Subject category:
Production and Operations Management
Published by:
Columbia CaseWorks, Columbia Business School
Version: November 8, 2023
Revision date: 22-Feb-2024
Length: 18 pages
Data source: Published sources
Abstract
The Estee Lauder Companies (ELC) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance, and haircare products with annual sales of over USD14 billion in 2020. ELC had a long-standing commitment to 'High Touch' customer service, inviting and tracking all feedback from consumers. ELC had recently moved from a manual to an automated tracking platform, positioning the company to more efficiently handle customer feedback. This platform and the data it aggregated was put to the test in August 2020 when the Consumer Care Analytics & Insights Group noticed an uptick in contact volume largely generated from China. The team also noticed that the increase was driven almost exclusively by complaints. The spike was especially cause for concern given that ELC had a 100% return policy with no questions asked, so customer complaints often led to returns and lost revenue. In this case, students are asked to consider potential root causes of the increased online customer complaints - and based on their hypotheses, what type of analysis and potential interventions they would recommend.
Teaching and learning
This item is suitable for undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education courses.Time period
The events covered by this case took place in 2020.Featured company
Estee Lauder
Featured protagonist
- Jane Lauder (female), Executive Vice President
About
Abstract
The Estee Lauder Companies (ELC) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance, and haircare products with annual sales of over USD14 billion in 2020. ELC had a long-standing commitment to 'High Touch' customer service, inviting and tracking all feedback from consumers. ELC had recently moved from a manual to an automated tracking platform, positioning the company to more efficiently handle customer feedback. This platform and the data it aggregated was put to the test in August 2020 when the Consumer Care Analytics & Insights Group noticed an uptick in contact volume largely generated from China. The team also noticed that the increase was driven almost exclusively by complaints. The spike was especially cause for concern given that ELC had a 100% return policy with no questions asked, so customer complaints often led to returns and lost revenue. In this case, students are asked to consider potential root causes of the increased online customer complaints - and based on their hypotheses, what type of analysis and potential interventions they would recommend.
Teaching and learning
This item is suitable for undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education courses.Settings
Time period
The events covered by this case took place in 2020.Featured company
Estee Lauder
Featured protagonist
- Jane Lauder (female), Executive Vice President