Lighting the Way: Northwood Candle Co.'s Shift to Self-Serve Customer Care
When Brian Bahr started Northwood Candle Company in his spare bedroom, crafting candles for family and friends, he never imagined it would grow into a thriving business with seven employees and over 1,200 products. But as the company expanded from making candles to supplying candle-making materials, so did the challenges of managing customer orders efficiently.
"We had a lot of customers trying to edit orders, add on to them, or make small changes," Brian recalls. "It was taking us close to 40 minutes total to respond to customers and finally make the changes. This wasn't very customer-friendly."
Solving high volume customer requests: the last-minute search for a Shopify app solution
With order volumes increasing, especially during their busy October to December season, Brian knew he needed a solution. The company's growth was outpacing their ability to handle customer requests, and they were facing the prospect of hiring additional staff just to manage order changes.
On a whim, before embarking on the daunting task of hiring more staff, Brian opted to take a different approach and explore the Shopify app store. During his search for a solution, he explored various apps, but none seemed to fit the bill. "I looked at a couple of other apps, but they just weren't designed to do what we needed," he explains. Most only allowed for basic changes, falling short of Northwood Candle Company's requirements.
“Cleverific has really given us everything we need to allow customers to make changes themselves.”
That's when Brian stumbled upon Cleverific's Customer Portal. "We were happy that we found it," he says. "It took a while. There isn't really much available as far as order editing that would work for us. This really gives us everything that we need to allow customers to make changes themselves."
Transforming customer service: the impact of self-serve order editing
After implementing Customer Portal, Northwood Candle Company saw immediate and dramatic improvements:
Time savings: Customer service time for order changes dropped from 40 minutes to nearly zero.
Ticket reduction: 100% reduction in order change tickets.
Customer satisfaction: Improved customer experience with self-service options.
Staff efficiency: Freed up team members to focus on other critical tasks.
“Customer Portal is freeing up customer service time for everybody and has seriously reduced our costs. We have happier customers, and our rep is able to serve more customers as we grow.”
"It's freeing up customer service time for everybody," Brian explains. The impact was so significant that Brian estimates Customer Portal saved them from having to hire an additional staff member just to handle order changes.
Boosting e-Commerce efficiency: implementing Cleverific's Customer Portal
One of Brian's concerns was how difficult it might be to implement a new system. To his relief, he found Customer Portal easy to set up, with minimal customization required. "We had Robin create a tutorial page for us, so we could send out a newsletter and post on the web page for customers," Brian says. "It was really about as easy as that."
Key features that benefited Northwood Candle Company include:
Ability to customize editing time to suit their 24-hour window for customers to make order changes
Ability for customers to add/remove items or change variants
The added bonus of address validation to reduce shipping errors
These features not only improved customer satisfaction but also streamlined Northwood's order fulfillment process. "We'll print orders in batches," Brian explains, "so it's the average 24 hours before we process them." This window allows customers ample time to make any necessary changes before their order moves to the next stage.
While most customers make just one edit to their orders, Brian was surprised to discover some power users of the new system. "We had a customer that edited their order 11 times," he laughs. "It just blew my mind."
This insight into customer behavior has been valuable for Northwood Candle Company, allowing them to better understand their customers' needs and shopping habits.
Lighting the way for growth
As Northwood Candle Company continues to grow, Brian sees potential for using more of Cleverific's features, especially as they expand into wholesale distribution. The company's journey from a small, home-based operation to a significant player in the candle-making supply industry has been marked by adaptability and a willingness to embrace new technologies.
"I think once we move more into the wholesale where we have distributors, and we sell our products, that would probably be something that we would use," Brian notes, referring to Cleverific's additional features for managing larger, more complex orders.
A glowing recommendation
For Northwood Candle Company, Customer Portal has been more than just a tool—it's been a catalyst for growth and improved customer relations. By dramatically reducing the time and resources needed to manage order changes, the company has positioned itself to handle increased demand without sacrificing customer service quality.
“I would absolutely recommend Cleverific’s Customer Portal. I already have to a few people!”
Brian's experience with Cleverific's Customer Portal has been so positive that he's become an advocate for the solution. "I would absolutely recommend it," he says. "I already have to a few people!"
As they look to the future, Northwood Candle Company is confident that with tools like Cleverific's Customer Portal, they're well-equipped to continue their impressive growth trajectory. From a spare bedroom operation to a company with over 1,200 products, Northwood Candle Company's story is a shining example of how the right technology can fuel small business success.
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