It is impossible to project the existence and growth of any business without the customer. With eCommerce skyrocketing, many businesses struggle to maintain customers because of under-par customer service. According to research, 78% of consumers have ended a transaction due to bad service. Any serious eCommerce cannot entertain anything less than a happy customer for obvious reasons. However, good customer service doesn’t just come because you need it. You have to pull the necessary string of efforts to bring it to the table. Fortunately, this article takes you through 7 best practices for effective eCommerce customer service.
#1. Meet Customers on Preferred Channels
Every customer needs seamless and fast customer service. With competition becoming intense, several businesses are leaving no stone unturned to survive the tough market. Every existing eCommerce platform is spreading its wings across various channels to meet and assist its customers. If you remain rigid to just one or two communication channels, you pull down your customer service. Customers have different preferences and tastes based on a variety of factors. Therefore, limiting them to one or two communication channels is a polite way of locking them out of your business.
A report by Microsoft shows that 66% of consumers have used at least three different communication channels to contact customer service. In addition to this, according to a research by Hiver, 60% of companies deliver support across 3 or more channels. Therefore, expanding your communication channels is crucial. Of course, you can conduct research and pinpoint the most suitable channels.
#2. Consider Mobile Customers
The immense rise in the use of smartphones has changed the dynamics of eCommerce. In the past, most transactions were done using desktop computers or laptops. However, the current landscape is different. People are doing transactions over their mobile phones. They don’t need to use laptops or desktop computers. It is now crystal clear that a significant portion of online customers use mobile phones. If you want to acquire many customers, then optimize your eCommerce platform for mobile devices as well.
As long as security services like Geotrust Wildcard SSL are in place, adding mobile support makes online shopping safe and convenient. This premium yet cheap cert ensures encryption across multiple first-level subdomains under the chosen primary domain. If you don’t provide mobile device payments, for example, be sure to disconnect with plenty of customers, including loyal ones. Customers need convenience, and mobile devices provide a whole level of convenience.
#3. Leverage FAQs
Although FAQ is nothing new in the eCommerce world, its benefits are in the public domain and cannot be underestimated. Responding to customer queries in real-time is not a rocket science task but is also not short of challenges. Ranging from system to human-related issues, sometimes it proves daunting to satisfy a customer as you envisaged. Fortunately, FAQs can fill the niche more than you expected. FAQs are a collection of potential/common customer questions with answers. So, if your customer service personnel is held up, a customer can navigate to the FAQs section and siphon to get the right solution.
#4. Gather Customer Feedback and Implement
If you plan to grow, then you need to improve. But how do you improve without listening to new ideas or knowing the areas that need improvement? Perhaps one of the most crucial yet underrated data is customer feedback. Customer feedback is a measure of customer service. You might think that your service is crème de la crème when you don’t even come close to the threshold. Search for market leaders and see how do their customer service system works. Take a look at other industry trends such as the growth of the Malaysian market which has put a significant focus on customer experience in general.
Customer feedback rates your effort and tells you whether you are going in the right direction or simply accelerating the rate of customer dissatisfaction. Capture customer feedback through online surveys or other plausible means. You can leave a section where your customers rate their experience with you and even pinpoint areas of dissatisfaction. This way, you can easily point out the areas dragging you down and plan to fine-tune them.
#5. Secure your Site
The last thing a customer would want is to fall victim to fraud on your eCommerce platform. Hackers are eyes-open and are looking for every loophole to steal customers’ data for dubious use. For example, they can steal your credit card information and use it to make away with your money. Others can even redirect your transaction to another site and steal your money. Whichever the means, the secure transaction is paramount. Fortunately, there are several ways that eCommerce platforms can use to fortify their security. One of the most plausible and effective ways is through SSL encryption.
You might have heard of a Wildcard SSL certificate and wondered what it is. Well, this is an encryption service for customer transactions. It provides end-to-end encryption between the customer and the site on the chosen primary domain and an unlimited number of subdomains under it. Choosing the right SSL encryption service is important because not all services fit the nature and size of your business. With a good SSL encryption certificate, your customers feel more secure and are willing to shop with you.
#6. Automate your Ecommerce Customer Service
As much as FAQs are helpful, users have to scroll down to find the exact or related questions is daunting. Automated customer service is also gathering momentum across several eCommerce platforms and is proving to be effective. You can automate various processes and a database of frequently asked questions with respective answers. It cuts the workload of typing and responding to customers. You can also set up things like automated emails so that customers can share feedback on customer service. The good thing with these automated services is that they run 24/7, and hence customers can be attended to at any time.
#7. Employ Customer Relationship Management Software
Managing customer relationships is critical for effective customer service. It helps you streamline the way you interact and serve your customers. CRM tools give you a platform to understand your customers, interact with them, and create more connections. In a nutshell, you stay connected with your customers, and the customer feels close to your business. This translates to a good emotional connection with customers, streamlined operations, and better customer service.
Final Thoughts
There is no one-fix for all as far as eCommerce customer service is concerned. However, there is a long list of plausible tips that every eCommerce platform can use to boost its customer service. Fortunately, this article has highlighted the best tips for effective eCommerce customer service. Leverage these tips and transform your eCommerce customer service like never before.
E-commerce customer service also means delivering your orders safely to them. You can offer out-of-home delivery options with Stowfly. Stowfly is a network of shops and stores where your orders are safely received and handed over to your end customers. This totally avoids the problems of package theft and missed deliveries.