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Hillary Lewis has been a professional Customer Service Representative with Rugs Direct for a little more than a year. She and her co-workers answer hundreds of telephone calls each month from customers with questions about area rugs, decorating, product shipments and a whole lot of inquiries that are sometimes impossible to categorize.
Hillary recently took a few moments from her busy day to talk to Rugology101 about what it means to be a Customer Service Representative for such a highly specialized retailer.
R101: What types of questions do Rugs Direct customers ask when they call you?
HL: There are several routine types of questions that make up a large part of my day. Things like, “What is the status of my shipment?” or “Is this rug available in 5’ x 7’?” But I also get a lot of calls from customers who are looking for help in decorating a room in their home.
R101: What kinds of things do they ask?
HL: Color. They want very specific information about the colors in a rug they are thinking of buying.
R101: How do you help them?
HL: Well, color is a very subjective characteristic so I do my best to describe the colors in real-world terms. For instance, I find comparing a color to a fruit or a vegetable often helps. Cucumber green or cherry red. People seem to relate well to these kinds of descriptions.
R101: Do you find there is a big difference between the color shown on their computer screen and that of the actual rug?
HL: Actually not too often. Rugs Direct does an excellent job of reproducing the photographs of the rugs on the website. Of course there are a lot of different kinds of monitors hooked up to computers out there and sometimes people have them out of alignment. It happens, but not nearly as much as you might expect.
R101: What else do customers ask you?
HL: I get a lot of questions about fibers and what type of rug is best for a certain application. I go through a chain of questions to try and help narrow this down for them. For example, is it a high-traffic area? Does the area ever get wet? Will the rug be in direct sunlight? The single most important question is, “Do you have kids, allergies or pets?” Then I can offer my suggestions to help them determine what will work best for them.
R101: How else do you help Rugs Direct customers?
HL: Sometimes I have to become a bit of an IT consultant! I get calls from people who just aren’t that comfortable using a computer and don’t spend much time shopping on the Internet. They’ll call and ask me to walk them through the ordering process or to help them search our inventory for a particular style or color of rug. It’s funny how intimidated some people can be by computers and technology. But we usually have a good laugh and get them the information or assistance they need.
R101: What recommendations would you give to people who are thinking about decorating with area rugs?
HL: Do your homework! Rugs aren’t simple. There is a lot you need to know in order to make a good decision and obtain a good value. The Internet is a tremendous resource for information about area rugs and how to use them to enhance your home’s décor. And, of course, I’m here to help!
If you’re planning on shopping for area rugs, please begin by searching the Rugs Directory™ at Rugs Direct. If you would like to contact Hillary Lewis directly, please send an e-mail to hlewis@rugsdirect.com and mention Rugology101 in the subject line of your message.
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