The acceleration of eCommerce throughout 2020 across the world was hard to overlook. Consumers out of necessity shopped online more frequently than they normally do and businesses were forced to change their eCommerce customer service strategies as a result. Even with this shift in customer behavior, most companies are still not properly equipped to handle thousands of customer requests (sales orders, support tickets, and so on) daily. As an eCommerce business owner will tell you, providing exceptional customer service is unquestionably crucial for running a successful business.
We’ve put together 5 effective eCommerce best practices to help you ensure customer satisfaction throughout their journey with your business.
Start with a multi-medium eCommerce customer service communication plan
Your potential clients want to know you are just one click away via email, live chat, mobile apps, and phone when they need help.
A multi-channel eCommerce customer service touchpoint with your customers allows you to stay in close contact with them throughout the buying process. To stay competitive you need to unit all the available mediums of communication under a single easy-to-use platform.
How to develop an effective omnichannel eCommerce customer service strategy:
- Identify your buyers preferred ways of communication
- Understand your buyers’ journey and stay in touch with them throughout the process.
- Deliver a personalized experience to your customer.
Be proactive with your eCommerce customer service delivery
Most customers need assistance completing an online purchase. If you’ve done an excellent job understanding your client’s journey, then it will be easy for you to figure out where they get stuck in the buying process and be proactive in helping them get through it. Excellent eCommerce customer service is about proactivity in problem-solving before it reaches the escalation point.
How to implement a proactive eCommerce customer service:
- Inform your customers about a potential problem (and offer a solution) before they encounter it themselves.
- Keep in touch with customers after purchase to confirm their level of satisfaction with your product/services. Never wait for them to get back to you directly or indirectly via a bad review.
- Keep tabs with online chatter (review platforms and social media conversation) about your product/services.
- Use FAQs to resolve frequently reported problems, questions, or concerns before they arise.
Build an All-Star eCommerce customer service team
Ecommerce customer service is not just another business process, it is the heartbeat of every successful company. If you have A-Players in your eCommerce call center delivering these services, your customer acquisition, and retention rate will be off the charts.
So consider the following when putting a team together:
- Training – You can’t compromise on the importance of giving your team the proper training on both your product/services and your company’s culture.
- Tools – Give them the tools needed to deliver excellent customer service.
Effective eCommerce call center service requires automation
Highly effective businesses use automation to boost eCommerce customer service efficiency.
You must find the right balance when it comes to automation. Not all eCommerce call center processes can be automated.
Here are some eCommerce call center processes that can be automated:
- Inventory management
- Order fulfillment
- Invoicing /Billing /Payments
- Email notifications
- Customer feedback/reviews
Outsource eCommerce management service to professionals
Should I outsource my eCommerce operation or manage them in-house? This is a strategic decision that every business owner makes at some point. For most businesses, handling the eCommerce operations internally becomes a distraction as the number of customer requests coming in daily increases.
What are the benefits when you outsource eCommerce management service?
- Focus on your core business
- Increase efficiency
- Saves cost and fuels innovation
- Easy access to professionals
- Adds competitive advantage
Effective eCommerce customer service is the backbone of every successful eCommerce business. At Tres Commas we give you a competitive advantage by taking complete care of your eCommerce operations so you can focus on building the best product and services.