Division: eCommerce

Contact Center elovate 2025
News & Events CharityeCommerce

Shared or Dedicated?

13 January, 2025

A guide to Contact Centre resource planning 

When is the right time to use outsourced staff for your communications, and what are the main options? In this blog we look at the different types of Contact Centre support available from Elovate.

‘Shared’ Resource

This refers to a team that will carry out multiple tasks for a number of different companies and charities. The shared team will often manage smaller number of communications coming in from clients throughout that week. The team will be trained across multiple clients and agreed Service Levels will often be less than dedicated teams.

Shared resource can be a great way to expand your communication options. It gives your customers or supporters the means to contact your organisation when it suits them, without the need for significant capital investment from you. This can give greater insight into the level of support you may need and allows a business case to be created based on evidence from the data gathered by using shared voice or alternative communications.

‘Dedicated’ Resource

A dedicated resource is where highly trained team members focus on exclusively servicing your account across multiple interactions. Often seen as an extension to in-house team members, they will work closely with an organisation to ensure seamless communication and service flow.

Dedicated resource teams are better suited for high volume or complex communication requirements where at least two agents are needed to oversee tasks. The total number of agents will depend on volume, service levels and type of activities to be completed.

‘Hybrid’ – a flexible solution

It is not uncommon to use both sets of resource teams, for example, investing in dedicated at peak times, and utilising shared service for overflow or for those time periods when communications may be less in volume.

Implementing a hybrid solution and aligning a training programme for dedicated resourcing can also help you have more staff “ready to go” if unforeseen circumstances arise. This helps ensure continuity of service for your communications and allows the continual improvement of your customer/supporter experience.

“Flexibility is key when looking at a Contact Centre solution and partnership working to expand and develop any communications programme is key to success. People still love to interact with a human and, while we are seeing AI come into our webchats, voice

calls remain the main driver of communications, regardless of what level of resource our clients choose.” Scott Gray – Marketing & Service Director

Time to explore your options?

If you’re looking for support to answer your calls, emails or webchats or, have any times where you are unable to deliver the service you would like, now may be the best time to explore the various options that Elovate can provide for you to continue providing an excellent customer experience.

Call, email, or use our webchat to see how we can help you.

Back to Stories

Peak Fulfilment 2025
News & Events eCommerce

Peak eCommerce Fulfilment – Stepping Into 2025

9 January, 2025

The last two months have been incredibly busy at our York and Winsford warehouses, with over 1/2 million orders for our clients. As always, we’re now reflecting on what went well and identifying ways to further enhance our service.

Three things we’re proud of:

  • Technology – We’ve made significant investments in technology to support fast, efficient picking and packing, seamless API integrations with third parties, and a client portal that provides instant order updates. Our ongoing development roadmap continues to add value for all our clients and there will be constant releases throughout 2025 and we will be sharing this with all our clients shortly.
  • People – Our skilled teams ensure that both simple and complex fulfilment runs smoothly. To meet increased demand, we’ve expanded capacity, extended operating hours, and introduced a new packing and conveyor system that helps temporary staff get up to speed quickly, ensuring speed and accuracy. This is all backed by an Account Management team who are passionate about our clients and their customers, ensuring our warehouse teams stay sharp and focused.
  • Contact Centre – More of our eCommerce clients are now using our dedicated or shared contact centre resources to handle orders and respond to customer queries. Our Yorkshire team has embraced our new omni-channel software, making communication smoother while keeping that essential human touch. Now in our second peak using the system, we’re moving into the next phase of enhancements to deliver an even higher level of customer service.

As we start 2025, we’re gathering feedback from clients and internal teams to identify further improvements. Like any business handling seasonal surges, challenges arise, but we’re always looking for ways to refine and elovate our eCommerce fulfilment service. This dedication has supported our growth every year for the past 16 years—and we’re not stopping now.

Thank you to all our customers and we wish each and every one a healthy and successful year.

New to Elovate and considering switching your 3PL?

Contact us today to find out how easy it is to make the move and elovate your eCommerce fulfilment.

