E-commerce businesses are growing in popularity, and for good reason: They offer a convenient and efficient way to purchase items online. However, to be successful, ecommerce businesses must not only provide great products but also great customer service.
This article will discuss the importance of customer service for ecommerce businesses and offer tips for improving it so your business can thrive. Keep reading to find out more.
Why Customer Service is Essential for Ecommerce Businesses
In today’s digital age, customers have more choices than ever and can easily take their business to another company if they are unhappy with the service they receive. This is why it is so crucial for ecommerce businesses to excel in their customer service.
Excellent customer service builds trust and loyalty and can turn one-time buyers into lifelong fans. It also helps create a positive reputation for your business while attracting new customers.
Finally, providing excellent customer service is simply the right thing to do. Your customers deserve to be treated well, and providing them with good service will make them happy with their shopping experience.
The good news is that you can improve your customer service on a limited budget, so if you think great customer service will cost you an arm and a leg, you may find that that’s not the case.
How to Improve Customer Service for Your Ecommerce Business
There are many ways to improve the customer service of your ecommerce business, as you can read below. Implementing a few of these tips can significantly improve your customer satisfaction levels.
1. Provide excellent customer service from the start
Setting the right tone with your customers from the start is essential to providing good customer service. This first interaction will set the tone for future interactions, so it’s essential to ensure you get the right tone from the start.
For example, when a customer visits your website for the first time, they should be greeted with a friendly message. This message should make it clear that you are happy to help them with whatever they need.
Additionally, it is also important to provide customer support phone numbers, as well as the business hours during which your team will be available. This will ensure that your customers know that they can contact you if they need help and that you are available to help them.
This can be used on any website in any industry.
For example, Intelius is a people search service that offers its customers a wide range of options for searching for people. The company’s website has a customer service number that people can contact if they need help using the site or any of its services.
![Intelius Customer Service](https://storage.googleapis.com/mrkt-image-assets/22-07-20_Image1.png)
Image source: Intelius
2. Respond quickly to inquiries
Customers appreciate a quick response, so it’s essential to answer their questions as quickly as possible. If you can’t answer their question right away, let them know you’re working on it and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
It could be something as simple as: “Thank you for your question. I’m looking for the answer and will get back to you as soon as possible.”
3. Be available 24/7
If possible, try to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This may not always be feasible, but it is essential to try to be as available as possible. Customers appreciate being able to reach you anytime, day or night, when they have a problem.
While this may seem like it goes way beyond what is necessary, know that there are simple ways to accomplish this as well. You can use an automated messaging system to take messages outside of business hours or have someone available to answer questions via chat or email. It doesn’t always have to be telephone support.
4. Train your employees
It is essential to ensure that all of your employees are adequately trained in customer service. They must know how to handle different types of customer requests and how to handle difficult situations.
You can offer training through online courses, manuals, or even in-person workshops. Whichever method you choose, make sure your employees are fully prepared to provide customers with the type of answers they are looking for: any inferior solution will only lead to frustration on the part of the customer.
5. Have an FAQ section on your website
An FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on your website can benefit you and your customers. It can help you save time answering common customer questions and help them find answers to their questions faster.
If you want to excel at customer service in this area, you can even have videos recorded for those who prefer to watch rather than read.
6. Use social media
Social media is a great way to communicate with your customers and provide excellent customer service. You can use social media to answer questions, provide updates, offer discounts, etc.
Be sure to regularly monitor your social media accounts so you can respond as quickly as possible to any concerns customers may have.
7. Offer Incentives
Incentives are a great way to show your appreciation to your customers, and they’re part of great customer service. You can offer incentives for things like referring friends or leaving reviews. This will encourage customers to continue doing business with you.
Depending on your business model, examples of incentives include discounts, free shipping, or early access to new products.
8. Get feedback and act on it
Finally, it is essential to get feedback from your customers and act on it. This feedback can take the form of surveys, reviews, or even just casual conversations.
Make sure you take the time to listen to what your customers are saying and then make changes based on their feedback. This will help you gain loyal customers and sales.
SolitaireBliss.com started including open text feedback in their surveys and found that it improved customer service by 23%. They also added tips to help people compete on their leaderboards, as they found many people struggled with this.
![SolitaireBliss](https://storage.googleapis.com/mrkt-image-assets/22-07-20_Image2.png)
Image source: SolitaireBliss
These are just a few examples, but sometimes all it takes is a small change to make a big difference.
9. Show that customer service is important
It’s a bit of a meta tip, but if you want to improve customer service for your ecommerce business, it’s essential to show that it matters.
This could be something as simple as displaying a banner on your website or sending an email highlighting some of the great things you’ve done recently for your customers.
This could also take the form of customer reviews that specifically talk about the excellent customer service they received.
A good example can be seen on Emotive.io, an SMS marketing company that highlights customer reviews on its website. This not only helps build trust with new visitors, but also shows that customer service is a top priority for the business.
![Emotive.io](https://storage.googleapis.com/mrkt-image-assets/22-07-20_Image3.png)
Image source: Emotive.io
Action Steps for Handling Difficult Complaints
Balancing customer acquisition and retention is essential for any business, especially e-commerce businesses. Since the customer base is constantly changing and it’s easier than ever for customers to take their business elsewhere, it’s essential to have a solid customer service strategy to deal with unhappy customers.
Here are some steps to consider when dealing with more difficult complaints.
1. Don’t ignore them
The first step is to not ignore complaints. It can be tempting to ignore them, especially if they are on a larger scale, but this will only make the problem worse. Not only will the customer be unhappy, but they will also likely tell their friends about their bad experience, which could lead to even more lost business.
2. Apologize
Even if the complaint is not your fault, it is important to apologize. This shows that you care about the customer and their experience. A simple apology can go a long way in calming a tense situation.
For example, a company cannot always control the delivery time to a customer, but customers will always expect the same company to have the answers, especially when an order takes longer than expected to arrive. Sometimes an apology is the only way to move forward.
3. Take action
Once you receive a complaint, it is essential to take action. This may involve refunding the customer, replacing the product, or offering a discount on future purchases. Whatever you do, make sure the customer feels like their complaint was taken seriously and that something was done to remedy the situation.
4. Tracking
After taking action, don’t forget to follow up with the customer. This shows that you care about their satisfaction and want to make sure they are happy with the resolution. A follow-up phone call or email can go a long way in building customer loyalty.
5. Learn from your mistakes
Finally, it is important to learn from your mistakes. After each complaint, take time to think about what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. This will help you build a better business and provide a better customer experience.
In conclusion
Improving customer service isn’t complicated: it’s a simple process that’s definitely not easy.
Essentially, customer service requires a business to get the basics right and then go the extra mile to differentiate themselves from the competition.
By following the tips outlined in this article, you can ensure that your ecommerce business provides excellent customer service and retains your customers at the same time.