How the president of Office Depot builds trust with shoppers in a digital world

Every week, the office supply retail chain led by Moffitt tracks its “welcome score”—the percentage of customers who say they are welcomed at the front of the store. In that greeting, associates must also ask clear questions.

“It’s really intended to be ‘What brought you here today? What are you looking for? What problem are you trying to solve?’” Moffitt told me from Office Depot’s headquarters in Boca Raton. Goal: “Try to get to know customers as soon as they walk in the door.”

For Moffitt, who is also president of OfficeMax and VP of operations at parent company The ODP Corporation, creating that connection is a way to build trust.

“It’s really about thinking about the entire customer experience and trying to create an environment where they feel like they’re not just buying a product but solving a problem.”

In a digital world where we spend so much time staring at screens, that’s more important than ever, says Moffitt, who serves as president since 2022 and leads about 12,500 associates. “There are a lot of options for anyone at any time,” he said. “And there is a lost art form—or sometimes it seems—of actually talking to another human being.”

Here, Moffitt sees benefits for small business customers, whom he describes as Office Depot’s core customers. In customer satisfaction surveys, the three things that consistently score highest are the company’s “helpful, friendly and knowledgeable” associates, he said.

“Those words encapsulate exactly what we’re trying to do and our competitive differentiation in the market. officer. “Having someone you know and trust to do the work for you, especially in the small business world.”

Many small business customers are repeat customers. “I’ve heard our customers say, you know, ‘Susie in your print center, I consider her my marketing team,’” Moffitt explains. People-to-people interactions I think are really important.”

Office Depot balances its willingness to stop and chat with an acknowledgment that some people urgently need ink, paper and staples.

The company operates what Moffitt calls the fastest in-store pickup program in the country—guaranteed. “If you don’t receive an email from us after 20 minutes saying your order is ready for pickup, we will automatically send you a $20 off coupon.”

Although it may sound counterintuitive, Office Depot also uses artificial intelligence to enhance human interaction.

ODP has built one artificial intelligence tools connecting team members to company knowledge is often stored on an intranet or even in a file somewhere, he explains. All associates carry a mobile device with this digital assistant. If a customer has a question like “How do I laminate this menu?” Moffitt says even a new associate can answer.

“It allows them to easily access that information and the associated processes or procedures so they can take care of that customer right in the store.”

Moffitt suggests that for any retailer looking to build trust, start by asking some basic questions. “How do you want to be treated?” he said. “How would you treat one of your family members or friends? How would you like them to be treated if they walked into one of your locations or visited your website?”

ODP has one “5C” culture that CEO Gerry Smith identified early in his tenure, Moffitt noted. Its principles: customer, commitment, change, care and creativity. “My favorites are the customers,” Moffitt said. “If you start out customer-centric and work your way from there, I think you have a much better chance of building that trust.”

The problem has been resolved.

Nick Rockel
[email protected]

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TRUST EXERCISES

“For decades, scientists have published peer-reviewed studies on toxic chemicals in plastics and have called for action, all to no avail. Now, medical doctors on the front lines of this plastic crisis are sounding the alarm ahead of the final round of United Nations negotiations on the Global Plastics Pact. An urgent message that cannot be ignored: Plastic is a threat to human health.

The lack of transparency in the plastics industry has left academics and campaigners searching for the truth – and those truths are startling. About 16,000 chemicals are used in plastics and currently only 6% are subject to international regulations. Of those 16,000 chemicals, many are endocrine disruptors, meaning our hormones and body functions are constantly under attack when exposed. With a new chemical being produced every 1.4 minutes, our exposure will only increase.”

You’re soaking in it – the toxic soup created by the plastics industry, which has betrayed the public trust. Those chemicals cause cancer, infertility, heart disease and other diseases, note Leonardo Trasande, director of the Department of Environmental Pediatrics at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, said. Recycling — considered by industry a panacea — can make exposure worse.

Trasande also highlighted the huge social cost of plastic chemicals: 1.22% of US GDP, equivalent to $250 billion in annual health care costs.

He also warned companies and investors that they cannot escape corporate liability for plastic-related pollution. By the end of the decade, that tab will likely reach $20 billion in the US alone. In other words, laws and lawsuits are coming for the profit of criminals.

With final negotiations on the Global Plastics Pact ongoing until December 1, Trasande wants to see a deal on teeth. The key to corporate accountability and public risk mitigation: mandatory testing of all chemicals, funding to scale up natural alternatives, and production limits. Bonus? A future not made from toxic plastic.