Today, things have changed and customer service has become an essential area of focus for companies. This scenario has arrived mainly because of the multitude of options available in every sector of business. This brings a level of competition where striving against one another on the basis of costs and features only helps to an extent. What remains then, is customer service, and in today’s age, it is no small deal. As Zappos CEO To NY Hsieh says, “Customer service should not be a department. It should be the entire Company.”

According to a Microsoft report, 96% of consumers worldwide say customer service is an important factor in their choice of loyalty to a brand. We are so used to placing importance in customer service that this fact may even make you wonder whether the remaining 4% actually exist. Interestingly, Forbes, in one of its blogs, says that customer experience is the new battleground.

What Sets E-Commerce Apart?

As far as e-commerce is concerned, it has turned out to be a completely different ball game than other businesses. Everything here is notably faster and easier. It is thus a natural tendency to expect customer service to be as easy and swift as the process of checking or buying stuff online.

In this article, we will discuss the ways in which customer service can become a tool to accelerate business growth.

1. Offer real-time chat support

There is corroborating evidence that highlights the effectiveness of live chat support. For instance, Forrester’s research points out that there is an average 48% increase in revenue per chat hour. Take also Econsultancy’s report which states that live chat has the highest level of satisfaction at 73% as compared to 61% for email and 44% for phone.

These are indeed staggering numbers and are evidence enough that real-time chat support for any e-commerce Company is a must. A live chat window can allow a representative to help the user find the right product or answer questions about the return policy. It can help them navigate through numerous sections and categories and save their time, preventing them from leaving the site. A good live chat software platform like Acquire’s with modern features such as cobrowse is a great step in the right direction.

2. Invest in co-browsing technology

Collaborative browsing allows more than one person to navigate over a web-page from different locations via the internet. It is easy to imagine the simplicity it brings to customer support by eliminating confusing scenarios of describing issues over chats. In most cases, there is a rigid dichotomy between the customer’s and the service executive’s knowledge of an e-commerce website. This can make describing issues and apprehending them solely over chat or call very difficult.

Investing in co-browsing technology can allow the support executive to provide aid throughout the checkout procedure for problems such as payment failures and payment gateways. It can also help with navigation for subscription plans, their extensions, cancellations, and other things as well.

3. Create a knowledge base

Recently, an Amdocs survey by Coleman Parkes revealed that a whopping 91% of customers said that they would use a single, online knowledge base if it was available and tailored to their needs. As the name suggests, it is simply a reservoir of information that a customer can access and use to resolve their own issues without needing to interact with anyone. Tutorials, frequently asked questions, and troubleshooting guides all are examples of great knowledge bases. A solid knowledge base has the added benefit of making your support team’s life easier.

However, it is important to take care to make the sections as relevant as possible. It should also be user-friendly in design and navigation. Look at the following example of Netflix’s clean and easy to comprehend FAQ section.

4. Have user forums for an instant solution to user queries

Imagine that you buy a product that’s exactly the same as your neighbor’s, who is a friendly guy. Now, suppose you have an issue with your product. The first thing you would instinctively do is seek your neighbor’s advice. Now imagine if you could knock on the door of a friendly face every time you faced a hiccup. Wouldn’t that be great? That is exactly what community forums are. In a way, contributors to user forums do what your support team does, free of cost.

Additionally, it may also give you an insight into the general customer sentiment around your e-commerce website. However, like the knowledge base, its re-equipment is important to keep the forum relevant, useful, and free of spam.

The following screenshot of eBay’s discussion forum gives a good idea about the same.

5. Make return policies crystal clear

A considerable portion of post-purchase queries is related to returns and/or refunds. There can be a lot of reasons for returns. This can mean a customer with an incorrectly fitting garment requesting a return on the next day of purchase. It may even mean one with an unused electronic item finding out that it’s defective and requesting return a year later! It can be a headache to strike a balance between achieving positive customer experience and preventing fraudulent/unethical returns. This calls for carefully created, product-wise return policies, and clear communication of the same.

It is a great practice to mention a product’s return policy immediately beside its cost. This reduces the likelihood of customers arguing with the support team about the return policy of their items. This stands particularly true for e-commerce, where there is no face-to-face interaction at the time of purchase. In the case of physical stores with salespersons, there is always a strong chance that they will explain the policy as you buy an item. Since such salespersons do not exist in the world of e-commerce, it would bode well for you to keep this in mind.

6. Collect user feedback more frequently

Customer feedback holds undeniable importance in any business. Not knowing whether your customer is happy with your product/service is like walking in the dark. In fact, feedback not just indicates customer satisfaction, but it also aids it. Asking for feedback is a way of showing that the customer’s satisfaction matters to us and we will work to that end.

There are several media for collecting feedback. There are also different types of doing so. It can be a short questionnaire which includes questions such as ‘were you satisfied with xyz?’, while it can also be rating based, such as ‘please rate your experience of xyz from one to five’. That is why, it is extremely important to ascertain what kind of feedback system would match your business’s model the best.

Some companies also opt for a more detailed questionnaire requesting descriptive answers covering different areas of experience. This can be very insightful but carries the risk of boring your customers. A good solution to this can be the provision of an incentive (everyone likes gift cards) for giving detailed feedback.

Conclusion

According to Oberlo, the number of digital buyers is estimated to cross 2 billion by 2021. Despite such exponential growth, there is still much ground that e-commerce has to cover, which means plenty of opportunities. This however only applies to companies who dedicate attention to customer experience. Forbes says that every year, companies lose $75 billion dollars as they fail to retain their customers due to poor service. This number, surprisingly, was lower two years ago.

A significant share among this belongs to e-Commerce, and companies have to take solid actions now. If you haven’t already, start working on the above. Bumper offers and first time features are fun. But if your customer service is disappointing, you will lose customers. As such always take to heart the words of Vince Lombardi who said, “It takes months to find a customer… seconds to lose one.”

