Ir directamente al contenido principal

Podcast 1 min read

Harnessing AI-powered efficiency for deeper customer connection—with Lush’s Naomi Rankin

With their special blend of AI efficiency and a personal touch, Lush is delivering better support for their customers and their business.

Por Maggie Mazzetti, Staff Writer

Última actualización el September 5, 2024

CWZ Naomi Rankin header

Lush is known for its ethical stance, handmade products, and personalized customer service. But how does a company so deeply rooted in human connection navigate the world of AI? Naomi Rankin, Lush’s Global Customer Care Manager, shares how the brand is thoughtfully integrating AI to elevate customer experience without losing its personal touch.

Naomi oversees a diverse team across 21 countries, and under her leadership, Lush has found a way to use AI that supports rather than replaces human agents. “We’ve always put the human first, the customer first, the environment first,” Naomi said. “We don’t want to lose that and suddenly automate everything.”

One of the first steps Lush took was automating responses to repetitive inquiries, like the frequent questions about Black Friday sales. This freed up human agents to focus on more complex customer needs. “We wanted to use AI as a tool to help our team do the parts of their job they enjoy, rather than the monotonous tasks,” Naomi explained.

The results have been impressive. “Marvin,” the AI tool Lush affectionately named, was able to handle 57% of incoming customer inquiries in the first week of a Black Friday experiment. “It’s saved us time and resources, allowing our team to focus on what really matters—providing personalized, meaningful support to our customers,” Naomi noted. By handling simpler tasks, Marvin has not only improved efficiency but also allowed Lush to reduce the need for seasonal temporary staff, resulting in significant cost savings.

Want to hear more about how Lush is balancing innovation with its core values? Tune in to our conversation with Naomi Rankin as she shares the challenges they’ve faced and the surprising ways AI is helping them better serve their customers—all while staying true to what makes Lush, well, Lush.

Watch CWZ on YouTube
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts

Have a question for a Zendesk expert, interested in being a guest, or want to suggest a topic for a future episode? Drop us a line at cwzpodcast@zendesk.com—we’d love to hear from you.

Relatos relacionados

Article
5 min read

Retail’s next frontier: Elevating customer experience with Zendesk AI

Discover how retail businesses are modernizing CX, delivering personalized services, and boosting efficiency and savings with Zendesk AI.

Podcast
1 min read

Translating iconic experiences to a digital space—with Aesop’s Carine McGinnity

Luxury skincare retailer, Aesop, gained a cult following for offering deeply personal experiences—and yes, those amazing free samples—in its physical stores. Carine McGinnity explains how it’s working to rebuild those experiences online.

Podcast
2 min read

How an iconic luxury retailer embraced phygital experiences, with Liberty London’s Ian Hunt

In this episode of Conversations with Zendesk, Ian Hunt of Liberty London talks about how the retailer moved to a phygital model.

Article
3 min read

How to cut retail customer service costs with artificial intelligence

Creating great retail customer experiences can be a challenge. Learn how to unlock the power of AI and make your shop pop.