L.L. Bean said a rapid change in the ratio of telephone to online orders will allow it to close a call center it leased in 2005.
The Freeport, ME-based company will close its call center in Bangor, ME in 2016 and invest some of the savings in call centers it owns in Portland and Lewiston, L.L.Bean Spokeswoman Carolyn Beem told the Bangor Daily News.
L.L.Bean will offer qualified employees affected by the closing the option to transfer to the company’s call centers in Portland or Lewiston, become a home agent or transfer to other divisions. The majority of the 220 people working at the call center last week are part-time, year-round workers. During the peak holiday sales season, employment at the center has swelled by as many as 600.
L.L.Bean has long set the bar for customer service at its call centers and has been a leader in doing the same in the era of omni-channel retailing. In July, it topped Stella Benchmark’s monthly overall customer service rankings for the third time in 2014. Stella ranked L.L.Bean sixth in phone, 12th in email, seventh in chat, 16th in shipping and sixth in returns.
“Many retailers choose to sacrifice performance in one area to excel at another,” said StellaService VP research Kevon Hills, “L.L. Bean takes a holistic approach to service and they truly strive to be the best in every service area.”
