When it comes to putting people first, few brands are as trusted, or as iconic, as the John Lewis Partnership (JLP). As the UK’s largest employee-owned business, and home to John Lewis and Waitrose, John Lewis Partnership has built its reputation on a strong customer-first philosophy.
But delivering standout service in today’s fast-moving, digital world requires more than just great intentions; it takes the right tools and the right partner.
At Calabrio’s UK Customer Connect, Operational Delivery Lead, Neil Rigby revealed how John Lewis Partnership is boosting colleague experience, improving service quality, and making smarter, data-led decisions. From optimizing resource planning to enhancing performance insights, Calabrio is helping John Lewis Partnership stay agile, efficient, and focused on what matters most: people.
Smarter Scheduling, Better Experiences
John Lewis Partnership started with Calabrio Workforce Management to tackle inefficiencies in resource planning. They needed a way to better match staffing levels with customer demand, especially during peak periods, and it worked:
- Inactive time decreased significantly, making agents more available when customers needed them most.
- CSAT increased, with more customers rating their experience as “very satisfied”.
- Overall costs reduced, with notable savings in in-house people costs.
- And on the agent side, Employee Satisfaction around work-life balance improved, while overall Agent NPS also increased.
What really made the difference? Giving agents more autonomy. With the Calabrio mobile app, they can now check shifts, book holidays and manage their schedules on the go, helping them feel more in control and supported.
Scaling Up with Automation and Insight
With Calabrio WFM in place, John Lewis Partnership moved on to the next piece of the puzzle: quality and analytics. They introduced Calabrio Auto QM, shifting from manual evaluations to intelligent automation. This not only saved time but gave them consistency and scale.
They also began tapping into advanced analytics to better understand the customer journey:
- Sentiment and topic analysis now helps them spot trends and areas for improvement faster.
- A dashboard built for repeat contacts gives their teams a quick view of what’s happening with customers who call more than once complete with journey data, silence metrics, sentiment scores and Auto QM outputs.
- Insights from desktop analytics and interaction summaries are helping shape smarter decisions across the board.
All of this means their team can coach more effectively, act on emerging issues quicker, and ultimately deliver better customer experiences—without adding more manual overhead.
Looking Ahead
John Lewis Partnership isn’t stopping here. They’re continuing to roll out more self-service features for agents and have ambitious goals for 2025, further increasing productivity and pushing CSAT scores even higher.
Their journey shows what’s possible when you combine a people-first culture with data-led tools, and it’s a great example of how contact centers can deliver meaningful change by focusing on what matters most: people, process, and performance.
A Partnership Built on Shared Values
John Lewis Partnership describes its relationship with Calabrio as “collaborative, supportive, enthusiastic”. And it’s easy to see why. The team have created a contact center environment that’s not only more productive but also more human, built around the belief that great customer experiences start with empowered employees.
Curious to dive deeper into John Lewis Partnership’s journey?
Watch the full interview and explore more powerful sessions on Calabrio Customer Connect On-Demand today.
Curious to see Calabrio in action?
Take it for a spin with our interactive demo—no strings attached, just a hands-on way to explore how Calabrio can transform your customer service experience.
