CASE STUDY | RETAIL AND E-COMMERCE
Business is (Still) Blooming
Inspiro is more than an outsource partner – we have created a relationship where our customers are theirs…
BACKGROUND
With one of their busiest times of the year approaching, a leading United States-based floral and gourmet gift retailer needed to perform their usual Mother’s Day ramp-up — hiring and training, through outsourcing partners such as Inspiro, 1,600 agents — amid
the far-from-usual challenges posed by the coronavirus lockdown.
The scenario meant a complete change in recruitment and delivery strategy, along with a massive shift from an 11-year brick-and-mortar delivery model to a 75% work-from-home (WFH) and 25% work-from-site (WFS) scenario.
HOW WE DELIVERED
To spread the news on hiring social media was used, which resulted in 15,000 applications for 1,600 positions. The seasonal Talent Acquisition team was tripled, to screen applicants one-on-one and identify the top tier.
Computer setups were then installed at each agent’s home, with the Training group adjusting their process to prepare and teach the team using digital collaboration tools, including Webex, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Google Hangouts. IT created a website to further provide agents with software and hardware setup and troubleshooting help.
Standards were meticulously maintained via hourly performance updates on the WFH agents, while a buddy system paired new hires with seasoned agents, for consistent guidance.
RESULTS
Out of three vendors, Inspiro was able to meet the client’s FTE requirements and was therefore awarded more than 50% of the work volume, from the initial agreement of ~35%.
Even with the increased workload — as well as the out-of-the-box solutions necessitated by the pandemic — transactions increased by ~40% for the client compared with the previous year, leading to an extension for two to three weeks’ additional work due to excellent performance.
Inspiro was acclaimed the best vendor for the May seasonal ramp, with the client enthusiastically stating, “Inspiro is more than an outsource partner – we have created a relationship where our customers are theirs, and they work diligently to meet and exceed all processes and KPIs. Every year, we introduce more business and challenges to this team, and they take them on with much gusto and always deliver results. The entire team at Inspiro is a pleasure to work with.”
