The global trade industry has undergone significant transformation due to the internet. Over the last few years, we have witnessed a rapid increase in online businesses and e-commerce.
Consumers can now buy products and services globally online from the comfort of their homes.
Research by Statista shows that global retail ecommerce revenues in 2023 alone were an estimated 5.8 trillion USD and are projected to rise gradually over the coming years.
As more businesses hop online to expand their market, what can they do to improve, stay competitive, and stand out? One answer is to provide great ecommerce customer service.
In this blog, we explore the benefits of exceptional ecommerce customer solutions and give you tips for staying on top of your game.
What is ecommerce customer service?
Ecommerce customer service involves assisting customers who purchase products and services online throughout the entire shopping experience, from browsing and selection to post-purchase support.
It includes:
- Responding to customer requests.
- Processing payments.
- Tracking purchases and shipments.
- Providing post-purchase assistance such as processing refunds
The goal is to ensure a seamless customer service experience for your customers across all communication channels throughout the purchase process.
Best practices for ecommerce customer service
If you want your clients to return to your online business, you must provide reliable customer care at every touchpoint.
Incorporate the following best practices in your customer service strategy to help the success of your online business.
Use your customers’ preferred communication channels
Different types of customers prefer to contact the support team using different communication channels.
For example, while Millennial and Gen Z customers might prefer to contact you via or chat, older generations might prefer to call directly.
You can offer options for your customers to contact you via:
- Social media
- Phone calls
- Live chat
Additionally, providing omnichannel support in a centralized platform helps agents track customer issues in all channels.
Personalize your ecommerce customer solutions
Even though online shopping is less interactive than the standard in-store experience, online shoppers still appreciate personalized customer service that makes them feel like they matter to your company.
You can do the following to improve your offerings:
- Offer solutions based on the customer’s specific needs and preferences.
- Provide targeted product and service recommendations.
- Address each customer by their name.
- Send holiday greetings or customized gifts.
It is important to note that while offering relevant suggestions is helpful, bothering customers with many ads or improperly using their collected data can be counterproductive.
Empower your support team
A well-trained customer support team lays a solid foundation for excellent ecommerce customer help. Equip your customer service agents with advanced customer service skills to address customer concerns and fulfill requests swiftly.
Train them on how they can:
- Develop a customer-first mindset
- Lower the ticket resolution times.
- Handle difficult customer interactions and say no to customers
Additionally, provide your team with tools for streamlining customer service, task management, and knowledge management.
This will not only boost team productivity and effectiveness but will also:
- Improve communication and collaboration among support agents.
- Reduce the workload and improve employee satisfaction.
- Boost your self-service efforts.
- Optimize the customer experience.
Provide 24/7 customer support
Since most online businesses cater to clients in different time zones, all of whom prioritize speed and convenience, 24/7 customer service is a major bonus for businesses that can manage it.
Offering support 24/7 reduces customer service response times but also keeps tickets from piling up overnight, overwhelming your team.
Offer self-service options
Self-service is one of the driving forces behind excellent ecommerce customer service.
Research commissioned by NICE showed that 95% of clients find customer self-service beneficial. Develop an extensive knowledge base in a customer self-service portal that contains information about your brand, such as payment methods, return policies, and user guides.
Moreover, you should include a detailed FAQ section in your self-service offerings where customers can quickly find solutions to common questions or issues.
Solicit actionable customer feedback
Brands that ask for and address customer feedback show that they value the opinions of their customers and are committed to continuous improvement. Customer feedback can help you learn how well your product or service is performing.
Customer reviews are also a great way to learn more about your ecommerce customers’ needs and the issues they may be facing in the purchasing or check-out processes.
By listening to feedback and acknowledging reviews, you show your customers you value them.
Collect and utilize customer data
Data about previous customer purchases can help you improve your ecommerce customer support strategies. You can gather and analyze the following information to improve your ecommerce customer service:
- Customer transaction data such as payment options, purchase history, and items purchased.
- Social media interactions.
- Personal information such as location.
- Website traffic.
- Browsing journey on your website.
For instance, if you receive peak sales towards the weekends or holidays, you can schedule more service agents than usual to work shifts around those periods.
It is important to note that while collecting customer data can help improve customer service, businesses should always adhere to customer data management guidelines and laws.
Leverage live chat support
Live chats are real-time communication channels businesses use to communicate directly with their clients.
Online businesses have limited opportunities to interact with clients and live chat support provides an opportunity to engage customers through a chat conversation.
Most customers prefer to communicate with support personnel via live chat to reduce the wait time and get immediate help.
Be proactive and consistent in your ecommerce customer help
Proactive customer service involves anticipating and meeting the needs of customers even before they contact your support team for assistance.
Identify the common challenges that online shoppers encounter on your website or with your products and provide information on how to overcome the obstacles beforehand.
Consistency in customer service means providing the same service quality and assistance across all the customer touchpoints. It means assisting with a product or service from selection to checkout.
Benefits of ecommerce customer support
Efficient customer service dramatically impacts the success of any ecommerce business.
A study by NICE shows 95% of customers agree that customer service impacts their loyalty to a brand, positively or negatively, depending on its effectiveness. Good customer service has a lot of benefits.
Sets you apart from the competition
Today’s customers have very high expectations for the brands they engage with. Online shoppers can easily switch to a competitor at the first sign of inconvenience. To ensure you stand out in the market, you must offer excellent customer experiences.
A brand that is well known for its good ecommerce customer service attracts more customers, and ultimately gains a competitive edge.
Builds customer loyalty
Excellent customer service shows that your company is customer-centric. It also shows customers that you care about the quality of their experience, which builds trust.
A survey by Statista shows that 94% of customers are more likely to make a second purchase after receiving excellent customer service.
Providing first-rate ecommerce customer service will reassure customers that even if they have problems, you’re there to back up your products. This reliability coupled with good products builds customer loyalty.
Increases your business revenue
After satisfying interactions with online customer service, customers are more likely to return, to spend more per purchase, or accept upselling and cross-selling.
Additionally, resolving issues quickly minimizes cart abandonment and ensures a smooth buying experience, leading to higher conversion rates.
Improves brand perception
Friendly, efficient, helpful interactions foster a sense of trust and value. This positive experience turns customers into loyal brand advocates, spreading positive recommendations through online reviews.
Since online shoppers heavily rely on user reviews, this feedback positively impacts your brand perception and lowers customer acquisition costs.
Enhances customer satisfaction
Providing ecommerce customer support require resolving customer issues on time, responding to feedback, and practicing empathy in customer service.
Improving your support and empowering your team to provide the best ecommerce customer service leads to happy customers and a solid customer base.
Moreover, by being proactive, providing prompt solutions, and offering self-service options, you will improve customer satisfaction.
Provide exceptional customer service to grow your ecommerce business
Maintaining strong customer relationships and fostering loyalty still rely heavily on providing excellent customer service. To provide exceptional ecommerce customer service, you must begin by empowering your customer support team with the right tools.
BoldDesk customer service software empowers your team to provide consistent and seamless customer service, collaborate effectively, and communicate with clients across all channels.
Contact us to discover how BoldDesk can transform and propel your e-commerce business to greater heights! Book a live demo or sign up for a free trial today to experience its features.
We hope these tips will help you improve your e-commerce customer service. Do you have any additional insights? Leave your comments in the section below!
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