Back to Stories

Partnership
Insights eCommerce

Personalisation: A vital tool in building customer loyalty

26 November, 2024

Personalisation has emerged as a powerful tool for fostering customer loyalty and driving repeat purchases. By tailoring the customer experience to individual preferences, businesses can create a sense of connection and value that encourages customers to return time and time again.

While you may not be able to replicate the in-person shopping experience, a well-designed engagement strategy, combined with thoughtful gestures, can go a long way in helping to build and maintain a strong relationship with your customers. Here are Elovate’s top personalisation suggestions:

Personalised product recommendations

Leverage data analytics to offer customers relevant product suggestions based on their browsing history, purchase history, and preferences. This can be achieved through algorithms that analyse customer data and identify patterns to recommend products that are likely to interest them.

Targeted email marketing

Send personalised email campaigns with tailored content and offers to nurture customer relationships and drive engagement. By segmenting your email list based on customer demographics, interests, and purchase behaviour, you can deliver highly relevant messages that resonate with your audience.

Personalised website experiences

Create dynamic website experiences that adapt to each customer’s unique preferences, highlighting products and content that are most likely to interest them. This can be achieved by using personalisation engines that track customer behavior and dynamically adjust the website content accordingly.

Personalised communications

Adding a personal touch to your packages can significantly enhance the customer experience. A handwritten note or a personalised gift can make your customers feel valued and appreciated. Elovate’s personalised print service offers a unique opportunity to create truly customised products that resonate with your customers on a personal level.

Communication channel options

Providing customers with multiple channels to communicate with you is essential for building trust and ensuring a positive experience. Offering options like pre-order web chat, email, or phone support allows customers to choose the method that best suits their preferences and needs. This flexibility demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction and makes it easier for customers to contact you whenever they have questions or concerns.

By exploring the potential benefits of personalisation, businesses can position themselves for growth and success in the competitive world of eCommerce. To find out more about Elovate’s comprehensive support services, please click here.

Back to Stories

Peak Season
News & Events CharityeCommerce

Enhancing Capacity and Speed for Black Friday and Beyond

21 November, 2024

As we gear up for the busy Black Friday and holiday seasons, we’re thrilled to share the latest updates on our warehouse enhancements. To support our clients and their customers through this high-demand period, we’re introducing a new conveyor system alongside an upgraded pick-and-pack dispatch area. These advancements are designed to streamline operations, boost productivity, and ensure faster order dispatches during peak times.

Centralised pack benches for improved workflow

The new pack benches are strategically positioned at a central location within our warehouse, allowing supervisors to manage production with greater efficiency and control over packaging supplies. This strategic setup, combined with the new conveyor, is set to increase our order fulfilment capacity by at least 10% – a significant gain for our team and for the clients we serve.

Eco-Friendly packing solutions

In line with our commitment to efficiency and sustainability, we’ve also equipped the benches with automatic tape dispensers. These dispensers help reduce tape waste by cutting it to the exact length needed, speeding up the packing process and eliminating the need for additional pressure on boxes. Furthermore, our new void fill dispensers support our ESG objectives by enabling us to reduce reliance on plastic void fill materials.

Ready for the Holiday rush

We’re excited to see these improvements in action as we head into the busiest part of the year. Check out our new conveyor and pack stations, and join us in looking forward to a peak season defined by even greater speed and efficiency in every order.

Back to Stories

Social media engagement
Insights eCommerce

Top tips for effective eCommerce social media engagement

8 November, 2024

At Elovate we know that staying ahead of the latest trends is essential for businesses to thrive, and that social media is one such trend that has transformed the way that eCommerce companies connect with their target audiences. With billions of users worldwide, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok offer significant opportunities for brand exposure and customer engagement.

When it comes to effective social media tactics, influencer partnerships and brand ambassador programmes can be crucial in reaching new audiences and building brand awareness. Additionally, advertising on social media platforms means that messages can be delivered to the people who are most likely to be interested, offering highly targeted reach and measurable results. And, of course, exceptional customer service is the foundation for building a loyal customer base, with satisfied customers more likely to return and refer your brand to others.

