Oliver Space Streamlines Operations and Boosts CX with Hugo

Oliver Space is reimagining the furniture industry through the lens of both sustainable design and enduring quality. They create collections that aesthetically elevate living and office spaces and stand the test of time thanks to conscientious materials and masterful construction.

The Challenge: Expanding Expertise and Adapting to Change

Oliver Space was on a quest for operational excellence and a partner who could help manage their complex retail operations. But with a business model rapidly evolving through major transitions – like pivoting their entire revenue stream – they needed a support team that could shift adeptly without compromising quality or responsiveness.

They needed a support partner who intrinsically understood the scale challenges facing startups. Having partnered with dozens of innovative young companies, Hugo brought deep empathy to everything from volatility in priorities to the strains leadership bandwidth limitations caused.

Recognizing Oliver Space’s hesitancy to hand over critical operations amidst internal change, Hugo de-risked onboarding by offering a 30-day risk-free pilot. This gave space to demonstrate responsive back-office operations upfront and the ability to adapt workflows quickly to ever-changing circumstances.

According to Madeline Gabor, Oliver Space’s CX Manager: “Not every vendor made us feel secure through huge company changes. But Hugo proactively assured consistency despite our resource constraints. That startup-tested commitment provided confidence to embark on a partnership with Hugo.”

The Solution: Bolstering Back Office Operations & Tailored Support

Hugo’s involvement began by strengthening Oliver Space’s digital operations in two critical areas:

Inventory infrastructure management: To track sourcing and stock at scale, Hugo built a comprehensive inventory infrastructure capturing every procurement detail with precision:

• SKUs, dimensions, quantities – inputted for thousands of products
• Landed costs documented from manufacturing to freight
• International and domestic purchase order reconciliation
• Seamless ERP and warehouse management integrations

Catalog & asset management: Hugo also ensured Oliver Space’s brand vision translated immaculately online through diligent catalog management:

• Thousands of listings maintained with meticulous detail
• New product pages created matching brand style guidelines
• 3D model and photography refreshing aligned to marketing calendars
• Rigorous quality control to eliminate inconsistencies

Equipped with an enterprise-grade inventory infrastructure and accurate, thoughtfully constructed catalogs, Oliver Space now had the visibility and control to deliver a stimulating, easy-to-navigate, and on-brand shopping experience.

In need of CX coverage, Oliver Space soon expanded its partnership to include customer support.  According to Gabor, onboarding the support workflow was remarkably seamless and happened in a matter of days. “It has never felt like a problem for Hugo that our needs were changing quickly and it’s been great to have a partner that can keep up.”

When some Oliver Space customers were erroneously sent to collections, Hugo’s team was pivotal in addressing the situation. Gabor recounts, “They identified the urgency of the situation, gauged the level of upsetness of customers, and helped in recommending a solution.” This proactive approach extended to customer communication, ensuring issues were resolved efficiently and empathetically.

Hugo became the driving force behind Oliver Space’s operations as the partnership evolved. “During organizational changes, Hugo has been instrumental in highlighting areas for process improvement and better resource allocation. The team has taken on workstreams and processes that the Oliver Space team don’t have a lot of bandwidth for…,” Gabor adds, illustrating Hugo’s increasing involvement in the operational facets of the business.

Key Metrics: Quantifying Success

With Hugo’s support, Oliver Space witnessed measurable improvements across various performance metrics:

• Consistently High Customer Satisfaction: With an average 92% customer satisfaction rate, the Hugo team consistently delivered exceptional customer support
• Fast & Effective Ticket Resolution: Response times improved significantly, thanks to Hugo’s “always on” CX coverage. Over 20,000 tickets were closed across both chat and email.
• Exemplary Accuracy Scores: Maintained an average accuracy score of 98.4%  across catalog uploads and inventory reconciliation.

Conclusion: A Partnership Built on Flexibility and Trust

The partnership between Hugo and Oliver Space has been characterized by a reciprocal ethos of responsiveness and adaptability. “The best part about working with Hugo has been their responsiveness and adaptability… the team has really shown up,” Gabor states, affirming the strength of the collaboration. She further appreciates the “humanness of the Hugo team,” acknowledging the personal bonds and the spirit of cooperation that have flourished.

As Oliver Space advances, offering sustainable and meticulously designed furniture, their alliance with Hugo ensures they continue to fulfill their commitment to quality and innovation, with the knowledge that their operational and customer experience needs are in capable hands.