Case Study: Marketing and Customer Service

Read the following case study to answer the questions provided below.

North Hampton Clothiers

North Hampton Clothiers, a national nature and recreation clothing brand based in New England, has a commitment to providing its customers with what the companys Vice President of Marketing and Customer Relations calls a kitchen sink warranty program, meaning the company will do whatever it needs to right a customers problem with one of their products.

The company proudly embraces their policy, eliciting customers stories, which are regularly featured on their website. Stories from customers include sweaters burned by melting smores, backpacks clawed by bears, and boots struck by lightning; and North Hampton replaced or refunded each item, every time.

Its an expensive policy, for sure. The Vice President acknowledges that some customers abuse the policy, trading barely used items for the newest style or making a profit by returning for a full-price refund items purchased second-hand. A design defect in a product could trigger mass returns of an item. In fact, some of North Hamptons competitors used to offer the same guarantee, but many have since returned to more traditional return policies just to limit their financial liability.

Still, New Hampton Clothiers stands by their policy with pride. They see their return policy as a sort of mascot for their customer service approach. We love and trust our customers, says the Vice President of Marketing and Customer Relations, and we want them to know it! We want them to trust us, too, and that means doing whatever we can to show them that, if they have a problem, we will make it right. No matter what.

Their approach seems to be paying off. North Hampton has topped lists across various business and industry publications when it comes to customer service rating, employee satisfaction, and brand perception. Committed customers can be found in every corner of social media singing the companys praises and promoting their products.

Utilizing your own words, answer the following questions in detail:

• What role does North Hamptons return policy fit into the companys marketing mix; to which of the four Ps does it most closely align, and what effect does the policy have of the other elements of the marketing mix?
• In what ways does the companys return policy influence the relationship between customers and the companys customer service representatives?
• What characteristics and abilities should North Hamptons customer service representative possess or be granted to ensure the return policy is exercised smoothly?
• What other considerations to policies and operations (e.g. staffing, financial, product development, etc.) should North Hampton make to support their return policy?