Elevating the remote client experience at LVMH

How would you best describe Client experience at LVMH?

We are all aware that service excellence has a direct impact on client satisfaction, brand desirability, loyalty - and of course, revenue. By extension, client experience is like a diamond: every single interaction provides us with the opportunity to deliver an elevated level of service to reflect the Maison’s reputation. This ambition extends across all communication channels: telephone, email, chat, WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, Instagram or other social media.

In your opinion, what sets LVMH Client Services apart?

Our quest for excellence. Without it, we cannot heighten desirability and create customer loyalty, which are the two main objectives of our collaboration with the Maisons.

We provide a human touch to digital performance, and aim to live up to clients’ increased expectations. Often very passionate about the product, clients want to be listened to, recognised and valued as a client of the Maison. They expect a personalised service, anywhere and at any time, through whatever communication channel they choose.

Could you describe the relationship between LVMH Client Services and the Maisons?

LVMH Client Services was created to elevate the remote client experience across all the different Maisons. With the acceleration of e-commerce and digital transformation within the Group, we experienced tremendous growth in just 4 years. Today, we work with over 16 Maisons and cover the European, US, Canadian and Asian markets.

We are incredibly proud of our relationship with the different Maisons of the Group, who have entrusted us with an essential part of their omnichannel experience. Talking about “omnichannel” and “client centricity” is easy,  but putting it in practice day-in and day-out is hard work: it’s a commitment and an investment that we take very seriously.

Let’s talk a little bit about execution and operations. How do you roll out a customised and effective clientele strategy?

The LVMH Client Services’ goal is to act as a seamless extension of the Maison’s team. Every interaction seeks to delight and surprise the clients in a way that is unique to each Maison. To achieve that, all members of the LVMH Client Services team are trained in collaboration with the Maisons so they can immerse themselves in the brand’s DNA and product portfolio.

Each advisor works with a maximum of two Maisons in order to maintain comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of the Maison’s processes, operating modes and tools. Our advisors all speak French and English, and a third language depending on the Maison’s specific market: German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Dutch and Russian. To ensure consistent optimal quality, every team member undergoes a monthly evaluation by our internal Quality team at LVMH Client Services and with the Maison.

Last but not least, our training also focuses on a luxury-oriented approach to remote customer service.

How do you measure the success of your client service operations?

High responsiveness is one of our highest priorities:

• 95% of the calls for Parfums Christian Dior, are handled under 30 seconds,
• 95% of emails are answered within 24 hours,
• 100% of Livechat queries find an answer within 4 hours,
• The Livechat team has a 30 second response rate for first messages, and a 10 second response rate for follow-up messages.

Most Maisons closely follow the Net Promoter Score, which indicates the probability of customers recommending a product, brand or service.

Data also plays an important role in measuring success. All our customer contacts are filtered through our Salesforce Service Cloud tool. We know how many times and why the customers are communicating with us. Over 400 000 inbound interactions inform our process optimisations, aiming for a better ROI. This data is shared with the Maisons to enrich their customer knowledge as well as our Marketing Operations teams.

Lastly, this emphasis on analytics enables us to play a critical role in sales: LVMH Client Services generated around 3 million euros worth of sales for the Maisons in 2021 with an average basket higher than that of the website.

That’s very impressive. So, what does customer success look like? Do you have a story to share with us?

I vividly remember a beautiful sale which started in late December 2021. A customer had spotted a stunning dress during Fashion Week and wanted to wear it at her daughter’s wedding. She was really looking for a one-of-a-kind piece with bright colors. Vincent, one of our advisors, found the outfit for her on Vogue Runway and supported her remotely throughout the whole process, spending time on the telephone with her ironing out various details, from the dress’ fabric to finding a fitting appointment in a boutique at her convenience. Finally, on March 26th she was able to try the dress on at the Maison’s boutique in Paris, so that the necessary alterations could be made in time for the big day. This was a beautifully executed sale of 14,000 euros for the Maison GIVENCHY.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to work in Client Services?

Working in Client services means communicating in different languages and through different channels, finding a solution to any customer’s question, and all of that while ensuring alignment with the luxury and Maisons’ DNA and tone of voice. So, the key qualities to nurture are adaptability and reactivity.