In the past, customers have flocked stores day in and day out to shop around, tested new products and interacted with more attendants than they can count on their hands.
Recently, especially in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you can do your shopping online, in the comfort of your home, even while wearing your PJs or when you’re snuggled in bed ready to sleep.
According to this study by Statista, market growth for eCommerce has been growing steadily globally and is expected to do so in the following years. Expect that more customers will be coming to access your stores from all over the world.
When using eCommerce, customers can enjoy features such as 24/7 shopping, hassle-free returns and refunds, a limitless selection of products, and more. Plus, the possibility that you can shop till you drop on your pajamas with a cup of tea while lounging around your couch sounds like the best idea.
Another benefit of eCommerce is having to talk with eCommerce customer service without having to talk to people. A lot of people feel negatively towards face-to-face customer service conversations and we get that.
What is eCommerce Customer Service?
Ecommerce customer service is a technique for delivering customer support to consumers who make online purchases. When merchants engage in enhancing their eCommerce customer service, whether, through a contact center, live support, or other channels, they are rewarded with more loyal consumers, higher conversion rates, and a competitive edge.
There are a lot of kinds of customer care support services you can encounter and a lot of the time, these services are handled by outsourced IT services from other countries. Customer support outsourcing is a common practice for a lot of online marketplaces.
Customer care representatives must be able to respond quickly if your online consumers have questions when making purchases or need post-sales support.
10 Best Practices for eCommerce Customer Support Services
If you want to begin providing eCommerce Customer Support Services, or you have but you’re dying to improve it, here are some of the best practices you can observe:
A Well-Informed and Honest Product Catalog Will Benefit You
With eCommerce, your product information is posted on the product catalog or the product description. A lot of times, people proceed to customer support when they feel like your product catalog lacks information or that they find some information unclear. Some customers may not find the product photos satisfactory, while others may abandon their cart due to a discount code that just does not function.
One of the best practices for eCommerce customer service is making sure that no one has to even access customer care support in the first place. By simply enhancing the effectiveness and layout of your product catalogs, you can avoid a large portion of customer service requests. This may be accomplished by providing accurate product descriptions and price information. Having various “Call To Action” buttons available can also help your clients navigate your marketplace without you having to do so. Check that they are easy to see and comprehend.
Adding HD product images and videos from multiple angles will also be very beneficial for you because it can provide your customers with an idea of what the product looks like. A space for your customers to give out feedback is also good for your online marketplace.
Create a Social Media Presence
Social media is everywhere nowadays. It’s even a big deal for some that a person doesn’t have social media. They are not just posting images from their vacations or dinner parties, but also their interactions with their favorite businesses. This is why social media influencers are gaining a lot from their social media presence.
Brands and businesses should consider the fact that a lot of people are on social media and would prefer to interact with the businesses directly on there. People love it when they can do a lot of things within one app. According to a study by Microsoft, around 50% of customers aged 18-34 have contacted a business via social media.
Provide Customers with Various Channels
ECommerce companies should provide their clients with a variety of service channels as they expand. You risk losing clients if you only communicate with them by phone or email. According to a Statista survey, while 60 percent of customers believe it is easier to contact a business via phone, a sizable 39 percent believe it is more convenient to communicate with businesses via social media.
Enable Live Chat for Your Online Shop
Live chat for your online shop is very beneficial. According to this Zendesk study, when compared to any other contact method, live chat is preferred by 92 percent of clients. Customers may get help from your live chat employees in real-time. In actuality, they can handle many chat sessions at the same time, which is not feasible with traditional channels like phone support. Maintain customer connection for a more engaged and personalized experience.
Make Sure That You Accomplish FCR
Obviously, the goal of customer care support is to assist consumers. These solutions must be delivered swiftly and efficiently. The number of client concerns resolved by your team on the first engagement with the customer is referred to as First Contact Resolution. In the case of call assistance or live chat, this implies that the customer’s request has been met before they hang up the phone or close the chat session.
Provide Customers with Knowledge to Resolve Concerns
Providing your customers with knowledge to resolve their concerns without going through customer care support is also customer service. Resolving problems by themselves, from the perspective of a customer, is an empowering feeling. You may incorporate self-help articles, FAQs, or information about your future items to create a great self-service experience. You may also incorporate instructional films to help clients use your items more effectively.
You Should Always Prioritize Proactive Customer Service
The bulk of online businesses rely on reactive help, actively working only after a client reports a problem. For example, firms only confirm a shipping delay when consumers request an update. To provide excellent eCommerce customer care, you must anticipate client issues and resolve issues before they even make a ripple. Foresight and proactive customer service are what will differentiate your eCommerce business from others. It’s called customer care support for a reason.
It is critical to be open and honest with your consumers. Don’t wait for people to come to you with problems; instead, report them as soon as they occur. Even if a problem has been corrected, follow up regularly with your consumers. A quick email asking clients whether the same issue is occurring again could be set up automatically. In the end, if these problems cannot be resolved, the best thing to do is to give an apology and a compromise.
Improve Your Customer Service Process with Automation
Difficult customers, especially when they’re irate, are what some agents have to deal with. Automating customer service processes can substantially reduce time spent on repetitive, time-consuming manual tasks. Customers, agents, and managers in charge of customer service all benefit from an automated process. To save agents from typing the same replies repeatedly, you can create thousands of canned replies.
Personalized Support May Help You Make the Most of Every Interaction
Personalization is something that all outstanding e-commerce customer experiences have in common. Individual consideration can make a major difference in your clients’ support experience, whether it’s delivering personalized suggestions or something as basic as indulging them on their important days.
By connecting with consumers on a human level, you can teach your employees to make every service encounter count. You may provide product suggestions to clients regularly through newsletters or simply by having them browse your website. It’s also a good idea to set up a loyalty program to acknowledge and thank your returning consumers. Sending handwritten thank-you notes together with the boxed goods is the most customized thing you can do to make your customers feel special.
Listen and Ask For Feedback
No matter what issue you’re dealing with, the finest thing you could do to better is to listen to recommendations. You may use this to seek areas that could benefit from improvement. Listening carefully to what your customers are saying may assist you in gathering business-specific knowledge, preventing negative situations from worsening, and improving your customer support operations.
Conclusion
eCommerce is rapidly growing especially due to the uncertainty we experience with the COVID-19. There is nothing more beneficial to an eCommerce business such as eCommerce customer service.
After the whole article, there are a few points to remember when it comes to providing good customer care support. They can be remembered with a few words: Efficiency, personalization, easy access.
With VServe’s customer support service, we can ensure you are there to help your consumers throughout their buying trip and give an excellent experience. Allow Vserve to handle your technical or non-technical inquiries quickly and effectively. With our services, you can increase the value of your brand, increase customer satisfaction, and enhance brand loyalty.
If you need more information or are ready to collaborate with us, please contact us at info@vservesolution.com or +13322238085.
