Corona is sometimes the mother of invention. At Toom, two colleagues have driven forward the topic of "video advice" - a novelty in the German DIY store industry. The aim: to spontaneously connect customers with the stores virtually. This has been met with great enthusiasm.
Is my wall paint suitable for all rooms? Do I really need to waterproof the wooden floor on my terrace every year - and how? Can I replace the toilet in my bathroom myself? Anyone who enjoys DIY will be familiar with this: it's not always about the big picture, sometimes minor problems and questions arise ad hoc.
At Toom, customers can now contact qualified advisors from the store spontaneously and easily via www.toom.de. They can get answers to their questions via video consultation - without having to make long appointments or book in advance.
In just two months, former Toom trainees Nicole Wolf and Marian Fey accompanied the project from the takeover to going live. After the start of the test phase, the video consultation was extended by a further month. The reactions from customers have already been extremely positive, the two are pleased to report. one spoke to them about the background and aims of the project.
Marian Fey, Nicole Wolf
one: Nicole and Marian, how did it come about that the two of you - from very different areas at Toom - made the "Video Consultancy" project a matter close to your hearts?
Nicole Wolf: The project already existed at Toom, it was handed over due to personnel changes. The project team includes colleagues from IT, the sales department, Business Development and Cross Channel. As the topic is primarily in the areas of Business Development and Cross Channel, it quickly became clear that there would be a dual leadership. The division worked really well: Marian took on everything related to the website and technical implementation, and I then took on more of the contractual aspects, coordination with the recruiting and sales departments and liaising with service providers. Thanks to the good cross-divisional collaboration in the project team, we were able to make rapid progress on many issues.
Marian Fey: Exactly. I work in the Cross Channel department at Toom, where everything revolves around the website, the provision and networking of digital services and sales channels with the stores, among other things. That's how I got involved in the video advice project together with Nicole. The project had already been initiated, but had to be continued relatively quickly.
one: And then everything actually happened very quickly...
Nicole Wolf: Absolutely. We took over the project in May, started the project internally in February and it was ready at the end of July - so it took a total of five months from the idea to going live. A test phase of two months was initially scheduled and this was then extended until the end of the year, as the service was successful from day one and met with a very positive response from customers.
one: What is so special about the video advice on toom.de?
Marian Fey : We are the only ones in the DIY sector to offer such ad hoc advice with qualified advisors from the store. With our competitors, you can book an appointment 24 to 48 hours in advance, and only for project advice. At Toom, you can really reach someone immediately and ask questions - even if it's not a big project.
All consultants are store employees - like Fatlum Dinaj here (Toom Ibbenbüren). Authenticity is important for Toom....
one: And how does that work?
Marian Fey: We connect customers directly from the website to the video consultant who can best advise them on the product or topic they are looking for. That's why we offer the service exactly where the questions arise: in the product search, on the product landing page - i.e. the overview page for the respective category and on the product detail page.
A button with the profile picture of one of our experts appears at the bottom left of the page. Either highlighted in green - that means available. Or grey if the consultant is temporarily unavailable. Alternatively, you have the option of making an appointment.
one: Who are the faces behind the "video advice button"?
Nicole Wolf: We have several advisors throughout Germany, all of whom are store employees. It was important to us not to recruit externally, but to involve our own colleagues from the stores in the project. In the job interviews, we asked which product ranges they are particularly strong in. As a customer, no matter where you call from, you will be put through to the relevant experts for the area you are enquiring about. So you can be sure that you always have a specialist on the phone.
one: How has the response been so far?
Nicole Wolf: Customers have been consistently enthusiastic from day one. That makes us very happy. I think we can really say that we have hit the nerve of the times, because customers are happy to be able to contact an employee in person.
Marian Fey: Of course, we also offer appointment bookings. But the response to having someone available immediately for advice is particularly high. This is very much appreciated. We have a customer satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. We get a lot of positive comments, such as: "I got great advice, can you please keep it up!" or "The best specialist advice I've received in a long time - and it's convenient, easy and immediate from home!"
But it also has to be said that we were able to recruit really great store employees for the project, who really got stuck in. It's thanks to them that the project has been so successful. The colleagues have also formed a real unit among themselves, which is really great to experience and is incredibly motivating.
...whether it's the right wall colour presented by Daniela Helbsing (Toom Wunstorf)...
one: Did Corona push the project?
Marian Fey: The idea of video counselling had been around internally for some time. Nevertheless, it was on our minds at the beginning: Are our customers responding well to video counselling right now? Is it perhaps a good idea to connect them with the store right now due to the pandemic, to bring them into the DIY store virtually and contactlessly, so to speak? Yes, this was certainly not the main reason for the rapid acceptance by customers, but the zeitgeist and the increased openness towards video communication were probably also drivers.
Nicole Wolf: And the fact that stores were even closed at times meant that customers were already more open to this type of communication. As a result, the project has become increasingly relevant.
one: How will the project continue?
Marian Fey : The project will be extended for another few months, developed further and continuously aligned with customer needs. Of course, we are also working on other developments in the cross-channel area, such as chat functions. The whole topic of digital advice is therefore being gradually developed further. The aim is to pick up customers on all channels and offer a seamless, all-round shopping experience.
....or the garden design
Nicole Wolf, Project Manager Business Development and Strategy at Toom since June 2021, started as a trainee two years ago. Among other things, she is responsible for the "Video Consultancy" project.
Marian Fey completed a dual study programme in retail management at REWE Group, including at REWE digital. After completing his studies, he also started a traineeship at Toom in the Cross Channel division, where he now works as a Product Owner.