Case Study: JOANN clears a 140,000-email backlog with Support Services Group

JOANN clears 140,000-email backlog with Support Services Group and boosts email handling 14%

JOANN, a fabric and craft retailer, faced a tremendous challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a 400% surge in online support interactions, forcing them to shut down their phone lines due to extreme wait times. They had a backlog of 140,000 emails to address. To manage this crisis, they partnered with Support Services Group for customer care solutions.

Support Services Group implemented a strategic channel recovery plan, which involved rapidly scaling their team from 17 to 65 experienced agents focused on email support. Using Six Sigma principles for continuous improvement, Support Services Group achieved 100% agent retention while increasing email productivity by 14% and improving quality scores. They later successfully added voice and chat support, further reducing average handle times significantly.

JOANN