Zachariah Turpin, born in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a second-generation jeweler with a bespoke retail store on the historic Town Square.

“We’re different from many jewelry stores because a lot of our clients are visitors from all over the world,” Turpin said. “They come into our store, see the passion, artistry, and craftsmanship of our custom jewelry creations, and they want to take a piece of that with them.”

Turpin noted that Jackson Hole Jewelry considers itself “tech-savvy,” with a relatively young staff. He says BriteCo came along at the right time and provided them a new methodology for appraisals and customer insurance.

Zachariah and staff had been using traditional carbon copy appraisal forms. Due to the handwritten nature of the forms, any transcription error resulted in having to start the form over again. Once finalized, the store would SnapScan a copy of the appraisal to the Evernote, pull that down into Gmail, and then email it to the client.

“You can imagine how much time BriteCo’s appraisal software saves us now that it’s all automated online,” he emphasized. “BriteCo has absolutely helped us issue appraisals much faster.”

Turpin explained that he and two of his employees are using the appraisal software to do the appraisals. The employees use the inventory hold feature to save their appraisals so that Zachariah can review and approve them. Once finalized, the customer gets an immediate, automatic email with the appraisal as a PDF attachment.

“We can usually get appraisals done in the same day,” he said, “which is really helpful for customers that may be in town visiting for only a day or two.”

“My sole motivation in starting to use the BriteCo appraisal platform was improving efficiency for both my clients and myself,” Turpin recalled. “That desire was the impetus that drove me to speak to Dustin (Lemick, BriteCo’s CEO) about setting up an account after seeing it on the Jewelers Helping Jewelers Facebook group.”

Immediate insurance gives customers confidence and convenience

“BriteCo has basically closed all of these loops to where a customer comes in, makes a purchase, and we issue their appraisal right away,” Turpin commented. When the appraisal is finalized, the customer also receives a text or email offering instant insurance coverage from an AM Best A rated carrier. They can answer a few quick questions and get coverage in a matter of minutes on their smartphone.

“This is especially valuable in a travel destination area,” Turpin continued, “because so many people are buying valuable items and wanting them instantly insured. For us, it’s a really fantastic customer service differentiator.”

Turpin pointed out that even though the store is focused on building long-term customer relationships, for first-time customers providing an immediate appraisal and an instant insurance offering can alleviate any concerns they might have in making a large purchase far from home.

“BriteCo enables us to have that security blanket ready right away – at the time of purchase – for first time customers,” he added.

Delivering a superior customer service experience

Turpin described how customer response to the fast appraisal and immediate insurance offering has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I actually had one gentleman,” he continued, “who told me, ‘I have my own insurance, but the BriteCo rate was lower than what my insurance company quoted me. So, I insured it with BriteCo through my email.’ I also had another client that said, ‘BriteCo was the easiest insurance I’ve ever purchased.’”

Turpin indicated that based on his experience, it’s best to prepare a client for what they are going to receive in terms of the BriteCo appraisal and insurance offering. After running a credit card for payment and the client is either wearing their item or it’s boxed to take away, he explains:

“Shortly you will receive a digital appraisal. We use fantastic software from BriteCo. They’re on the cutting edge of the appraisal industry and they’ve modernized a dated appraisal process. Once you receive it, you will also be able to seamlessly insure your purchase directly through BriteCo if you choose to.

“We hold ourselves to very high standards for customer service,” Turpin concluded. “We’re aware of what a big difference the in-store experience makes in our success, and BriteCo is a phenomenal tool that we use to create a refined customer experience.”