Today Pertemba sat down with our Service Delivery Manger Irene Epp to learn more about her role and the challenges posed to Customer Service during Q4.
Q: Tell us about your role at Pertemba & what it entails.
I’ve been with Pertemba for over 11 years and have witnessed its continued growth into a company trusted by brands and marketplaces all over the world. My professional journey began as a customer service country lead and translator, but over time, I advanced to become a customer service supervisor, and ultimately landed in my current role as Service Delivery Manager. This would not have been achievable without the company’s support and investment in employee development.
In my post as Service Delivery Manager, I am looking after our accounts on over 130 marketplaces, connecting with their account managers to see how we can further improve our presence on their platforms, and also overseeing the customer service teams in both the UK and India.
Q: Tell us about the challenges that Q4 poses in terms of customer service, and how Pertemba can help.
For order volumes and customer contacts, Q4 is consistently our busiest period, with our partners trusting us to handle the needs of their valued customers during this incredibly busy time. Last year, we broke our response records by maintaining an average response time of <15 hours, whilst achieving an SLA compliance rate of >99%. Annually, we evaluate our performance and processes, gather insights to ensure they meet our standards, and make adjustments where necessary.
In Q4, we handle up to three times the average contact volume, leading to a vastly increased workload. By monitoring response quality and conducting training sessions throughout the year, we ensure our customer service team is prepared for this challenge. Because we have language experts and cross-trained staff, we can offer extensive coverage and deliver exceptional customer service even during our peak sales period, and I am excited to see the team achieve new records as we head towards this year’s Q4.
Q: Tell us about the synergy between the team in India and the UK office.
Both teams have members with different language expertise, which makes sure customers receive support in their mother language where possible. The distance between Bangalore and Leicester is to our advantage, with the time difference allowing us to extend our customer service hours. This hybrid form allows us to move agents around where they are needed most, and every agent, no matter what location they work from, holds the same knowledge. Most of our agents have experienced multiple peak seasons and with this comes great experience. We had the chance to visit each other’s facilities, which gave us a better grasp of each other’s office culture and work processes, and by utilising this cultural exchange, we have been able to improve our performance and effectiveness.