Customer Support Solutions Can Supercharge E-Commerce Business: Painless customer service determines the success of any business. Different industries follow a different customer service approach. And it goes without saying that customer expectations are always meant to be exceeded when it comes to eCommerce business. An approach that works for a brick and mortar store will not be effective for an eCommerce business.

What works for a small retailer will not work well for an international brand. The eCommerce customer service sector should continuously innovate and evolve to satisfy ever-changing customer expectations. For this reason, injecting the right kind of customer support solutions into your eCommerce business can make all the difference.

Why is eCommerce Customer Service Different From The Rest

Consider an eCommerce scenario. Customer searches the eCommerce website for a product. He browses through various available options and selects the product of his choice. He makes a purchase. The product gets shipped. Customer receives the product and posts a review or gives a rating for the entire experience. Here, the entire customer journey happens online. 

Customers do not involve in face-to-face interaction with online customer service agents like they do in physical stores. Even so, they may require assistance at any stage of the customer journey.

eCommerce platforms have to put in more effort and follow a different strategy to interact with their online customers.

• Customer service representatives cannot directly interact with customers in an eCommerce business.
• Customers may experience several roadblocks during the buying process as everything is carried out online.
• In eCommerce customer service, human support agents can be reached only through call or chat.
• eCommerce businesses will have to handle several service requests online.
• Agents deal with a high volume of common queries related to product, order fulfilment and returns.
• Unlike physical stores, agents on an eCommerce platform will have to monitor multiple channels.

Exceptional Customer Service, a Key To Success

The most effective and simplest method to do business is to follow a B2C approach in sales and service – be it a retailer, manufacturer, distributor, or any other company which has products or services to sell. On the other hand, if it is not possible for customers to reach out to your brand due to lack of convenient and efficient communication platforms, it can negatively affect the reputation and growth of your business.

Delivering exceptional customer support solutions is of utmost priority in the eCommerce industry. Incorporation of effective customer management solutions, to handle customer interactions, will help your businesses grow exponentially. Organizations are seeking faster methods for communication and provide value to customers across multiple channels. You cannot miss or avoid a single customer interaction because even one escalation may lead to big losses. 

Let Self-service Be Your Frontline

Allow your customers to find answers on their own. An efficient way to help your customers is to build a customized self-service portal. It should contain articles, FAQs, and other informative documents. The portal should address common customer queries related to product, purchase, returns, price quote, warranty, etc. Ensure that customers can find such relevant information through popular search engines too. Such an approach will provide better customer experience and improve customer satisfaction.

Offer Multichannel Customer Support

Automated contact centres employ software bots which help your eCommerce business to interact with customers seamlessly through multiple channels. Contact centres improve customer engagement by facilitating interactions through multiple communication channels like social media, email, phone, chat, mobile apps, online marketplaces, website, etc. Software bots mimic human employees and can initiate a conversation with customers and clarify common doubts related to online products. 

Proactive Customer Service

Offer proactive customer support through automated customer support solutions. It will help your business to engage with customers even before they ask for support. If your customer has been browsing product pages for some time but has not yet added any item to their shopping cart, then you can offer proactive support. Customer activities like browsing through products, searching FAQs, etc. are all indicators that your customers need help. Intelligent, automated customer support systems will assist your online store in monitoring such customer behaviour. Such systems will proactively offer customers a chance to engage with the brand through chat, helpful notifications or through calls. Trigger an automated call to resolve customer issues rather than wait for the customer to send an email.

Offer Seamless Return Policies

One of the major concerns of online customers is product returns. Many of them encounter difficulties while trying to return a product. Around 15-30% of products bought online are returned. And so, it is essential to have a simple and easy to understand return policy in place. Make it available on multiple pages of your website and in purchase confirmation emails. A clear description of the return policy will let customers make purchases with confidence. The more beneficial the policy is, the more comfortable they will feel while shopping from your eCommerce platform. Given below are a few tips to encourage sales:

1. Offer your customers a full refund rather than store credit.
2. Provide ample time frames for returning an item.
3. Offer guarantees for products sold through your eCommerce platform.

Understanding Customers

Conversing is the best way to engage with a customer and to understand them better. How can you do this? Intuitive customer support solutions powered by technology can be your secret weapon. Contact centers will help you build a rapport with customers. It is also an efficient way to turn leads into your actual customers. You can figure out their likes and dislikes easily through direct interactions by contact center agents. Buying patterns, browsing patterns, wishlists, past reviews and other elements of the purchase process gives you data on customer preferences. Such insights will help call center agents to offer suggestions and guide the customers towards a sale. Customer interactions often provide scope for cross-selling and up-selling, opening up a new revenue stream.

Personalization Can Set You Apart

Offer a personalized experience to your online customers. For instance, maintaining accounts that record customers’ past purchases, checkout information, shipping address, etc. creates a better experience. Offer them a selection of items which are similar or related to their previous purchases. Personalized emails will let your brand connect with the customers on a more personal level. Other personalised services like designing unique pieces or creating custom-fit clothing as per customer requirement or gift-wrapping a delivery or including a freebie will make them feel special.

Give your eCommerce business an impressive, competitive edge through exceptional customer service. Examine the buying experience through the eyes of your customers. Ensure that it is convenient, seamless, user friendly, and personalized throughout your entire website. No matter how crowded the online marketplace becomes, start with the right tools to build strong customer support solutions. Use automation to streamline workflows in your eCommerce business.

Place your customers first – they should be your top priority rather than products or services. Efficient customer service is vital to improve your growth curve and to flourish in this competitive eCommerce industry.