Avon - The Company for Women - Corporate Responsibility

In 2007, the annual Avon Global Consumer Tracking Study found that four in ten women in the United States (ages 15-64) had purchased an Avon product in the past year, and 80 percent had bought Avon products in their lifetime. Worldwide, the average awareness of Avon by women polled in 36 countries was 94 percent, meaning nine in ten women are familiar with the Avon brand. This translates to an extensive customer base and a responsibility to deliver the products and service customers want and need. A key part of this mission is filled by a dedicated Customer Care team.

Avon offers a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee on all products, providing consumers with confidence in their purchase from the start. Since Avon is a direct selling company, consumers often provide feedback through their Representatives, who have personal contact with their customers, and the Representatives in turn share feedback with their sales managers and management.

Online shoppers utilize the portal for customer feedback found on the avon.com e-commerce site, which includes an "Assistance" link with a list of frequently asked questions, an email contact point and much more. Individuals can also sign up for email alerts on special promotions or offerings, and a customer newsletter is available to all visitors to avon.com.

Customers can also contact the Avon customer call center (either 800-445-2866 or 800-FOR-AVON in the United States), which provides a wide variety of options for information about, or feedback on, Avon products, Representatives and other important customer care topics. This feedback is regularly and frequently consolidated and reported to Avon management for review and action.

Despite advances in technology, customers still often write letters to Avon, whether to applaud the company for a charitable initiative, provide product feedback, or ask a question. These letters are directed to the appropriate member of management according to the topic of the inquiry.

The customer care standard at Avon requires that customer inquiries, regardless of format, receive a timely response, and feedback is shared with appropriate management.

Avon is also leveraging new electronic technologies to track and gather customer feedback, which facilitates quick response to topics raised by consumers, whether a question, concern, idea or comment. A new Director of Business Strategy, focused on Web 2.0 and other technologies, was created in 2008 and will help further Avon’s expansion in new technologies.

For information on the email and phone contact points for use by customers, click here.