The Evolution of FedEx Office

A story about FedEx Office was just published in BusinessWeek.  I appreciate the interest in our company. We have a great story to tell when you consider the way we have evolved from Kinko's Copies into FedEx Office over the past 38 years to reflect and meet changes in customer needs and expectations and evolution of technology.

When you read the beginning of the story, you can see it's focused on a couple of comments from unhappy customers, which he tries to position as a common experience. We know it's not, and shared the data with him to prove it, as well as sitting down with him for an extended interview and taking him to a center.  He did include some of our positive customer data points near the end of the article.

More importantly, we shared several complimentary customer letters that had come in over just the past few weeks as well as stories of our team members who have gone above and beyond for customers. None of those positive stories made it into the article, but we're  happy to share a couple of the letters here so you can read them and judge for yourself how fair and balanced this reporter really wanted to be.

This is disappointing to me because we have amazing team members at FedEx Office.  Our quantitative measures show that clearly.  When it comes to jobs completed on time and done correctly, our scores are now in the high 90s. We receive thousands of letters a year from satisfied customers of which the ones I mentioned are just a tiny sample. Our customer complaints have dropped more than 40% in the last two years. I am proud of what our 22,000 people have achieved when it comes to quality and customer service.

I also have a lot of respect for the culture and brand of Kinko's that was described in the article. However, we are a different company now.  We are far more than a copy shop, and our new name reflects the role we play with our customers as their office away from the office. In addition to generating almost $1 billion in transportation revenue for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground, we are providing a mix of products and services that customers can't find anywhere else. We have an unparalleled digital and physical network of 1,800 locations where they can access printing and shipping expertise whenever and wherever they need it.  I do understand the nostalgic association some people have for the Kinko's store they remember from their old college days, but the world of office technology and networked communication has been completely transformed since then -- and today's FedEx Office reflects that.

I am excited about the future of FedEx Office. We are changing what's possible for our customers every day, and that's the story I think needs to be told.

Your Wonderful Service
Cathy Chaplin - 12/19/08

A dear friend called me (in Colorado) from Texas and needed something expressed.  Your office on Citadel Dr. in Colorado Springs provided service that I thought no longer existed.  I was greeted at the door, led to the packaging materials, and given the proper forms.  The person behind the shipping counter explained that Monday would be cheaper, that Saturday delivery was costlier.  (Unfortunately my friend HAD to have the package by Sat. AM.)  He assured me that it would be in her hand no later than
11:30 Sat. AM.  When I got home I relized I left off the Apt. # on the address.

When I called the store, they quickly found my package and fixed it while all the time reassuring me that it was absolutely no trouble at all.  I cannot thank the staff of that store enough.  If they represent all of your employees, you have an incredible organization.  They are at store location COSKK.  There were 4 employees that helped me and all deserve praise.  I thought the best compliment I could give would be to let the headquarter office know what a wonderful group of employees they have at COSKK.  Thank you amd Merry Christmas!

November 11, 2008
Dear Sir or Madam,
I recently had some business to take care of at your FedEx/ IZinko's store at 41150 Garfield, Clinton Twp., Mi, 48038. I just wanted to let you know that the customer service that I received there was outstanding. I had an unfortunate, costly situation with an independent graphics artist, and the staff at this location was so willing to help me through this bad experience. I have been there a few times, at different times of the day, with problems regarding this situation and have been helped by different staff members every time. Everyone of them was very knowledgeable, very friendly and very professional. The store manager even
gave me a courtesy call to check on me. Regrettably, I have experienced that good cutomer service is becoming a practice of the past. The staff at this particular store has restored my faith that there still are companies out there that train and treat their employees well enough where the employees actually like their jobs and care about the customers taht they encounter.

I am a fairly new small business owner and strongly believe in being professional and treating my customers with the utmost  espect. People are quick to complain, but forget to applaud when service is great. Which is why I felt compelled to write this letter. Your staff at this location went above and beyond the norm to help me out and should be commended. Have a wonderful day, and keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Owner
Natural Care
CLEANING SERVICE

November 19,2008
Ms. Victoria Sprance
FedEx Kinkos
303 West 56th St.
NY, NY 10019

RE: Commendations

Dear Ms. Sprance,
I wanted to take a momment to express my sincere appreciation to you and your staff for their exemplary performance for the second year in a row of producing 350, 70-page, covered and
bound shareholder booklets for our meeting. That feat in itself may not seem like anything extraordinary for a Kinkos but, if you add to it that the data wasn't ready until after midnight and had to be transferred via disk to your CSR Vena Clark-White who then orchestrated and organized the project so that we had the finished (and perfect) product in our hands by 8 a.m. the next morning, only then can you appreciate the effort.

Both in 2007 and 2008, Vena was our point of contact for this project. She had noted her calendar and had the initiative to call our office to see if we would again be in need of her services for this large project. She is smart, professional and organized. She is really an asset to your organization.

I understand other members of the team who worked tirelessly to make this effort a success were: Oliver David Rodriquez,  ohanna Feliz, Elicia Roberts, LaShandra Porter, and Santos Conception. All of these people should be commended on their performance.

You can be assured that should we be the producers of that particular meeting again in 2009, we will be calling upon Vena and your team with the utmost confidence.

Sincerely,
Steven R. Solomon
President