Last year, Officeworks was recognised with the Best CX Initiative Award at the Ashton Media-produced CX Awards. Driven by data and a focus on customer convenience, Officeworks launched the “I’m On My Way” initiative, a project designed to enhance the Click & Collect experience. Mark Atterby interviews Alyssa Milton, Head of Insights, Data & Analytics at Officeworks.
Mark Atteby (MA): What did winning the best CX Initiative award mean to your team and organisation?
Alyssa Milton (AM):
Winning the Best CX Initiative award for the “I’m on my Way” initiative was an incredible honour for our Digital, CX and Store teams and the broader Officeworks organisation. It validated our commitment to innovation, hard work and dedication to enhancing the customer experience.
Most importantly was the positive impact “I’m on my Way” initiative had for our customers and their shopping experience with us. Which we measured by reduction in wait times and improved customer feedback via our NPS program.
MA: Can you describe the ‘I’m On My Way’ initiative and the specific challenges it aimed to address?
AM: The ‘I’m On My Way’ initiative was designed to improve our Click & Collect service by integrating customer communications with our store management systems. When a customer notifies us that they are coming to collect their order, the store is alerted, and the order is brought to a front-of-store counter, ready for collection. This dramatically reduces wait times and creates a seamless customer experience.
We implemented this initiative to address feedback from our customers who felt that our two-hour Click & Collect service wasn’t always fast or convenient. The goal was to ensure customers could collect their orders in under three minutes, a metric informed by NPS feedback as the optimal turnaround time. It was important the solution provided a measurable improvement in the customer experience, without a large investment in changing store configurations or introducing additional storage spots around the store. With over 8,000 Team Members working across our store network, the solution also needed to serve the teams, making their role in retrieving and delivering customer orders more streamlined.
MA: How did a data-driven approach inform the design and implementation of the ‘I’m On My Way’ initiative?
AM: Our approach was heavily informed by data, particularly customer feedback collected through our Net Promoter Score (NPS).
We identified that the primary reason customers opted for Click & Collect was to save time, yet the existing process did not meet their expectations.
We pinpointed the need for a solution that allowed for customers to collect their order in under three minutes, and our data shows that customer experience declines significantly if waiting longer than three minutes, making this a key metric for the trial.
The Officeworks ‘I’m On My Way’ initiative is unique in that the solution was custom-built in-house, using a test and learn approach. Building the solution in-house provided more flexibility and ownership to the process. It meant that the ‘I’m On My Way’ functionality could integrate with our existing store technology, providing a seamless experience for store Team Members as well. Our custom ‘I’m On My Way’ solution was an extension of the existing in-store PDT app, which provides an easy and engaging experience for in store team members who were able to adopt the processes quickly with only a small amount of training and no need for any additional equipment.
Creating a bespoke solution in-house also allowed the Officeworks teams to implement updates based on their learnings through the phased rollout. Initially the functionality was trialled in 11 stores, before expanding across 51 stores, then finally being implemented throughout the entire store network. In between each expansion of the project, the teams revisited customer and store team member feedback and made updates to the copy and the functionality to ensure the solution was meeting all stakeholder expectations.
MA: What were the key cross-functional collaborations involved in bringing this initiative to life?
AM: This initiative was truly a cross-functional effort involving our Customer Experience, Store Operations, Team Member Experience, Digital, and IT teams.
We opted to build a custom solution in-house to ensure the integration with our existing systems was seamless and that the “I’m on my way” provided an easy and engaging experience for in store team members, who were able to adopt the processes quickly with only a small amount of training and no need for any additional equipment.
To do this successfully, each department brought its unique perspective and expertise to ensure the solution was comprehensive and seamless.
This collaboration reflects our value of teamwork and our strategy of leveraging diverse talents across the organisation to achieve our goals. We believe that partnering closely with different areas of the business helps us understand unique challenges and deliver the right customer insights to inform decision-making.
MA: What lessons were learned from the ‘I’m On My Way’ initiative that can be applied to other areas of Officeworks’ business and CX strategy?
AM: One major takeaway was the importance of integrating customer feedback into our processes, is this initiative taught us the value of being agile, evolving the development, and cross-functional collaboration.
The success of the ‘I’m On My Way’ initiative demonstrated the value of a customer-centric approach and the benefits of cross-functional collaboration to continually improve our customer experience.
MA: How has winning the CX Award impacted your organisation’s reputation and brand perception?
AM: Winning the CX Award has been an honour.
The award has recognised our commitment to continuous improvement of customer experience, and the “I’m on my Way” initiative demonstrated to our highly valued customers we strive to provide the best possible experience for when they shop with us.
MA: Can you share a specific example of how winning the CX Award has directly benefited your customers and employees?
AM: Winning the award has had a positive impact on both our customers and employees. For our customers, the initiative has meant even more streamlined and efficient service, especially with Click & Collect.
An example is the positive feedback we received from a customer who noted how much faster and smoother their order collection process was, thanks to the ‘I’m On My Way’ initiative. This kind of feedback is invaluable and highlights the tangible impact of our efforts.
For our team members, it fostered a sense of pride and motivation, knowing their efforts were recognised and celebrated, which translated into even better service and engagement.