7-Eleven Overhauls Approach to Customer Support

IRVING, Texas — As a leading chain in the convenience channel, 7-Eleven Inc. has never been afraid to pivot. That has been true with new product offerings, new store concepts and, notably, with redefining the customer experience.

In a recent interview with Chain Store Age, a Convenience Store News sister publication, Jerry Campbell, head of 7-Eleven's customer experience, talked about the company's recent overhaul of its customer experience. The c-store retailer deployed the ServiceNow customer service management (CSM) platform to offer immediate, multi-channel customer support throughout the enterprise, with a new mobile app and delivery offering.

The move came as 7-Eleven realized it was facing challenges separating customer feedback from issues that required help.

"Two agents from our call center had to go through 1,300 separate pieces of information a day and try to distinguish what was customer feedback or a request for help — it was like trying to find ping pong balls in a box that was 90 percent golf balls," Campbell said.

As a result, the retailer looked for a solution that was both user-friendly for employees and customers.

"The solution needed to integrate all these systems to improve service across the full spectrum of the business, because having a Slurpee machine out of order or a gas pump down in a location requires servicing and repairs to meet the customer's need," he explained.

To read more of 7-Eleven's customer support overhaul, click here.

Irving-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 70,000 stores in 17 countries, including 11,800 in North America.