Creating a positive experience via great customer service impacts how your audience perceives your business. It not only impacts your existing customers but influences your prospective customers as well.
Many consumers do brand research and read online reviews before committing to a business. Negative comments from dissatisfied customers could drive potential customers to your competition.Therefore, an exceptional customer experience should be a top priority for e-commerce businesses.
Here are some practical tips to help optimize your customer service using the limited touchpoints available in a digital ecosystem.
1. Invest in the Right Tools
One of the biggest customer experience challenges e-commerce brands face is a lack of personal interaction with the customer. As a customer can’t come into a store to discuss an issue or try on an outfit, there’s an increased likelihood of customer dissatisfaction.
Investing in the right tools can help minimize negative interactions and reduce friction in the sales process. Here are some must-have tools to enhance communication with customers.
1.1 Automated Chatbots
Many consumers would answer negatively when asked about robotic process automation in the sales process. However, they can’t deny the convenience of chatbots when looking for simple information about an online offering.
Programming automated chatbots enhance the customer experience in several ways. The main benefit is that someone can quickly collect information from the website without having to scour through the navigation menu to find it. Furthermore, they can continue to go about their life while waiting for a response rather than waiting on hold.
Having automated chatbots for quick, repetitive inquiries also keeps customer service lines free, reducing response times and time spent on hold. As such, automated chatbots benefit those who use them and those who contact the business through other channels.
1.2 Omnichannel Access and Centralization
Accessibility is everything in e-commerce. As the customer can’t call a local store or stop in on their way home from work, having different channels through which to contact the business is a must. Some customers will feel more comfortable communicating through email, while others prefer speaking to someone on the phone.
Incorporating digital customer experience software allows omnichannel access and is essential for an improved customer experience, but that’s not all. Data centralization is also a key consideration when taking this approach. An agent or representative should be able to quickly pull up customer information, whether they’ve called, emailed, or used social media as their point of contact.
Having channels that speak to one another and share data can minimize time spent on hold and improve the time to resolution.
1.3 Voice Analysis Software
Voice analysis software is an AI-driven technology that helps customer service agents control a conversation. This tool analyzes tones in real-time to offer valuable insights and suggestions.
Voice analysis software reads both the agent and the customer and offers suggestions for improvement. An agent can use this real-time feedback to direct the conversation toward a resolution that leaves the customer satisfied. This tool also helps with employee engagement. If the voice analysis software picks up on a negative tone from employees, it can notify them that it might be time for a break after this call.
We no longer live in a society where the customer is always right. Taking care of employees and ensuring they have time for a reset after a difficult customer can protect their mental health and wellbeing, minimize turnover, and create a consistent customer-centric experience.
1.4 Cybersecurity
Investing in cybersecurity is often overlooked as an aspect of the customer experience. However, minimizing the risk of their personal or financial data getting hacked ultimately impacts their overall experience with a company. Ensure that your e-commerce business is secure and that every transaction has minimal risk.
2. Empower Your Customers
Empowering your customers to take control of their experience will help improve wait times, time to resolution, and overall satisfaction. Here are some key considerations for customer empowerment.
2.1 Value Their Time
Valuing your customers’ time is the top priority in providing an exceptional customer experience. If your customer has a problem with the product they’ve received or has a question about your product, you should provide what they need in as little time as possible. Tools like automation and centralization can help with this effort.
2.2 Provide Self-Service Tools
Providing self-service tools is another effective way to show customers that you value their time while taking the burden off customer service agents. For example, including a shipping tracking portal on your website will minimize customer service inquiries.
2.3 Ask for Feedback
Asking for feedback after a customer goes through the transaction process or receives their product will benefit both the business and the consumer. Your customer will feel valued and heard, and your business can use the feedback to refine processes and improve the customer journey.
3. Practice Proactive Customer Service
Customer service has historically been reactive rather than proactive. Now, e-commerce brands are shifting toward an actionable, proactive approach. Here are some initial steps to take to embrace this shift.
3.1 Create an Onboarding Flow
So your customer has purchased a product. Now what? Before you start asking for positive reviews, ensure the customer knows what they’re doing and how to get the best possible results from their purchase.
Creating an onboarding flow that seeks to educate a customer will minimize the learning curve and improve early adoption rates. With an omnichannel approach to customer service, you can incorporate extra training and support needs into your onboarding flow.
3.2 Get Ahead of Problems
Let customers know of potential challenges before they bring them to you. Transparency and authenticity go a long way to building customer trust. Consider using social media monitoring to see what people are saying online and use feedback constructively. When you receive negative feedback, own your mistakes and make them right.
4. Track Your Metrics
It should come as no surprise that data is king in the e-commerce world. Tracking your metrics will help you set tangible goals and create actionable steps for improvement throughout the customer journey.
Some key metrics to track include:
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
- Average Resolution Time (ART)
- Peak Times
- First Contact Resolution
- Customer Effort Score (CES)
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Churn Rates
- Bounce rates
When in doubt, outline your customer journey and look for friction points. e-commerce businesses should also look into the cause of customer friction by evaluating website metrics through Google Analytics, such as page load times, potential bottlenecks, etc.
Final Thoughts
Improving the customer experience isn’t as simple as looking at data and adjusting your online store; it requires a cultural mindset shift. Audit and update your tools, invest in employee training and morale, and take a proactive approach to customer service for success.
This is a guest contribution by Ashley Lipman, Content Marketing Specialist at AltitudeBranding.
Ashley Lipman is an award-winning writer who discovered her passion for providing knowledge to readers worldwide on topics closest to her heart – all things digital. Since her first high school award in Creative Writing, she continues to deliver awesome content through various niches touching the digital sphere.
