OUR BRANDS
Altar’dState
Founded in 2009,Altar’d State has grown to include 120+ stores nationwide and delivers a unique shopping experience full of fashion, faith & giving back. For women 16+.
Arula
Founded in 2016,Arula is raising the bar on the mid & plus size shopping experience, celebrating what makes each guest unique. For women sizes 10-24.
Vow’d
Founded in 2020, Vow’d is a different kind of wedding brand. We believe every bride deserves a one-of-kind shopping experience, and a dress that’s beautifully crafted at an honest price. For brides everywhere.
Tullabee
Founded in Spring 2022,Tullabee is a children’s concept, focused on serving the needs and tastes of young mothers who value experience over convenience. For babies and toddlers.
ASRevival
Launched in Summer 2022,AS Revival is an athleisure concept devoted to inspiring physical, mental and spiritual growth.An activewear brand for every woman.
OUR MISSION
Createaworldwhererelationshipsare celebratedandenrichthelivesofall whoencounterVow’d.
OUR MOTTO
Delivertheunimagined weddingexperience.
CompanyGoals 1. Top10GreatPlacetoWork 2. BestSpecialtyRetailerinNorthAmerica 3. BestGivebackCompanyintheWorld
OUR SERVICE PROMISE
Wearetheenthusiastichost.
Wemakeeachinteractionpersonal, unencumbered,andmemorable-Wecreate one-of-a-kindexperiences.
Ourdoorsareopentoanyoneinneed ofcelebration.
Whenitcomestosettingthenewstandard forweddingservice-therearenorules.
5 STEPS OF SERVICE
Thisgoesbeyondour4-wallstothewaywetreat everyonewhoencountersourbrand.Froman Instagrammessagetoaguestserviceinquirytoa brideenteringourdoors.
1. Preparetheirarrival.
2. Asinceregreeting- Introduce yourself & use their name.
3. Genuinelylisten&engage.
4. Createajoyful&personalgoodbye.
5. Reconnectthroughouttheirjourney.
THE GUEST RULES
AVow’d guest is any internal or external human being that we interact with. We’ve created a list of 14 simple to follow rules to help improve our mindset and approach to the guest.
1. Guestservicesisnotadepartment
GuestexperienceistheresponsibilityofEVERYONEinourcompany.Itis YOURresponsibility!Everyassociate,everystoreteam,everyHomeOffice departmentisresponsibleforprovidingourguestsagenuineexperiencethat showshowmuchwecare.
2. Notno,butNOproblem
Ininteractionswiththeguest,findawaytosay“noproblem”.Overcome challenges.Findsolutions.Maketheextraeffort.Ifyouhavethemindsetthat yourguest’shappinessisthe#1priority,youwillfigureouthowtosatisfythe guest,everyday,andineveryway.
3. Expectmore,getmore
OurguestsexpectalotfromVow’d,fromyouandtheteam.Peopletendtogive whattheyareexpectedtogive,soexpectthisfromeveryone,andyoushall receiveit.Settinghighexpectationswillnotcostthecompanyonecent.Hold yourselfandyourteamsaccountabletodotheirbestintheirpersonaland professionallives.Neverloweryourexpectations.Ourguestshavehigh expectations,Vow’dhashighexpectations,andsoshouldyou.
4. Curtain’sup
Begineachworkdayasifyouaresteppingonstagetoperformtheshowofyour life.Whatistheperfectexperienceforaguestvisitingyourstoreoroffice?If you areupbeatandpositive,theguestwillfeelthat.Makeeyecontact,offerafriendly smile,andengageherwithawarmgreeting. Avoid anything that tells her you don’t want to be interrupted, like tasking in a store or wearing earbuds in the home office. Ensure the environment is a place of refuge. What does she see, what does she hear, what does she smell, what does shefeel?Curtain’sup.Areyoustageready?
5. SurpriseandDelight
Everytimeaguestmeetsyou,itisamomentoftruth.Yourreputationisisabout togetbetterorworse,asisthecompany’s.Findawaytomakeherfeelhappy andspecial.Dosomethingthatwillsurpriseanddelighther.Ifyoudothis,that momentoftruthwillmaketheguestlookforwardtocomingback.Howcanyou goaboveandbeyond,anddosomethingspecial?Ifyoudothis,your“brand” willgrowinvalue.
