In an effort to add increased value to its already well-regarded customer service, the Freeport, Maine-based retailer L.L. Bean can now determine a customer's order before the customer gives the item number.
For many years L.L. Bean has made use of technology that allows it to identify a caller's name, address, and telephone number before the caller could even open his or her mouth. In many cases, L. L. Bean was also able to pronounce the customer's last name more effectively than friends, family, and co-workers. Until now, however, the customer was required to give an item number, followed by color and size.
Effective today in select U.S. cities, customers can merely think of the item they want to order, and L. L. Bean will be able to extract and process this information. There were a few mix-ups early on, such as when an elderly, overweight man received a size XS crocheted vest, but "we've ironed out those few early kinks, and our success rate is now 100%," said an L.L. Bean spokesperson.
The company's next goal? To decide for the customer when the customer is still obsessing between two items as he or she dials L. L. Bean's toll-free number. The goal after that? "For us to communicate with you and tell you what you want without even using a phone," said the spokesperson. "You'll just kind of hear our voice in your head telling you what to expect and when it will arrive."