Drawing on our years of helping eCommerce businesses foster meaningful connections with their audiences, Elovate’s top social media tips, are:

  • Influencer partnerships: Collaborate with influencers who align with your brand values to reach their followers and generate a buzz around your products. When choosing influencers, consider their audience demographics, engagement rates, and how well they align with your brand message
  • Brand ambassador programmes: Engaging loyal customers as brand advocates can be a powerful way to promote your products or services. Brand ambassadors can share their positive experiences, helping to build trust and credibility.
  • Social media advertising: Use targeted advertising campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to reach specific demographics and drive conversions. Social media advertising allows you to precisely target your audience based on factors such as age, interests, and location.
  • Be customer-focused: Make sure your returns or customer service is the best it can be. How you interact and deal with any issues or returns will drive loyalty, and giving an awesome customer experience means that people are more likely to positively talk about you, potentially leading to more sales.

Please click here to learn more about how Elovate’s range of services can help you maximise the power of social media.

Back to Stories

Northern Ireland
News & Events CharityeCommerce

Update for shipments from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

15 October, 2024

On 30th September 2024, there were to be new arrangements to the shipment of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

New Deadline – 31st March 2025

The government has announced a delay to the Windsor Framework giving organisations more time to prepare for the changes. Please click here for more information.

This Framework introduces specific processes and requirements for shipping into Northern Ireland, based on the type of sender you are:

  • Business to Consumer (B2C) & Consumer to Business (C2B): You’ll need to provide a description of the parcel contents, including the number of items and their individual value. We’ll also ask for an ‘Export Reason’ to ensure smooth customs processing and avoid delays or extra charges. For some couriers like Royal Mail and Parcelforce, you may also need to include Tariff Codes (HS Codes). 
  • Business to Business (B2B): Similarly to shipping to Europe, you’ll need to include VAT and EORI Numbers for both the sender and receiver, along with the reason for exporting.

Meeting our obligations

‘We have made a number of system enhancements to accommodate the required changes and are ready for when this goes live’

David Butterfield, eCommerce General Manager

If you are using Elovate for the distribution of your goods and have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your Account Manager.

Back to Stories

News & Events CharityeCommerce

Elovate achieves ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certification

20 September, 2024

Elovate is proud to announce the successful completion of our external audits for ISO 27001:2017 and ISO 9001:2015 certifications. These certifications are a testament to our commitment to data security and quality management.

The external audit team conducted a comprehensive review of Elovate’s processes, policies, and controls for our contact centre operations and web-based order fulfilment services during a four-day assessment at our York and Winsford locations.

What do these certifications mean?
  • ISO 27001:2017 This international standard specifies requirements for an information security management system (ISMS). It ensures that we have implemented robust measures to protect our clients’ data and maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
  • ISO 9001:2015 This standard outlines the requirements for a quality management system (QMS). It guarantees that our processes and procedures are efficient, effective, and consistently meet customer expectations.
Why are these certifications important?

These certifications demonstrate our dedication to:

  • Data security: We prioritise the protection of sensitive information and have implemented industry-leading security practices.
  • Quality assurance: Our commitment to excellence ensures that we deliver high-quality products and services.
  • Customer satisfaction: By meeting and exceeding customer expectations, we build trust and long-lasting relationships.
  • Regulatory compliance: These certifications align with various regulatory frameworks, such as GDPR and HIPAA.

Elovate is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of data security and quality management and we continually invest in our systems and processes to ensure our ongoing compliance and reliability. A heartfelt thank you to our team for their unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service to our valued clients.

Back to Stories

Recruitment at elovate
News & Events CharityeCommerce

Customer Contact Center & Warehouse Staff

4 September, 2024

We are now offering temporary job opportunities with an immediate start at Elovate. Due to peak trading season, we need seasonal staff between now and Christmas for a variety of roles in our customer service teams and fulfilment warehouses.

Charity Customer Service Advisors

Responsibilities:

Helping supporters place orders and responding to queries via email, web chat and telephone. No outbound calling.

Hours:

Hours available from Monday to Friday between 8:00 – 17:30. Fully flexible working patterns are available.

