Improving operations through customer-centricity with Wine.com’s Addie Wallace

If you’ve ever stepped into a store with a large selection of wine, it can be a bit overwhelming. Perhaps you have some knowledge about varietals and terroir, even know a few names of prominent vintners; even armed with that knowledge, it’s easy to freeze from indecision.

That experience can be just as challenging online, which is why Wine.com places great value on delivering a stellar, personalized customer experience. Addie Wallace, senior director at Wine.com, sat down with Conversations with Zendesk host Nicole Saunders to share how her company focuses on helping its customers cut through the static so they can discover wines that fit their palates.

For example, Wine.com provides live assistance from sommeliers to guide customers toward the right wines. That level of personalized service builds customer loyalty and boosts satisfaction, especially considering that those sommeliers don’t work on commission—their sole responsibility is to help customers select the best bottles for their next meal, regardless of price.

“From a branding perspective, it’s important to focus on your customer and their enjoyment instead of your features,” Wallace said.

In this engaging episode, Wallace also talks about defining customer personas and needs, the tools and methods Wine.com uses to gather and share customer feedback, and the importance of community building. “Having a fundamental understanding of who your customers are is the key to everything,” she said.

Be sure to check out the next episode of Conversations with Zendesk on October 2, when Raphael Fontes, senior vice president of customer operations at Squarespace, talks about how his company integrates customer feedback into product development and more.