Improve eCommerce Customer Service
Today, the customers raged online about one thing or another. So, A couple of things went on, 1 of which was out of my control (Damn you Postal Service). The other was not, and this is the why I want to share with you how I fixed it.
When you are selling stuff online customer service is a big part of the equation.
Whether it is physical products or digital, people will invariably have complaints or questions.
I found that the most effective way to deal with these issues is to have excellent on site information that should defer some of the emails.
Implement these 3 easy ways to improve customer service online and your staff will thank you for it…
#1 Add An FAQ
This is something that we are currently doing to all of our niches. Customers really like these, because it an easy and familiar way to get their questions answered.
Having your eCommerce store on WordPress makes this so easy to implement. Just create a new page and start answering the most frequently asked questions that you’ve received in your inbox. Your staff should already have most of the answers, just ask them. If your just starting and are the main person who takes of it all than compiling this list will be easy peazy.
After you have it together, start promoting it on your site. Make a blog post about it and include the links to the page in the side bar of your item page, and add it near the top right and bottom of your website. Those are the most common places customers go looking for it.
#2 – Be Specific
This is the issue that was in my control. One of the products we did a video. Problem is the measurements were wrong.
“Why don’t you just upload a corrected video?”
Because unfortunately the video gets me a lot of traffic and has been around for a while so… the solution?
Annotations. Thankfully the video was uploaded via YouTube and could easily (ok, not so easily) be fixed right with those nice text boxes across the measurements that were incorrect.
Going back to the item on your site. Add all the hight and width details, weight, etc.
“Make sure you add the correct details.”
Also, if something is a little obscure about the item mention it. That way you will get fewer questions about it.
These things all help manage expectations. If you tell that your handling time is 2 days then believe it or not customers will expect the item to leave your warehouse in about 2 days. If it is a special order. LET THEM KNOW. The biggest thing that really cheeses folks off is being lied to. ”Imagine that”.
Manage the expectation of your customers and the emails will be reduced.
It’s the little things like this that really adds up. Start taking little steps to correct some of the ambiguity of online shopping and your customers will thank you for it with their wallets.
#3 – Include An Easy Way To Get In Touch
It still behoves me why some eCommerce stores bury their contact information.
A phone number can dramatically improve the conversion rate and reduce the number of complaints. Shoppers just like to know it is there.
Yes, they do call but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
The truth is, just adding an easy way (like in the top right corner) to contact your company can make all the difference. If you don’t currently do this you are leaving money on the table.
Implementing these 3 easy ways to improve customer service online will help your customers make informed decisions and decrease the number of complaints in your inbox.
What are some of the ways you improve customer service?
Leave your interesting and creative responses below… (RWJ Quote)
- Mark
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