If you are running an e-commerce business and not having to deal with customers face-to-face, why bother with customer service?
E-Commerce customer service is so valuable that 42% of your consumers are willing to pay for it, and it can determine whether 73% of them will buy your products or not.
Customer service for e-commerce, just like any other business, is a huge determinant of your success in an online business.
For a business strategy that will increase your sales, customer loyalty, positive reviews, and conversions, you need to think about boosting your customer service.
Any form of support you offer your online customers is e-commerce customer service. Today, many businesses are transitioning to e-commerce, and the importance of e-commerce customer service continues to grow.
More businesses turning to e-commerce also means more and quicker options for customers. That has witnessed a rise in customer expectations. Therefore, customers will expect you to offer them fast, friendly and courteous support that they can access via multiple channels.
Things You Need to Improve Your E-Commerce Customer Service
1. Evaluation of Your Customer Service
To make any positive differences in the customer service you are offering to your customers, start by understanding where you are at the moment.
Let your customers give you information via interviews and surveys to understand their needs and wants. Further, analyze the customer service metrics that you currently have.
With that information, determine how you want your customer service to be and what you need to do to get there.
2. Offer Your Customers an Omnichannel Experience
Your customer service support should be available on all platforms available to cater to varying customer preferences and circumstances. All these platforms should also be connected to make the process painless for both the customer and the staff.
To offer your customers the best service, go beyond the multichannel approach, and embrace omnichannel. Omnichannel works by aligning multiple channels to increase customer service efficiency. Ultimately, it will help to improve your customer service and grow brand loyalty.
3. Instant Responses to Customer Enquiries
When a customer has an issue or complaint, they need three things:
- Fast responses
- Fast and easy to use the contact method
- To speak to knowledgeable staff
- To reach a customer service staff regardless of the time of day or location
To offer all these, use live chats to manage your communications with customers. Live chats have a 92% satisfaction rate, with customers preferring it over social media, email, and even phone support.
Customer messages should not go more than 24 hours without a response. Amazon knows this and has implemented a policy against it.
4. Customer Service must Cover Every Aspect of the Customer’s Journey.
78% of customers will leave a transaction incomplete or not make an intended purchase due to poor customer service.
Until the customer has completed a purchase, he or she is still checking on your competitors. The customer may need to reach out to you for more information about the product. Make sure you are available to respond to all the concerns raised. Your response has to be helpful, prompt, and friendly.
Your website also needs to be user-friendly and easy to use.
5. Solicit customer feedback to strengthen your brand
Your customer service strategy may be working for you, but is it working for your customers too? You should find out if it is delivering convenience to your clients. The only way to find out is to ask them through customer feedback.
If your customers are happy shopping with you, then take that opportunity to request them to leave a review.
Such reviews are of benefit to both the business as well as your customers in the following ways:
- Reviews give people a reason to build trust with your brand
- Your customers can open up to you about issues they have with your brand, and you can use that to improve your customer service
- Reviews, especially positive ones, help your brand to rank better on Amazon even against products with lower prices
6. Do not Ignore Negative Feedback. Instead, Respond.
Customer complaints are never personal, so do not treat them as such. Instead, use the opportunity to avoid the complete loss of that customer to competition by winning him or her over.
Your customer’s negative feedback, just like the positive one, deserves a response that should be delivered politely and positively. That sends the message to other consumers that you are reliable and honest. For negative feedback, make sure you listen and learn.
For positive feedback, ensure you communicate your appreciation to encourage others to do the same. Positive feedback helps strengthen your brand and rank favorably on big e-commerce sites like Amazon and eBay.
In the e-commerce industry, your customer service will give you a strategic distance from your competition. Offering better customer service will help you eliminate instances of returns and refunds. Further, it will help increase your visibility on the e-commerce sites, thereby skyrocketing your sales.
