In case you missed the announcement last week, I’m happy to share the news that STELLAService has raised an additional $5 million in funding to keep you in the know when it comes to companies with great (and not so great) customer service.
The funding was co-led by Battery Ventures and DFJ Gotham Ventures and also included RRE Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, and angels Jay Weintraub and Will Thomas. We’re thrilled to have such a terrific, top-tier group of investors behind us.
It’s been an amazing eight months since we announced our first round of funding. Our team has worked around the clock to produce customer service ratings and data on thousands of companies, and we hope you’ve been able to benefit from the guidance and direction our customer service analysts (i.e. “mystery shoppers on steroids”) have allowed us to provide. Our data and insights have been featured in nearly every major media outlet, from Forbes to NBC, in an effort to get the message out around the service performance of America’s leading companies – we believe every online consumer will benefit as a result.
Meanwhile, the most customer-focused businesses are proudly displaying the STELLAService seal, which has rapidly become the Web’s most trusted signal of sites with great service. From larger businesses like 1800Contacts to smaller, up-and-coming stores like Stock ‘N Go, companies are deriving significant value in displaying the seal as it remains the only objective, meaningful signal that separates their businesses from the herd of competitors who don’t go the extra mile for customers (it should be noted that more than half of the retailers we evaluate do not make the cut to display this award).
We’re only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the information and data we plan to make available on the service quality of each company. This new round of funding will help us accelerate the launch of some exciting new features and products that will give you an even closer, more detailed view of the service performance of each business. Stay tuned on our blog, Twitter and Facebook page for the latest.
Everything we do at STELLA is based around our mission to create a world with better customer service. It’s a simple mission, as good customer service is something all of us need and deserve. I’m proud to be working with such an awesome team, and none of us could be more excited to continue full-steam-ahead on this enormous opportunity.
Onward and upward!
We’ve noticed you admiring our data — don’t be ashamed, we’re proud of it. As we continue to evaluate the full spectrum of online retailers, we’ll be releasing even more exciting information. As this happens, we want all the online shoppers who value great customer service as much as we do to join the conversation.
So please, go ahead and become ‘like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/STELLAService. This way you’ll be able to keep current with which online retailers offer their customers the best when it comes to service, and we’ll be able to get your feedback on what matters most when it comes to serving online shoppers.
Thanks!
Have you seen Boiler Room? What about Glengarry Glen Ross? Have you read Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman? Good, now you have some idea for what being a part of the STELLA sales team isn’t like. No, you won’t be selling stocks for inflated prices to unwitting investors. Yes, you’ll be selling an in-demand, highly valuable product. No, you won’t do whatever it takes to sell undesirable Chicago real estate to buyers who don’t know any better. Yes, you’ll help a unique and innovative startup cover new ground and achieve widespread growth. No, you won’t be an out-bound salesman and experience a tragic downfall in front of your entire family. Yes, you will feel the satisfaction of guiding consumers to the sites with the best customer service on the Web.
With all that in mind, the STELLAService sales team is growing here in New York City’s Flatiron district, with an increasing number of companies looking to join our network of sites with fantastic customer service. We need to meet this demand, which is why we’re looking for a sales rock star to help us achieve our goals. Below you can read all about the specs we’re looking for. If you think you fit the bill, submit your resume to jobs@STELLAService.com. Please include a quick note about why you’re the right person for the job.
The Specs:
Type: Full-time
Experience: 1-2 years (Entry level)
Functions: Sales
Industries: Internet, Marketing and Advertising
Compensation: Competitive
Perks: Stock options, insurance benefits, gym and phone stipend
Overview
STELLAService (www.stellaservice.com) comprehensively evaluates and rates Internet retailers to highlight the best in customer service for online shoppers. We’re an innovative and venture-financed start-up, based in New York City, and we work with the biggest brands on the Web (e.g., Zappos.com, 1800Flowers.com, Gilt.com, Footlocker.com, NET-A-PORTER.com, etc). We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Sales Executive with 1-2 years of experience selling products and/or services in the e-commerce industry. The ideal candidate is energetic, has a history of exceeding sales quotas, is metrics driven, and is capable of developing a pipeline of business from scratch. You must be comfortable making a high volume of phone calls, managing relationships simultaneously and working in a fast-paced team environment. No two days are the same here at STELLA!
