How Ecommerce Support Outsourcing is Revolutionizing Athleisure

Fashion is an economic powerhouse. According to Statista, the fashion industry is valued at $1.8 trillion worldwide. One of the fastest-growing segments is called athleisure. A portmanteau of “athletic” and “leisure,” this segment produces clothing designed for performance, comfort, and style.

Athleisure is worn by everyone from Olympic champions and A-list celebrities to everyday people seeking an elevated alternative to basic sweatpants and t-shirts. Common athleisure items include yoga pants, joggers, sweat-wicking tops, and outerwear. With more consumers valuing health and fitness, athleisure has seen a meteoric rise in popularity. In 2023, the global market for athleisure apparel was valued at over $350 billion.

But with this rising demand, many companies are struggling to keep up. One leading athleisure brand recently approached Hugo for ecommerce support outsourcing. The client needed a partner to help maintain their high-quality customer service experience while they rapidly scaled their global operations.

Here’s how ecommerce customer support outsourcing helped this athleisure brand stay competitive and go for the gold!

Balancing Premium Service with Explosive Growth

This company, a trailblazer blending athletic functionality with fashion-forward designs, has become synonymous with top-tier yoga and fitness wear. Its product range is celebrated for signature moisture-wicking, form-fitting yoga pants and an array of stylish, versatile workout gear.

The brand garnered a loyal customer base worldwide thanks to its superior products, as well as its premium customer service. But as the company’s rapid growth drove more global expansion into new markets, they discovered unforeseen challenges. They struggled to scale their customer service operations as quickly as their market growth.

As the brand’s popularity soared, so did the demands on its customer service. This tested the company’s capacity to maintain its high standards of personalized service, a cornerstone of its brand identity.

• The sudden influx of customer inquiries and support tickets overwhelmed the company’s in-house customer service team
• Customers began experiencing delays and decreased quality of service
• This led to a decline in sales as disappointed customers started to turn

Faced with these challenges, the company recognized the need for a strategic overhaul in its customer support structure:

“As we navigated this unprecedented surge in customer interactions, it became clear that maintaining the high standard of our personalized service required a partner who could adapt quickly and resonate with our brand’s values. That’s when we turned to Hugo, confident in their reputation for excellence in customer support,” said Jordan Matthews, Senior Director of Customer Engagement.

The Solution: Ecommerce Support Outsourcing

The answer was ecommerce support outsourcing. By outsourcing, the athleisure brand quickly scaled its customer support team to meet the influx of support tickets.

This eased the workload of its in-house team, which freed them up to once again provide high-quality personalized support, while the new outsourced team ensured the brand’s distinct identity came through in every customer support interaction.

Here’s how this athleisure apparel company effectively utilized ecommerce customer support outsourcing:

Rapid Team Mobilization

Within two weeks, Hugo assembled an outsourced team of customer service professionals. These professionals were chosen for their proficiency in handling customer service inquiries specifically related to the ecommerce fashion industry.

In addition to technical training on the company’s CMS, this team was empowered to:

• Immerse themselves in the athleisure brand’s culture
• Emphasize with customers on a deeply personal level
• Make sure every interaction aligned with the company’s wellness values

After the first two months of ecommerce support outsourcing, the athleisure brand expanded its outsourced team by 50%. This rapid scalability proved critical to their growth. It enabled them to handle increasing customer inquiries without sacrificing service quality. The ability to scale swiftly and effectively ensured that the high customer service standards were maintained, even as the number of interactions grew.

Customized Training Program

A comprehensive, tailor-made training program was critical to the brand’s ecommerce customer support outsourcing. This program went beyond standard customer service protocols, delving deep into product knowledge, brand history, and the company’s unique narrative. The training also meticulously focused on mastering the brand’s distinct tone of voice.

As a result, communications from the outsourced support team were indistinguishable from those of the company’s in-house team. This ensured that interactions were informative, efficient, and aligned with the brand’s loyal customer base.

Technology-Driven Support

To properly outsource ecommerce support, the athleisure brand adopted cutting-edge technology tools to monitor service quality and customer satisfaction in real-time. This enabled us to help the brand continuously improve and refine its outsourced customer support.

We also implemented a state-of-the-art omnichannel support system that seamlessly manages inquiries across email, chat, and social media platforms. This ensured a consistent and responsive service experience.

Advanced Analytics and Continuous Improvement

But ecommerce outsourcing doesn’t stop at implementation. We employed advanced analytics to track key performance indicators, using this data to drive continuous improvements in service quality.

Key tools in our analytics arsenal include:

• Salesforce CRM: Manage customer interactions and feedback
• Tableau: Data visualization and trend analysis
• Google Analytics: Tracking customer journeys and behavior on digital platforms.

This approach allowed for agile adjustments to the support strategy, ensuring that the customer experience evolved with the brand’s growth and changing customer needs.

“Our collaboration with Hugo has brought an incredible team of customer service professionals into our fold…it’s as if they’ve been part of our brand from the beginning! Hugo’s ability to understand and amplify our brand voice has truly been pivotal,” shared Matthews.

The Results: How Ecommerce Outsourcing Helps

After outsourcing its ecommerce support, this athleisure company could devote more energy to its core competencies and focus on a successful expansion. The customer support metrics speak for themselves:

Enhanced Response Efficiency

Customer support outsourcing led to a remarkable improvement in response times. The company’s average 12-hour response time was reduced to 3 hours or less.

This significant decrease in response time was pivotal in enhancing overall customer satisfaction. It helped maintain the brand’s reputation for prompt, efficient customer service.

Elevated Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT) is a core metric for any customer service operation. After outsourcing, the athleisure company saw its CSAT rise to 96% in Q2 2023.

This increase reflects how empathy, deep product knowledge, and professionalism in customer interactions make a world of difference. It also demonstrates how a service that meets–and exceeds–customer expectations will foster a positive perception of the brand and encourage customer loyalty.

Higher First Contact Resolution

The outsourced team’s targeted efforts increased the first contact resolution (FCR) rate from 50% to 85%. This shows how outsourcing resolves customer queries in the initial interaction, streamlining the support process due to the comprehensive training.

Outsource Ecommerce Support Today

In partnership with Hugo, the client successfully navigated the challenges of rapid growth while upholding its commitment to exceptional customer service. This collaboration reinforced the brand’s position as a fashion industry leader and showcased the transformative impact of a well-executed, outsourced customer support strategy.

Matthews reiterates: “Our journey with Hugo has been transformative, to say the least.” Hugo’s customized approach went beyond merely addressing the immediate challenges in customer service. It established a resilient framework designed to support sustainable growth and adapt to the evolving demands of a dynamic consumer base.

Discover how Hugo can help your ecommerce business with an outsourced support team. Contact us today to get started.