Abstract

The case discusses the customer service initiatives of L.L.Bean, Inc. (L.L.Bean), a US-based multichannel retailer. L.L.Bean had evolved from being a mail order company selling hunting boots into a leading international retailer selling apparels, home furnishings, and outdoor equipment. Its endeavor was to deliver quality products at reasonable prices and offer excellent customer service to customers. In its 98-year-long history, the company had preserved the customer-centric tradition set by the founder and had, over the years, molded its operational policies to provide superior purchasing experience to customers. The company believed that a satisfied customer helped build customer loyalty and encouraged repeat purchases, which were essential to achieve success in the retail business. The case discusses in detail the customer-friendly policies of L.L.Bean and the customer service practices that had resulted in its being recognized as a customer service champion by consumers and industry observers. This also helped the company to perform better than its rivals during the global economic recession of 2007-2009. Experts felt that the company’s superior customer service provided it with a competitive edge.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of customer service, particularly in the retail industry. Study the customer-centric policies of L.L.Bean and the various practices that the retailer followed to provide superior customer service. Understand how the customer-cent

Keywords

Customer service, Customer experience, Customer loyalty, Customer satisfaction, Online retail, Catalogue retail, mail-order retail, Customer-centric policies, Easy Returns and Exchange policy, Logistics facility, Order fulfillment process, e-commerce business, Customized contact center system, Reverse logistics center, Competitive edge, L.L.Bean