6. Lookandactlikeaprofessional
Peoplewillmakeassumptionsaboutyouinthefirstfewsecondstheyspendwith you.Looksharp,withtheappropriatebodylanguage(alert,attentive,energetic, andeagertoserve).Bringapositive,can-doattitudetoyourwork.Showupon timeandreadytogo.Therewillbetimesyouneedtodiginandgotheextra miletogetthejobdone,butthat’snoproblem.Youareaprofessional,andyou willfigureouthowtodelivertoyourguest.
7. Thetriplecrownofguestservice
TheTripleCrownofguestserviceishavingagreatskillset,an“Iwilldowhat isneeded”attitude,andanamazingpassionforyourwork.Havingtheskillto dothejobisnotenough.Youneedtocaredeeplyandbecommittedtodoing whateverittakes.Youneedtotakethestairsand nottheelevator.Hardworkworks.Youneedtherightattitudeandpassionto providethebestguestexperienceimaginable.AsHenryFordsaid,“Whetheryou thinkyoucanorthinkyoucan’t,you’reright!Attitudeandpassiontrumpskill set.”Afterall,youcanteachskillset.Youcan’tteachattitudeandpassion.
8. Likeyourmomsaid,doyourbest
Thepeoplethatarethegreatestatanythingneverstopsearchingforwaysto improve.Constantlylookforwaystodoitbetterthanyoudidittoday. Leaveitbetterthanyoufoundit.Imaginewhatagreatexperienceyoucould deliverifeveryoneinyourstore,inyourdivision,intheentirecompanywasin thehabitofgatheringandspreadinggoodideastoconstantlyimprove performance.Challengeyourselfandyourteamtogenerateideasforhowto improve.Ask,whywedoitthisway?Whatwouldbeabetterway?Whatdoour guestslikemostaboutthewaythingsaredone?Whatdotheynotlike?It’smore funandrewardingtodoyourbest,sothere’snogoodreasonnotto!
9. Knowthetruthandnothingbutthetruth
It’scriticaltoknowthetruthabouthowyouaredoing.Thetruthiswhattheguest genuinelyfeels.Itisnotwhatyouthinkorfeel.Behumble.Theonlywaytofind outthetruthistoasktheguestquestionsdesignedtogetatthetruth.Forexample -“WhatcanIdobetter?”,“WhatdidIdothatyoudidn’tparticularlylike?”or “HowcanIimproveyourguestexperience?”Committodevelopinganapproach forgettingfeedbackfromyourguestsonaregularbasis.Youaredoingagood jobonlyifyourguestbelievesyouaredoingagoodjob.
10. IsASAPyourstandardguideline?
Peoplewantwhattheywant,andtheywantitnow,hassle-free.Whenitcomesto takingcareofyourguest.Assoonaspossibleshouldbeyourstandardtimeline. Whenyourguestwantshelp,makeyourselfavailableASAP.Beresourcefuland responsive.Collaborate&brainstormwithyour teamonhowtodothingsfaster,sooner,earlier.
11. Beagiver,notataker
Studieshavefoundthatpeoplewhoserveothersarehealthier,happier,andlive longer.Givingpartofyourselftoaguest,evensomethingassmallasafriendly smile,willleaveherfeelingpositiveaboutyou,andyouwillfeelbetterabout yourself.Nottomention,it’stherightthingtodo.Beagiver,notataker.It’snot righttoallowtakerstotakeandrequirethegiverstocarrythefullburden.“Ask notwhatyourcountrycandoforyou,butwhatyoucandoforyourcountry.”JFK.Replace“country”withanotherword(say,company,orfamily)andthisstill ringstrue.
12. Don’tgetboredwiththebasics
Deliveringagreatguestexperiencerequiresdoingthebasicsright.It’shuman naturetostartignoringthelittlethingswhenyouarebusyorwhenthingsare goingwell.Focusonwhatmatters.Beconsistent.Walkyourareaof responsibilityeverydayandmakenoteofeverydetailthat isnotquiteright. Immediatelysetaboutmakingneededcorrections.Use toolslikeachecklisttohelpyoukeeptrack.Thefancystuffdoesn’tmatterifyou don’tgetthebasicsright.