Key Responsibilities
• Engage e-commerce companies to evangelize STELLAService’s products and solutions
• Articulate the many benefits of the STELLAService program to companies’ top decision makers
• Help companies display the STELLAService seal
• Manage marketing generated leads in real time
• Design and execute creative ways to prospect and attract customers
• Develop subject matter expertise in online customer service
Desired Skills & Experience
• 1+ years of quota carrying, direct sales experience to e-commerce companies
• Experience with selling in a high transaction environment
• Passionate about the Internet, e-commerce, and entrepreneurship
• Excellent phone skills and comfortable making cold calls
• Proven track record of over-achievement
• Strong work ethic and organizational skills• Experience using Salesforce.com
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• BS/BA degree
In case you missed the big news on Ad Age, TechCrunch, WWD or from the chatter on Twitter / Facebook (or the bar on Friday night!), we announced $2 million in funding and launched a brand new site this week…needless to say, the STELLAService team is pumped!
We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our new investors: Battery Ventures; DFJ Gotham Ventures; RRE Ventures; Consiglere Brand Capital; and angel Mark Wachen. Including our existing angels and business and industry advisors, we’ve assembled quite the stellar team of experienced and successful minds when it comes to e-commerce, branding and understanding and measuring online customer service.
So what does all this mean for Internet retailers and the hundreds of millions of online shoppers out there? Well, for one we plan to expand our merchant ratings and service data from a few hundred online stores last year to several thousand this year. More “deep-dives” into the service quality of online retailers means more customer service transparency for everyone and a greater ability for us to help guide online shoppers to the best stores on the Web. We’re adding several hundred new merchant ratings each month to our site, so check back early and often, and especially ahead of big purchases to ensure you’re always buying from a store that truly takes care of its customers!
We plan to continue building out our awesome team, with several key hires coming in technology, marketing and operations. We’re also laser-focused on bolstering our team of seasoned and passionate customer experience analysts. Our analysts (which are kind of like mystery shoppers on steroids) work tirelessly, day in and day out, collecting service data and evaluating every single nook and cranny of the online customer experience for each store we evaluate. Their “on-the-ground” investigations are the essence of the STELLAService approach. We bring that unbiased information back to the entire online shopping community via our store profile pages and our STELLAService seal, which represents the only truly objective signal in the marketplace of a company’s commitment to top-rate customer service.
We’ve learned more than we could have imagined in the last year from shoppers, customer support reps, customer-obsessed e-commerce professionals and most importantly our constant flow of customer service data. We work every day to further apply these insights as a means to building real transparency in the world of online shopping, one online store at a time.
Lots of big things to come this year, so stay tuned by subscribing to this blog, following us on Twitter and friending/liking/joining/whatever’ing us on Facebook. And of course, don’t forget to check out our shiny new site at STELLAService.com!
Earlier this month, New York Senator Charles Schumer proposed radical legislation that would create cost incentives for companies to keep customer service jobs in the United States. His proposal charges companies a $0.25 excise tax (a big number!) on calls transferred to call centers outside of the country. As you’re probably aware, many American companies outsource their customer service representative (CSR) positions to foreign countries because of reduced labor costs, a practice that many feel reduces the quality of service provided and also takes jobs away from Americans.
In addition to penalizing companies who outsource this function of their business, the bill would also require companies to disclose (via an automated voice system, I’d imagine) which country a customer service representative is handling a call from. This requirement would lift some of the fog from the hazy call center landscape and provide online shoppers with unprecedented insight as to how companies handle their inquiries. Theoretically, U.S. shoppers who wish to support a national economy would be able to exclusively shop at those organizations that keep their call center jobs within the country. No matter which side of the fence you’re on, this is a powerful concept.
