Shaping Success

The fitness business is highly seasonal, so Beachbody -- the brand name for Product Partners LLC -- didn't have much of an issue responding quickly to its customers' questions most of the time. However, during peak seasons Beachbody's e-mail backlog would reach 900 messages -- some of which were as old as two weeks -- even with three full-time staffers devoted to the task. Needless to say the time spent answering repetitive customer requests slowed customer service and response rates and impeded visibility into what was working for the company and what was not.

Trial, Error and Trial Again

In response, Beachbody's Director of Customer Relationship Management Amber Otto was charged with the task of finding a solution that would reduce e-mail volume as well as improve customer service. A first attempt using a tool that provided basic Web forms and frequently asked questions proved insufficient.

"We couldn't track the status and history of e-mail exchanges with our customers, and we couldn't see whether anyone was really viewing the FAQs," recalls Otto. "We knew we needed visibility if we were going to ensure quality service and pinpoint chronic problems."

So the search continued and after evaluating a number of other solution providers, Otto and her team decided that RightNow Technologies was the best fit for Beachbody's needs. The company deployed RightNow Service, a Web-based self-service, e-mail management and automation tool.

Otto cites the tool's reporting and automation features as key factors in her choice, as well as the appeal of a hosted delivery model, which eliminates the headaches of technology ownership.

Just as important, Otto says, was RightNow's commitment as a business partner.

"If a vendor doesn't take the time and effort to understand my specific business objectives, then it really doesn't matter how good their technology is," Otto explains. "With RightNow, I have confidence that I'm working with a real partner who will grow with us as we continue to evolve in a highly competitive, service-sensitive market environment."

Feeling the Burn

After deploying RightNow Service, Beachbody saw its e-mail volume begin to flatten out. The percentage of customers who used the online knowledge base to find answers climbed 125 percent, significantly lowering customer service costs.

With access to comprehensive reporting functionality, Otto also gained much greater visibility into e-mail response times and staff productivity, which enabled her to spot and correct a variety of problems. Scheduled reports allow the staff to see where they stood and provided motivation to keep up with the group.

Additionally, a full record of customer e-mail history proved invaluable when researching complex customer accounts.

Beachbody's RightNow knowledge base also helps boost conversion rates by providing a common information area where customers can quickly zero in on the particular product that they want to purchase.

"A customer may see an infomercial on one specific product and then get confused when they come to the site and see several other similar products," explains Otto.

Now, when they go to the knowledge base, they can ask questions that steer them to the particular product they're looking for -- which helps them complete their purchase with confidence, says Otto.

The strength of Automation

What's more, Beachbody periodically sends out 250,000 copies of its electronic newsletter. In the past, if customers wanted their names deleted from the distribution list, they would send an e-mail to a mailbox -- after which a Beachbody.com staffer would have to delete their name from the mailing list manually.

To make matters worse, that opt-out mailbox would receive a huge volume of spam. Today, RightNow's rules-based e-mail processing automatically routes requests to remove addresses from the distribution list.

Otto and her team have strong praise for its new hosting model.

"Hosting has enabled us to reap the benefits of RightNow's technology without shouldering the costs of software ownership or putting additional burdens on our IT department," she says.