We've all had to deal with customer support.
Some companies fix issues quickly. Some are slow. Some have a consistent tone of voice. With others, it depends on whether the agent has had their morning coffee.
But most of us have probably, at some point, felt a moment of frustration when dealing with customer support.
And if there is one group where a slow or difficult support experience can hit particularly hard, it's new parents.
Riccardo Baldoni and the team over at Silver Cross know this better than most.
We sat down with Riccardo to talk about how Silver Cross approaches the post-purchase experience, from handling warranty claims and returns to using AI, simplifying internal processes, and supporting products long after the sale.
As one of the most established brands in the baby and nursery industry, making sure customers have the best possible post-purchase experience is absolutely key.
For them, it is about more than just providing support; it's a chance to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one.
That experience keeps customers loyal, creates positive word of mouth, and becomes a real competitive advantage.
And as Silver Cross continues to grow, their customer experience mantra is clear: lead with empathy, solve issues quickly and make it dead simple for everyone involved.
About the speaker
Riccardo Baldoni
Digital Director, Silver Cross
Riccardo leads Silver Cross's digital and customer-facing operations, from service platforms to e-commerce and international rollout, and now also drives the company's AI and automation agenda.
Handling issues when stressed parents are on the other end
New parents are often tired, busy, and protective. Baby products such as prams and car seats are essential for helping them get around. So when something goes wrong, they need help quickly.
That is why Silver Cross treats any post-purchase issue as a critical part of the customer relationship.
The goal is not just to fix the issue. It is to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive experience.
And the stakes are different from many other retail categories. As Riccardo puts it, “If your television isn’t working, it’s an inconvenience. But if we have a product that isn’t working, it can be a safety worry. It is tied to a very emotional time in our customers' lives.”
Focusing on speed, simplicity and empathy
For Riccardo and the team, three things are essential when it comes to handling customer issues: speed, empathy, and simplicity.
- Speed, because customers need answers quickly.
- Empathy, because they may already be in a stressful situation.
- Simplicity, because getting help should never feel harder than the issue itself.
Those three principles shape how Silver Cross handles warranty claims, returns, repairs, spare parts, and customer service.
Simplifying internal processes is just as important
For Riccardo, simplicity is not only about what the customer experiences.
It also has to work behind the scenes.
A warranty claim or return can involve customer service, the warehouse, the service team, operations, and finance. If those teams have to pass information back and forth manually, the customer feels the delay.
Silver Cross has focused on reducing unnecessary handovers and making sure the right team can take the right action faster.
“We don't need service to tell customer support and customer support to tell finance,” Riccardo explains. “Service can just tell finance.”
The fewer handovers there are, the easier it becomes for the team to solve the case quickly.
How AI plays a part in customer service
Riccardo sees AI as a way to support the team, not replace it.
Silver Cross uses AI to triage simple questions and guide customers to the right place. General questions, stock checks, returns, and warranty claim routing can all be handled faster.
AI helps behind the scenes while the human agents are in control. "AI isn’t writing the email back to the customer, but it’s giving the team quicker prompts,” Riccardo explains, including links to FAQs and the help center.
That means less time searching for answers and more time for the cases that need real attention.
That gives the team more time for the cases that need real attention.
For Riccardo, the human touch is still essential. Customers who want to speak to a person should be able to do that without being pushed through endless automated steps.
“If you want to talk to a human being, you ask and you’re through,” Riccardo says.
AI handles the easy stuff, so humans can focus on the moments where empathy matters most.
Extending product life through repairs, parts and donations
Silver Cross does not see the product lifecycle as something that ends after the sale.
Riccardo talks about supporting the product for years, not just through the warranty window.
Part of that is about giving customers an alternative when they no longer need the product. “We’ve found that there’s an awful lot of product that just gets thrown into landfill,” Riccardo says.
Repairing, recycling and donating products gives customers another option.
The goal is to give the customer a solution for whatever stage they are at in the customer journey. To do this, Silver Cross uses Claimlane's self-service portal, not just for warranty claims and returns, but also for donation and recycling flows.
Donated products then go to the service department, where they are repaired before being sent to Baby Basics, which helps provide essential items to families who need them.
For Silver Cross, the post-purchase experience is not just about solving a warranty claim or processing a return.
It is about supporting the customer for as long as they own the product.
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