Just because your business is online does not mean that customer service is any less important.
In fact, businesses in the United States lose approximately $62 billion due to poor customer service experiences.
We also know that people are more likely to tell their friends about negative customer service experiences than positive ones… and that nearly 75% of consumers will not repeat purchases if they had a poor customer experience.
Okay, so customer service is still very important in 2020, but how do you improve that experience to support your eCommerce site?
Good question. Keep reading to find out the answer!
1. Implement Chat Feature
There are now several popular instant messaging programs for work and for fun. These applications and features are convenient, easy to use, and save the time of making a phone call.
If you have the resources to add a chat feature, you should do it! This feature is an easy way for customers to get answers to questions quickly and efficiently which they appreciate.
Customers that spend a lot of time online are more likely to shop on eCommerce sites. By using a feature they are already familiar with, the overall experience will be seamless.
2. Reduce Wait Times
Customer experience is highly correlated with the amount of time they have to wait for a response. A chat feature is one way to reduce wait times, but there are other optimization strategies.
If you offer a customer service telephone number, it’s a good idea to try using a call back system rather than forcing customers to stay on hold. You can also reduce wait times indirectly by building an intuitive website with all relevant information. That way, customers can answer their own questions without a chat feature or a phone call.
3. Don’t Make Customers Repeat Themselves
This is an issue mostly with large eCommerce businesses that provide customer service over the phone. If a person speaks to an operator about their issue and then has to describe it again to an associate, they are annoyed. You would be too!
Once information is collected from a customer, the customer service representative can perform a warm transfer to share the important information before the customer is connected.
Even if your customer is providing information online, do not ask the same question more than once. Make the form submission brief and to-the-point collecting only the most important facts to help the customer.
4. Invest in Your Knowledge Base
Customers would prefer to find the answers themselves. One way to facilitate this is to create a knowledge base. This is basically a database of frequently asked questions or user issues along with suggestions and support.
If you can anticipate a customer’s question and answer it on your eCommerce site, it will save your team time and improve the customer’s experience. There are a few ways to use a knowledge base, such as a searchable list of articles or blog links.
If you are not confident that you can create a knowledge base on your own, you can find software to help you (see number 8 below).
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5. Use Social Media
The modern world revolves around social media. A brand, even an eCommerce brand, can improve their reputation using these sites.
Connecting with eCommerce customers on these sites shows dedication and professionalism. You can field questions, comments, and complaints using social media. Moreover, you can proactively build a brand that customers trust.
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and even LinkedIn are good places to start, but you should first find out where your ideal customer spends the most time online.
6. Ask For Feedback
Whether it is on social media or via email, collecting customer feedback can be enlightening. Use the opportunity to ask your customers about their overall satisfaction with the experience.
You can also administer a short survey about particular parts of the experience if you want details. However, too many questions will reduce the likelihood that customers will complete the survey.
If you are interested in the feedback you can offer incentives for those that complete the patient satisfaction questions at the conclusion of their interaction.
7. Work With Experts in The Field
If you are serious about building your eCommerce brand and guaranteeing an exceptional customer experience, consider hiring expert consultants.
These companies help develop business plans and strategies to optimize your eCommerce site with customer service in mind. If you think you might be interested, book a consultation and see if you would be a good fit.
8. Use Customer Service Software
ECommerce customer service software helps online businesses provide a better experience for customers. This software can help you automate procedures on your website which is crucial for a growing eCommerce site.
The software can help integrate your site’s email, optimize the knowledge base, measure customer service metrics, and connect various platforms for customer communication.
Ultimately, the customer service software allows you to automate as much as possible without losing the illusion of a small, intimate interaction.
9. Hire Good People
As with any business, the company culture and quality of employees are paramount. If you are a growing eCommerce business looking to hire new people, take special care to hire people you believe will contribute to your overall vision and company culture.
The people that are replying to customers on social media, via email, and over the phone should be experienced and knowledgeable to assure the best user experience possible.
Similarly, the people writing your knowledge base content and other site content should be experienced experts in content.
Time to Rethink eCommerce Customer Service
There are several approaches you can take to improve overall eCommerce customer service. Consider starting with one of the nine mentioned above.
Despite the changes to the shopping experience, the customer is still at the center. Creating a site with the customer in mind will help you retain the customers you have and entice new customers to purchase your goods or services.
If you are looking for additional support to improve your eCommerce site and customer service, set up a time to speak with us.
