BrewDog's Customer-Centric Approach in Times of Uncertainty

BrewDog is a Scottish-born craft beer business founded in 2007. The company was initially considered a rebellion to the mass-produced lagers that dominated the industry at the time. BrewDog has 100 bars globally and is currently the UK's best-selling craft beer. The company was one of the first community-owned companies in the UK and refers to their shareholders, friends, and community as ‘equity punks’. These 'equity punks' are at the heart and soul of their business, acting as both brand ambassadors and critics. BrewDog's customer service team handles all e-commerce customers and general brand-related queries. The company is known for its fast-paced operations, with new projects and initiatives launching daily.

BrewDog, a Scottish-born craft beer business, faced a significant challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. With their bars closed, the company saw a surge in online orders and customer inquiries. The customer service team, which handles all e-commerce customers and general brand-related queries, was overwhelmed with the sudden increase in activity. The team was dealing with up to 2000 tickets a day during the lockdown, a significant jump from the usual 150-200 tickets. The fast-paced nature of BrewDog's operations, with new projects and initiatives launching daily, further complicated the situation. The company's existing processes, which were fairly manual, were not equipped to handle this surge in volume. The challenge was to quickly adapt and streamline their customer service operations to continue providing excellent service during these uncertain times.

BrewDog turned to automation to manage the increased volume of customer inquiries. They used Freshdesk, a customer service software, to eliminate repetitive tasks and manual elements, freeing up time for the team to focus on delivering great service. The software's internal chat collaboration tool proved especially useful for the team, which was now working from home. It allowed them to collaborate on tickets and keep team communications in one place. Freshdesk Analytics helped them identify trends in real-time, providing valuable feedback on what customers were missing the most when something was out of stock. This feedback was then passed on to the e-commerce team to better serve customers. BrewDog also enhanced their self-service capabilities by updating their customer portal with current knowledge-base articles and frequently asked questions. They are also planning to implement an internal knowledge-base for their team. In addition to email support, BrewDog expanded their customer service to include social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter through Freshdesk. They are also planning to incorporate live chat to further increase their reach.

• The implementation of Freshdesk and the shift towards automation significantly improved BrewDog's customer service operations. The team was able to manage the increased volume of customer inquiries effectively and efficiently. The internal chat collaboration tool within Freshdesk facilitated better team collaboration, which was crucial as the team was now working from home. The real-time trend identification provided by Freshdesk Analytics allowed BrewDog to quickly adapt to customer needs and preferences. The enhancement of their self-service capabilities and the expansion of their customer service to include social media channels further improved their customer service. Despite the increase in incoming volumes, BrewDog saw a jump in CSAT scores by 10%, indicating high customer satisfaction. The company is now looking to further improve their customer service by incorporating live chat.

• Increase in CSAT scores by 10%

• Growth in volumes since lockdown by 10x

• Decrease in social contact by 29% over the last month after integrating social media channels