Please contact us at careers@elovate.co.uk for further information.

Warehouse Operatives

Responsibilities:

Picking and packing client orders in our York Warehouse. No experience is required as full training will be provided.

Hours:

Our warehouse opening hours are between 07:00 – 17:00 from Monday to Friday and 07:00 – 15:45 on Saturday and Sunday. We will also extend our opening hours to midnight from October. Fully flexible shifts, full time and part time available.

Please contact us at careers@elovate.co.uk for further information.

Back to Stories

News & Events CharityeCommerce

New Goods Inwards Opening Hours Effective July 1st

19 June, 2024

We have some important news to share regarding our Goods Inwards opening hours, which will be changing effective July 1st. This update is designed specifically for our clients based in York and aims to enhance our overall efficiency and delivery processing. 

New Operating Hours

Starting July the 1st, the Goods Inwards department will operate under the following new hours:

Monday to Friday 

  • Deliveries of three pallets or less and any parcels/packages etc sent via the courier networks between the hours of 6am and 4pm. 
  • Larger deliveries containing four pallets or more, containers, 40ft trailers etc. We kindly ask them to be booked between the hours of 6am and 12 noon. 

Please read Goods Inwards Procedure Policy. 

Why This Change?

The primary goal of this change is to ensure that we process deliveries in a timely manner, ultimately improving our service to you. Here are some of the key benefits of the new schedule:

  • Extended Processing Time: We will now have additional time until 3pm to process goods received by 12pm.
  • Improved On-Time Delivery Performance: With more efficient processing, we expect to enhance our on-time delivery performance for the day’s shipments.

What This Means for You

These adjustments are tailored to better manage and process your deliveries, particularly in the evenings. We believe that this will help us serve you more effectively, ensuring that your goods are handled with the utmost care and punctuality.

Your support is valued

As we move to this new schedule, we kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us. Additionally, we encourage you to review our Goods Inwards Procedure Policy for further details. 

Thank you for your continued partnership. We look forward to serving you under these new and improved hours.

Best regards,

Dave Butterfield
Elovate

Back to Stories

Insights CharityeCommerce

How to get the most from your digital print fulfilment partner

7 June, 2024

In the rapidly evolving world of digital print fulfilment, finding a reliable partner, such as Elovate, can be crucial to the success of your business.

A partnership that aligns with your company’s values, needs, and expectations can significantly enhance your operational efficiency, brand image, and customer satisfaction.

Here’s Elovate’s guide on what to look for in a digital print fulfilment partner, and how to get the most out of this valuable collaboration.

What does a digital print fulfilment partner do?

A digital print fulfilment partner is responsible for printing, storing, packaging and dispatching your company’s printed materials. This could include items such as brochures, flyers, catalogues, and other promotional merchandise. Outsourcing these tasks to a trusted supplier means you can focus on your core business activities, safe in the knowledge that your print materials are produced to a high quality and delivered on time.

It’s important to carefully choose a digital print fulfilment partner that will not just be a service provider but that sees themselves as an extension of your business – working with you to boost your growth and success.

Key factors to consider when choosing your partner
  • Experience and expertise: Look for a partner with a proven track record in service provision. A company with extensive experience is likely to have refined its processes and can offer valuable insights and solutions to common challenges.
  • Quality control: Ensure that your partner has robust quality control measures in place. This will guarantee that the final products meet your standards and reflect well on your brand.
  • Technical capabilities: Your partner should use the latest digital printing technology and automation to provide you with high-quality printing and efficient service.
  • Customisation and personalisation: Set against the backdrop of the growing demand for personalisation, your partner should offer services that cater to individual customer preferences.
  • Sustainability: Opt for a partner that provides environmentally friendly printing services and utilises sustainable shipping methods, reflecting your company’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
  • eCommerce Integration: Seamless integration with your eCommerce platform is essential for efficient order processing and fulfilment.

At Elovate, we’ve been providing digital print fulfilment services to our valued clients for over a decade, providing the very best in robust security and quality measures, the latest in technological advancements and a flexible and scalable infrastructure, all backed up by our excellent customer support.

For more information, click here

Back to Stories