13. Doesitpassthetugtest?
Backbitingistalkingnegativelyaboutaguestiftheyarenotpresent.Wouldn’tit begreattoworkwherethereisnotbackbitingandnogossip?Ifso,committo usingtheTUGTest!Isit TRUE?Isit USEFUL?Isit GOOD?Ifsomethingisnot TUG,standupagainstit.Don’tindulgeinpettygossip,whinewhenthingsdon’t goyourway,orcomplainaboutworkplacesnafus.Openlyshareyourpointof viewbeforeadecisionismadebysomeoneelse,butonceit’smade,grabontoit andprovethedecision-makerright.StandOut,forTUG!
14.Ownit
Whenyourguesthasaproblem,makeityourproblem.Takeresponsibility. Don’tmakeexcuses(theguestdoesn’tcare).Ownit,andtrytocomeupwith aquick,easysolution.Ifyoucan’t,askifyoucanworkontheproblemitself thatdrivesguestsaway,it’showpoorlyyouresolvetheproblemandhow slowlyyouresolveit.Successisachoice.Makeitrightforyourguestandyou willearnherloyalty.
Stand out with #VowdCrowd
You own your journey from the minute you say “YES” to Vow’d. These personal statements are a reflection to your promise & purpose within our brand.
1. Ibuildstrongrelationships,creatingVow’dfansforlife.
2. Icontrolmyimpactontheworld.
3. Iseeeveryinteractionasanopportunityforinnovation.
4. Icreateaninclusiveworkenvironment.
5. IenrichthelivesofeveryoneIencounter.
6. Iamempoweredtocreateuniqueandmemorableexperiences.
7. Iseekopportunitiestocontinuouslylearnandgrow.
8. Iamproudofmyappearance,language,andbehavior.
9. Ihaveanimprovisationalmindset,itisnever“No”,itis “Yes,and”
SERVE HER BETTER
When it comes to shopping for her wedding, there are endless options for the dress. From high to low, she can find a lot to love both locally and online. What sets us apart is not our product assortment, but rather our unwavering dedication to the guest experience.
Wecannotwinheroverwithjustaprettydress.
There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for the level of service we provide our guests - though we’ve certainly learned a thing or two along the way. It isn’t about tools, or promotions, or champagne (usually). Instead, it is you and your ability to personalize the experience that will move it from ordinary to extraordinary!
It’s all about connection and making every day a confetti day!
INTRODUCTION TO GUEST FEEDBACK
NPS, GOOGLE REVIEWS & VOG (VOICE OF THE GUEST)
Our confetti moments are certainly worth celebrating, but they’re just one patch on the intricate quilt that is the voice of our guest. She is constantly providing us with rich and meaningful feedback, both good and not so good, to help us serve her better.
Instead of fighting against the guest, we strive to always accept her feedback warmly, openly and honestly.The goal is to handle it immediately with grace and a smile.
Feedback is a tool for continual improvement.
Waystolistentotheguest…
MysteryShops
To provide the store team with objective and honest feedback we work with a third-party provider on mystery shops in every store.These monthly shops provide a glimpse into your bride’s experience and help educate your team on ways to improve your service habits. We’ll cover more on this a little later in your training.
GoogleReviews
You will actively seek reviews from brides who convert in-store through follow-up, but we also see brides proactively reviewing your store on their own.These reviews give potential guests a snapshot of what to expect when they visit your unique store.
OneThingBetterSurvey
As a post-purchase follow-up, we’ve included a simple one question survey that is sent via email to all converted brides (online and in-store).The question - What’s one thing we could do better?Their incentive to complete the survey is a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.
SeasonalFeedback
In addition to the OneThing Better Survey, we often send longer surveys to our guests on a wide range of topics - bridesmaids, accessories, service, etc.This gives us even deeper insight into what is or isn’t working for our business.Their incentive to complete these surveys includes a prize that ranges from $100-500 in Vow’d credit or Visa gift cards.
InternalSurveys
You’re our guest too and on the frontlines with our bride! We regularly survey our teams internally for insights on everything from marketing to events to products.You have an important voice in how we build our brand.
EndofDay1
Nowthatyou’velearnedalittleaboutwhat makesVow’dsospecial,let’sFINDYOUR LEADERandhavesomeFUN!!
It’syourturntostepintohershoes&try-on ourTop10Dresses!!
Don’tforgettocompleteaFitCardaswell.
