Over the past year, we’ve focused on customer service with some innovative changes that have attracted recognition from our industry as well as our customers.
Positive changes to our Customer Service Team structure and headcount have seen some impressive improvements across all the metrics we use to measure our performance.
Recognition from industry experts and customers alike
But it’s not just Solopress that’s noted this improvement. At the 2023 Print Week Awards, we were highly commended in the category of Customer Service Team of the Year in a Large Enterprise. The judging panel featured a number of print procurement managers for large organisations. These are people that truly appreciate the importance of service in print, so it was indeed an honour to be recognised at the awards. 
In addition, our customers have continued to praise us via Trustpilot.com. We now have over 27,500 five-star reviews, with an “excellent” average rating of 4.7 out of 5. That’s up from 4.6 last year.
Record of achievements
So how have we managed to improve on an already strong customer service record? Firstly, let’s summarise our achievements:
- Over 27,500 5-star Trustpilot reviews.
- An “excellent” 4.7 stars from a total of over 32,000 reviews.
- 181% rise in calls handled vs. the previous 12 months.
- 135% rise in calls resolved vs. the previous 12 months.
- Complaints down 37.5% vs. pre-covid levels.
- Reprints down 41.2% year on year.
- Response times down 23% year on year.
- 10 full-time Team members added.
New recruits
During the pandemic, we had been forced to reduce our workforce. This inevitably restricted our capacity to offer outstanding customer service.
However, in 2022 we recruited ten new full-time Customer Service Team members to bolster that capacity.
Team tactics
Our Customer Service function is split into three teams: Yellow and Magenta, plus the Solopro team that serves businesses that rely on a high volume of print.
This split lessens the number of advisers a customer might speak to, encouraging one-to-one relationships. It’s proved a great way to retain the personal approach of a smaller organisation while growing the capacity of the Customer Service function as a whole.
On a role
Roles within these teams also underwent an innovative restructure. By introducing six account manager roles across Yellow and Magenta, we’re able to allocate dedicated account managers to customers who require them.
Specialists in Design, Concerns, Sales and Artwork Checking make up the rest of the teams. These new roles give team members a sense of ownership and purpose that’s had a measurable effect on customer experience.
Clear lines of communication
We’re now better supported than ever before by technology. After the successful launch of our Chatbot in July 2021 we followed up with a new telephone system. Launched in February 2022, the automated system directs customers quickly and accurately to the appropriate specialist. We also supply customers with direct numbers for quick and easy access to their allocated Account Managers.
Our most precious resource
We believe that when you equip people with the tools, structure and environment they need to do a good job, then they’ll rise to the challenge. Our Customer Service Team has not only proved this correct in the last 12 months, they’ve exceeded our expectations. The team’s willingness to adopt these new practices and their determination to make them work has been born out in every metric by which we measure our customer service performance.
If you spend five figures or more per year on print, becoming a Solopro customer may mean that you’ll receive service that’s more suited to your needs. You can find out if you qualify for our subscription-free service on the dedicated Solopro page.
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