“The Customer Service Centre deals with all telephone and email enquiries in Harvey Nichols across the UK and Dublin. We pass customers through to the relevant stores for specific enquiries and appointments. We resolve questions relating to on line purchase, loyalty queries, handle complaints etc.
“To give you an example of how many calls we receive, during the first week of our recent Summer Sale we answered over 5,800 calls and 2,500 emails!”
What initially attracted you to work for Harvey Nichols?
“I was attracted to work for a high quality aspirational brand, and excited by the prospect of moving into a new sector – fashion, beauty and retail are all new to me, despite my numerous years in customer services and contact centres.”
What were your initial impressions of Harvey Nichols?
“I joined from Sky and it is very different! Our Harvey Nichols customers have high expectations, and rightly so. We as a company have them at the heart of everything we do on a daily basis. For me the focus at Sky was product innovation and less so on the here and now of our customer experience.
"Harvey Nichols feels very much like a big family – very warm and welcoming and supportive to newbies like me.”
Are you a lover of food, fashion and beauty?
“I love a good stir fry, fillet steak (rare) and fish. I love chocolate of course, who doesn’t? In terms of fashion, I like to think I can put an outfit together and I am very tempted by all the beautiful garments we stock. I try my best with beauty, however applying my makeup on the train is probably not the best idea.”
What do you like about working in customer experience?
“Making things right for our customers. They naturally come to us when something has gone wrong and it’s a great feeling to help fix it. I also enjoy looking for opportunities to improve our customer journey going forward so that we truly deliver the 5* experience.”
Tell us about one of the strangest calls / requests you have dealt with over the years.
“Recently we were dealing with a lady who had just missed out on a sale item and in her disappointment demanded that we contact the person who had bought it before her to get it back – bizarre!”
What are the majority of queries you handle?
“Loyalty point questions, stock enquiries, support with orders. We also handle all complaints and even compliments.”
Has working in customer experience made you a more patient or a more demanding shopper?
“I think I have always been quite demanding – I expect people to keep promises and take responsibility for their actions. On the other hand, we are all human and make mistakes which is fine.”
Can you give us any insights into projects that you’ll be working on in the near future?
“We will be working closely with all areas across Harvey Nichols to improve our customer journey. We strive to provide a 5 star experience. I will be working with my team to develop and maximise the value we can bring to the business.”