5 Best Practices to Improve Your Ecommerce Store’s Customer Service

While the eCommerce industry continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, online stores have the responsibility to level up their ante.

Right from creating intuitive shopping experiences to providing personalized shopping experiences, brands are taking huge strides to make their customers happy. And why not! Nearly 84% of customers say that customer service plays an important role in their decision to purchase from a brand.

That being said, there are multiple ways to enhance the customer service provided by an online store. For instance, eCommerce websites created on Shopify can utilize SEO efforts to drive their customer service efforts. For others, there are best practices that can be implemented so that customers are satisfied:

#1 Provide Assistance on Live Chat

One of the proven ways to amplify the quality of customer service in your eCommerce store is to be live. Adding Live Chat to your online store will help your customers address their queries and questions in real-time. By the end of 2020, 80% of eCommerce businesses were estimated to be using live chat for customer service. 

Customers often prefer live chat over other support channels as it has the least average wait time. In fact,  the average wait time for chat sessions is 45 seconds making it the fastest way for customers to get in touch with customer support. 

Live chat can also help you reduce the bounce rate on your website by allowing customers to contact you in case of any issues while browsing. It also allows customers to get other things done on the side, which is of great importance for shoppers who are shopping while working. 

#2 Personalize Communication

Personalization is the key to exceptional customer service, especially for eCommerce stores. There are times when customers will have general queries and then there are times where a more personalized and expert approach is required. 

eCommerce brands should always strive to provide a tailored shopping experience to their customers. According to a report by Accenture, 33% of customers discontinued their association with a brand because they experienced a lack of personalization. Another study found that 75% of customers were likely to stay loyal to a brand that identifies them by name, and suggests products based on past purchases.

Apart from this, brands must also try to take a personalized approach to query resolution. This can include providing tailored suggestions and offering solutions that would be suitable for the customer based on their query history.

#3 Empower Customers to Self-Service

Self-service can seem like a bad idea to many eCommerce companies. But customers perceive that the brand is being proactive by doing so. 

For eCommerce companies, many issues and challenges are repetitive. This allows them to record the responses to common issues, and store them as FAQs. This proactive action can go a long way in empowering customers.

A report by Zendesk, suggests that 50% of customers shopping on an eCommerce website want to resolve issues by themselves. A well-curated FAQ section can elevate the perceived quality of your customer service, and provide your customers instant solutions to their problems.

However, keep in mind that to get the self-service structure on-point, you need an engaging design and interactive UI that doesn’t make users’ website browsing experience tiresome. 

If you need help from e-commerce website development company, feel free to do so because professional assistance will ensure that site’s conversion stays intact and eventually grows with self-service section in place.  

#4 Implement a Multichannel Strategy

The general rule of thumb for eCommerce companies goes: be present where your customers are. It is also what your customers expect from you. 

Analyze the mediums that are most preferred by your customers to get in touch with you. Chances are that you might need to have a strong presence on social media channels, apart from the website, or customer support.

Having a multichannel strategy in place can help you service your customers on multiple channels, and promote your products on that many mediums. It is essentially a win-win situation. Brands that implemented a multichannel approach to customer service were able to retain more than 89% of their customers on average. 

#5 Take Customer Reviews and Feedback Seriously

Customer reviews and feedback are important tools for eCommerce brands. That is why they should never take it for granted.

Brands should take both — positive and negative customer feedback seriously and work on them to ensure their satisfaction. Whether the feedback is about the performance of your website, a new feature that the customer wants you to integrate, or a negative shopping experience, be present and listen. 

According to a report by Microsoft, 77% of consumers are likely to view a brand favorably if they ask for their feedback. 

Customer feedback can often give you valuable insights into what you are doing right or improve on. Implementing this feedback and make your customer feel valued and they would be more likely to stay associated with your brand.

Key Takeaways

Customer service is a crucial part of the value proposition offered by eCommerce stores. Since online stores have replaced brick-and-mortar stores in almost every way, the onus of providing stellar customer service also lies with the eCommerce stores. Moreover, online stores need to be proactive in catering to their customers’ needs so that their customer experience is elevated.