The post 6 Ways to Take Charge of Your E-Commerce Customer Service appeared first on PuzzleInnovationz:.

If you too find it complex to convert your visitors into customers on your e-commerce site, don’t worry. Here we’re going to share with you few recommendations that you can take to improve your conversion rate.

Let’s get started!

Check your shipping fees

Shipping fee is one of the first reasons behind the non-conversion of e-commerce pages. Surveys have found the time and again that due to Amazon’s free shipping offered on a large range of products, the visitors of e-commerce sites worldwide have come to expect the same from other e-commerce sites as well.

So, if you charge a shipping fee, that itself becomes a big discouragement for the shopper. And if shipping fees are high (higher than other available options), it gives the shopper a reason to leave without making a purchase. So, either offer free shipping or charge a low shipping fee if you desire to charge it!

Check product pricing

After shipping fee, product pricing can also play a role in discouraging people from purchasing something. If the price for something is higher than what market wants to pay, your conversion rate will certainly be down. We’re discussing this point right after the point of shipping fees because what many e-commerce entrepreneurs do is including the shipping costs in the price of the product to offer free shipping.

While it removes the barrier of shipping cost from the path of shopper, it throws another barrier in the way, resulting in the high product cost. The price of products that you’re selling must always be in the price range that people want to pay. At present, many e-commerce companies free shipping on a certain amount of purchase.

Ensure a smooth checkout process

If the checkout process is cumbersome, you may not be able to convert your visitors into customers despite having everything right. A long checkout process discourages people from completing the transaction (or from initiating a transaction once again, if they somehow complete it for the first time). A lot of your customization skills and A/B testing/split testing should be focused on this area. The smoother your checkout experience, the better your conversion rate will be.

The checkout process should include simple process like Choose product, Add to Cart, filling basic details of customers (Name, address), Pay the price and click checkout. Moreover, the checkout process should most of payment process methods like credit/debit card, COD, Net Banking, etc. that will help customers to place the order.

Read More: 5 Technology Trends for Retail and e-Commerce Business in 2019

Keep an eye on cart abandonment

Abandoned carts are also a common issue faced by most webmasters. If you’re also getting a lot of abandoned carts, then maybe you should consider adding a Cart Abandonment software to your website. The software contacts your users who have abandoned some products in cart and reminds them to complete their purchase. Some e-commerce platforms offer this software for free, so enabling it should only be a matter of tweaking some settings and drafting an e-mail response urging them to return.

However, if it doesn’t come bundled with your platform, then you can also get it from 3rd party vendors. The software will provide different metrics about customers like historical purchase data if any, browsing traits, email engagement signals.

Use high-quality images and videos

Unprofessional, irrelevant and low-quality images can also be among the biggest turn-offs when it comes to converting your visitors. So, you should always use high quality, professional images and videos in your websites. This is especially true for product images, but other images can also not be taken for granted because everything collectively makes the experience of your site. In the case of the product image, a different angle of product image with high resolution and a single product video may entice visitors to buy the product.

Get help of live chat software

People have achieved a mixed set of results with live chat software, but I would say that if you receive a lot of inquiries about your products, then you should consider this option too. However, you or someone must be present during the business hours to answer the questions being asked by visitors on a live chat. Only then the addition of live chat software can yield some positive results.

If possible, Live Chat should be available 24/7 and there should not be a signal suggesting that Live Chat is unavailable because that sends out a negative impression to the buyer. At present, there are chatbots available but at some point, it shows the absence of human interaction, so it is advisable to employ an expert technical person for handling Live Chat.

Make your customers feel safe

This topic is often lost among the buzzwords like conversion optimization, A/B Testing, etc., but its importance is also undeniable. Since online purchases involve sensitive financial information like credit card data, people who do them want to ensure that they’re dealing with a safe entity. The visitors will shop at your e-commerce site only if they feel that your website is safe, and there are several things that you can do to bring that feeling. One of the finest security naming digital certificate is an ideal way to secure your website.

Currently, for highest authenticity and security, owners prefer to purchase EV SSL certificate, which is available from your domain registrar or your hosting provider, certificate authority. The second step is to add some security identification marks (i.e. a badge, a PCI DSS compliance badge, etc.) that are widely recognized as a guarantee of security.

Include detailed product descriptions and reviews

Besides SSL certificates and security badges, a few other things also help customers feel safe and confident while making a purchase. In-depth and accurate product descriptions along with customer reviews, help the buyers make a judgment more wisely.

As a result, the buyers feel safer and more confident while purchasing going through them. So, allowing product reviews and including detailed, accurate product descriptions can also help you in boosting your conversion rate. In addition to that, it can also help in improving returns.

Have a clear return policy

A clear return policy is also mandatory for best conversion rates. You don’t have to over-promise here, but whatever you promise should certainly be something that you can fulfill. A clear return policy also increases the peace of mind in your customers, and that way, it helps in increasing the conversion rate. You can see it in action after adding a return policy. The return policy should demonstrate the process of returning goods/product as well as the refund of money.

Make your buttons stand out

‘Add to Cart’ and ‘Checkout’ buttons are two of the most important buttons in any e-commerce site. They’re important because they clearly state what must be done by the user. And therefore, they should stand out from the remaining buttons at your site. You can see a considerable difference in your conversion rate after making this change alone. Several e-commerce platforms now also offer the option to customize these buttons easily.

Conclusion

So, these are the ten steps that you can take immediately to boost your conversion rate. In most cases, a low conversion rate is seen due to one of these shortcomings, so you must check your site carefully for each one of them. The above recommendations should be considered so in the long run, the ecommerce platform may earn handsome profit with highest returning customer ratio.

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