.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of drugstore.com, is now using RightNow Chat to provide customers with live, expert advice and recommendations when shopping.

 

According to RightNow officials, with the help of live, online chat sessions, Beauty.com is replicating the beauty experience consumers have at the make-up counter in their local department store. Trained beauty advisors can now engage online shoppers to share advice on the best products for their needs from the convenience and privacy of their homes or office.

 

Beauty.com said it is converting approximately 25 percent of chat sessions into product orders, with certain promotional weeks converting at as high as 40 percent.

 

“A consistent theme from our customers is the increased emphasis on revenue generation in the service organization. The highest form of service is when we sell something to someone based on a real need that he or she has. And who better to understand the needs of a customer than the individual who has been supporting them,” said Greg Gianforte, chief executive officer and founder of RightNow.

 

Gianforte said that drugstore.com is a stellar example of a company that is transforming customer service from a cost center to revenue center by up-leveling customer care from focusing not only on problems, but on the overall customer experience as well.