How Pacific Pickle Works enhanced their customer experience despite being a small support team
From coding to cucumbers
In 2011, in the sunny town of Santa Barbara, Brad Bennett founded Pacific Pickle Works. The journey started when Brad discovered a talent for transforming ordinary vegetables into tangy, tantilizing treats. He was working in software and began gifting his mouthwatering pickles to friends and family. Little did he know, these zesty tokens of love would spark a pickling revolution that would have him selling all over the country in retail locations like Whole Foods, and direct-to-consumer through his Shopify store.
As word of Brad’s briny delights spread, he traded his coding keyboard for a chopping board to build a company centered around the ultimate pickled paradise with an amazing customer experience. In 2015, the company set up its own pickling facility, cementing its place in the pickle-verse. Fast-forward to today, and as Brad continues to accumulate awards for his pickled foods, he’s just transformed the customer experience on his website with one simple tool: Customer Portal.
Pacific Pickle Works + Customer Portal
Pacific Pickle Works is available in many grocers, including Whole Foods, and their Shopify store accumulates around 300 orders per month. While Pacific Pickle Works perfected their artisinal techniques for creating flavorful products, they faced challenges - you could call it a pickle - common with most small-to-medium-sized businesses in dealing with customer inquiries and issues. They didn’t have dedicated support staff for their store over the weekend, which sometimes led to delays in addressing customer concerns.
“It’s a small team that handles our support, and anything that comes in on the weekends usually has to wait til Monday,” Brad said.
The perks of pickle-powered customer self-service
Brad found the solution for extending the power of a small support team in Customer Portal, a new feature available in the Cleverific Order Editor app.
Customer Portal allowed customers to resolve their own order issues without waiting for support staff to respond. Customers can make changes to their orders like increasing/decreasing quantities, change their shipping address, or even cancel their orders.
“This is about handing it over to the customer. If we were involved, we’d have to take time to talk to them on the phone, or answer their email in time before the order gets sent to the shipping team,” Brad said.
One particular example Brad shared was when a customer placed an order, used a promo code, and didn’t realize they no longer qualified for free shipping until after checking out. The customer canceled the order and placed a new one with the promo code, but also added an additional item so they qualified for free shipping. Brad’s customer was able to resolve their issue in about 8 minutes, all on their own!
The impact of Customer Portal on order cancellations
You’re thinking about it, Brad was thinking about it: giving customers the ability to cancel their own orders is scary.
Brad initially worried about allowing customers to cancel orders, but he soon realized the benefits of self-service. “If they’re inclined to cancel, it’s more satisfying for them to cancel themselves and not have to wait to make sure the email was received in time,” Brad said. “This gives people the comfort of knowing it was taken care of and will lead to a better customer experience,” he explained.
““If they’re inclined to cancel, it’s more satisfying for them to cancel themselves and not have to wait to make sure the email was received in time,””
Insights from Brad on the importance of self-service
According to Brad, “The simple fact of enabling customers to help themselves on the spot provides the best experience, and I don’t think there’s anything that replaces it,” he said.
“I think the Cleverific product is ahead of the game in creating this ability for Shopify users, and I don’t think there’s anything like it out there. This is a no-brainer addition for anyone in the DTC space because it can only add value to their operations.”
“The simple fact of enabling customers to help themselves on the spot provides the best experience, and I don’t think there’s anything that replaces it.”
Brad urges other entrepreneurs to embrace the wonders of self-service through tools like Customer Portal. “If your customer wants to cancel, they’re going to find a way to do it. Either by contacting you or doing it themselves. You’re going to remove frustrations and save time on your end,” he said.
The lasting impact of a positive customer experience
Customer Portal has proven instrumental in Pacific Pickle Works' ability to enhance the customer experience and streamline operations. With self-service options, Brad's customers can now enjoy a smooth, intuitive journey, saving both the company and the customers time and energy.
By offering a seamless experience through Customer Portal, Pacific Pickle Works has fostered trust and loyalty with its customers. Brad believes that providing an enjoyable experience now opens the door to even better experiences in the future, as customers grow to trust the company more.
A zesty endorsement for Customer Portal
Brad's advice for fellow business owners considering Customer Portal? Don't think twice! "This is a no-brainer addition for anyone in the DTC space because it could only add value to their operations," he declared. So, embrace the magic of self-service with Customer Portal, and let your customers relish the perfection that is your brand.
🥒 Save time
🥒 Save money
🥒 Build customer loyalty