What do you think about this piece of legislation?
Comment below or Tweet about it here
As promised, you will now be able to leverage our customer service ratings and seals when you really, really need them: on comparison shopping sites. STELLAService announced today that its STELLA Ratings and STELLAService seals will soon be displayed next to listed retailers on the #3 comparison shopping engine TheFind.com, enabling its base of 23 million monthly shoppers to quickly and completely assess the quality of online stores right upfront within search results.
This is a major enhancement to the five-star, community-driven rating system traditionally used by many shopping engines, which provide little differentiation between stores and allow for biased, unreliable reviews of a seller’s service quality to influence a merchant’s overall score. STELLAService, on the other hand, takes a consistent, independent and completely exhaustive approach to evaluating every possible aspect of the online customer experience.
The STELLAService seal, which has become the Web’s most meaningful and substantive signal of service quality, will now help identify those stores with the highest levels of customer service in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace. While this is obviously a win for consumers, it also enables merchants who earn and display the seal to differentiate themselves and benefit from higher quality traffic and better conversion rates.
I think our Advisor and ecommerce expert Marsha Collier said it best:
Seeing the STELLAService rating/seal next to a retailer takes the guesswork out of online shopping. Everyone has product, but customer service is where the rubber meets the road.
Next time you’re cruising the Web for that must-have item, discard the uncertainty of receiving bad service – look first to see if the store achieved the STELLAService seal on TheFind.com
Hello all!
In an effort to improve the content we distribute here on the STELLAService blog, I am pleased to announce that all future posts will be 100% dedicated to you, the savvy (dare I say STELLA?) online consumer.
As you know, we here at STELLAService are obsessed with online businesses that provide exceptional customer service. As a result, we’ve decided that the purpose of this blog should be to keep you informed of all the happenings around the Web with respect to companies providing great service. From now on, here’s what you can expect to see from the STELLAService blog:
Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@stellaservice and/or @johnestella) and Facebook, and stay tuned for new and improved features coming soon!
Happy shopping,
John
Join the STELLAService Team!
STELLAService Summer 2010 Internship Program
About the Program
STELLAService, a privately-held ratings and research agency headquartered in New York City, is looking for candidates for its 2010 Summer Internship program. The program provides in-depth exposure to various aspects of STELLA’s operations; Interns will contribute on many levels including data collection/analysis, product development, social media engagement and marketing initiatives. Interns will work closely with STELLA’s team of professionals and have the opportunity to learn about each area of the company’s operations. In addition, the interns will have several social activities scheduled throughout the summer.
The 2010 Summer Program runs from June 7th to August 6th. Deadline for resume submissions is April 12th, 2010.
Qualifications
- Must be eligible to receive school credit
- Excellent analytical and communication skills
- Self-starter, disciplined, able to handle multiple tasks efficiently
- Strong academic performance and/or previous job experience
The 10-week program is based in New York City and is a full-time position; the STELLAService Internship program is an unpaid job opportunity, candidates must be able to receive school credit in lieu of compensation. This can be a formal course credit, or extra credit that a specific professor is willing to provide.
Application Procedures- Submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@stellaservice.com by Monday, April 12th. On your cover letter, tell us an experience you had with customer service-positive or negative-that was memorable, and what you think customer service means to online retailers. Interviews will be conducted from Wednesday, April 14th to Friday, April 22nd. Potential candidates will be notified on Tuesday April 13th if they have been selected for an interview. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis.
About STELLAService
STELLAService is dedicated to publishing objective, in-depth ratings on the customer service performance of online businesses. The data obtained by STELLAService is used by consumers to make more informed online purchasing decisions and by companies to obtain crucial business and industry intelligence. Formed in April 2009, the company’s Advisory Council and highly trained analysts represent today’s thought-leaders in the area of online customer service. More information can be found at: http://www.stellaservice.com.
STELLAService is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.
