In this time of uncertainty and social distancing, retail jewelers are likely to see fewer store visits in the coming weeks. This is the perfect opportunity to pause and try something new in preparation for customers starting to shop again (and it will happen soon!). When was the last time you looked at your appraisal process? Do appraisals eat up a lot of your store’s time? Innovative technologies like BriteCo’s free appraisal system and insurance offering can give your store a big advantage.
Zachariah Turpin, owner of Jackson Hole Jewelry Co. in Wyoming, says BriteCo has come along at the right time, providing a faster, simpler way to do appraisals and offering customers instant insurance at the point of sale.
Accurate, Professional Appraisals in Minutes
Turpin explained that he and two of his employees are now using BriteCo to save time on every appraisal. His employees use BriteCo to create the appraisals in only a few minutes and use the inventory hold feature to save their work once it’s completed so that Turpin can review and approve it. The software suggests a range for the appraisal value, but the jeweler always makes the final determination. Once finalized, the customer gets an immediate, automatic email with the appraisal as a PDF attachment.
“We can usually get appraisals to our customers the same day as purchase,” he noted, “which is really helpful for customers that may be in town visiting for only a day or two.
“My sole motivation in starting to use the BriteCo appraisal platform was improving efficiency for both my clients and my store,” Turpin recalled. “But I gained just as much if not more in customer satisfaction.”
Instant Insurance Coverage for an Amazing Customer Experience
“BriteCo has closed all of these loops to where a customer comes in, makes a purchase, and we issue their appraisal right away,” he emphasized. When the appraisal is finalized, the customer also receives an email and text offering instant insurance coverage from an AM Best A-rated carrier. The customer can answer a few quick questions and get coverage in a matter of minutes on their smartphone or computer.
“I actually had one customer tell me, ‘BriteCo was the easiest insurance I’ve ever purchased,’ ” Turpin recalled.
Not only is BriteCo appraisal software free to qualified jewelers, each BriteCo jeweler partner receives a $15 referral bonus whenever a customer completes an insurance application.
“We hold ourselves to very high standards for customer service,” Turpin concluded. “We’re aware of what a big difference the in-store experience makes in our success—especially when competing with online companies like Blue Nile. BriteCo is simply a phenomenal free tool that we use to create an amazing customer experience.”
With more than 1,500 jewelers across the country completing tens of thousands of appraisals, BriteCo has proven to be an easy and effective competitive advantage for independent retail jewelers. You can learn more and sign up for BriteCo’s free appraisal software at brite.co/amazing.
(All images courtesy of BriteCo)