If you’re reading this post, you’re probably familiar with Engageware and what we do. We’re in the business of helping all types of companies schedule meetings with their customers and prospects. And we strive to let them do this important task smoothly, quickly and easily. We proudly promote our omnichannel scheduling capabilities, as well as our ability to help our users deliver an outstanding customer experience.
So, naturally, we noticed this week’s announcement about a new customer experience innovation from two entities that many would consider to be strange bedfellows: Kohl’s and Amazon.
While Kohl’s is not as longstanding a retail brand as Macy’s or Sears, it’s no newcomer, either. Kohl’s has been selling its range of clothing, household goods and other items since 1962, and it is one of the top U.S. department stores by sales volume.
Amazon, on the other hand, is a new-age behemoth, selling a seemingly limitless inventory of products since it began as an online book store way back in 1994.
The joint activity of Kohl’s and Amazon involves Kohl’s offering free returns for Amazon customers starting next month at 82 stores in Chicago and Los Angeles. Kohl’s will pack the returned items and ship them to Amazon. Kohl’s will even designate parking spots for Amazon customers who are making returns.
This isn’t the first time Kohl’s and Amazon have teamed up. Recently Kohl’s announced it will create Amazon smart home experiences in some of its stores. These 1,000-square-foot areas in 10 Kohl’s locations will sell some of the most popular Amazon-brand gadgets, including the Echo voice-activated smart speaker device and the Fire TV stick.
Couple these efforts with other Amazon initiatives, the biggest of which was its $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods in June, and you are witnessing some of the most creative efforts in the retail sector to deliver a higher level of customer satisfaction.
The relationship between Kohl’s and Amazon is obviously intended to deliver benefits—and revenue—to both companies. But the real winners will be the customers of each retailer.
As a company that was built to help businesses—including many of the biggest retail brands—deliver an outstanding experience to every customer, every time, Engageware applauds these innovations that create news ways to deliver exceptional customer service.
That’s the key to success for every retailer, and every other type of business, that wants to thrive in today’s ultra-competitive marketplace.