Willowbrook Case Study

Background

In 1997, Willowbrook began trading, employing just 4 people and focusing solely on their innovative beds. In that first year, the company rapidly expanded, having installed products to the value of £1 million.

It now offers a range of high quality products, from top of the range mobility scooters, bath lifts, electric riser recliners and adjustable beds, the latter of which are manufactured in their purpose built UK factory.

High-quality customer service at scale

With over 40,000 customers, Willowbrook takes pride in understanding their needs and puts its success down to high levels of service and employing people who care about the customer. With this in mind, as the company continued to grow, it sought some extra help to ensure their customer service is always prompt and efficient and has been working with Answer4u since 2003 to achieve that goal.

Empathy and consideration key to success

As many of Willowbrook’s customers are of an older demographic, the company needed an outsourced partner that could handle calls with empathy and care. At the same time, the service had to be efficient and cost-effective. Answer4u was tasked with delivering a customer contact solution that met both requirements.

To do this, Answer4u utilises its highly trained team of UK based call agents, all of whom have a wide range of experience in working with clients where empathy and consideration is a pre-requisite.

The agents’ experience, along with Answer4u’s ability to manage spikes in call traffic generated by seasonal peaks and advertising, has resulted in a customer service solution that meets Willowbrook’s own high standards.

Scalable and empathetic call handing

Answer4u’s agents use a bespoke call handling solution to manage Willowbrook’s general enquiries, brochure requests, staff contact requests and calls about their monthly competition. Since many callers have multiple questions when they first enquire, agents are equipped with key information to reassure them about pricing and product demonstrations.

As Willowbrook operates without physical stores, its website serves as the main shop window. Product demonstrations occur in customers’ homes, meaning callers often have additional questions before booking an appointment.

The installed solution lets agents answer common queries politely while keeping calls efficient. If a caller has an unresolved question or wishes to cancel a demonstration, the system ensures the right staff member is notified promptly.

Detailed management information:

With Willowbrook offering a diverse range of products, understanding which products and adverts perform best is essential. Answer4u’s call handling system includes advanced analytics, providing detailed reports on agent activity while capturing vital business insights for Willowbrook.

Reports are automatically generated at set intervals and sent to Willowbrook’s management for review. Additionally, the system features call recording, allowing any queries to be quickly resolved by downloading and sharing recordings as needed.

Improved customer experience and data-driven insights

Through its partnership with Answer4u, Willowbrook successfully enhanced its customer service capabilities, ensuring every customer receives professional, empathetic support.

Business benefits:

• Flexible, scalable call handling resource immediately available.
• UK Call Centre that absorb peaks generated by advertising.
• Highly skilled and empathetic agents handling calls 24/7.
• Accurate reporting on products, ads and call types.

This long-standing partnership has enabled Willowbrook to maintain exceptional customer service while managing growing demand.

With Answer4u’s expert call-handling support, Willowbrook continues to provide a seamless, reassuring experience for every customer, reinforcing its reputation for quality and care.