There can be no doubt about it...
Creating a successful e-commerce business is challenging, especially as the number of online retailers constantly burgeons.
Consequently, the support you offer your customers can make all the difference to whether you succeed.
But customer service will take different forms for different types of businesses.
For example, the approach that works for a small retailer is unlikely to work for a national brand.
With e-commerce, a customer’s entire purchasing journey can take place online.
And this is where the problems can arise.
Unlike a high street shop, where a customer can easily have a face-to-face conversation with an employee, e-commerce retailers have to put a little more strategy into interacting with shoppers.
Based in Manchester’s Little Lever Street, We Are Digitl specialises in providing new website design, e-commerce and marketplace solutions as well as digital marketing and consultancy to a wide range of national clients.
Founder and head of agency Darren Ratcliffe is in no doubt that the benefits of “getting it right” when it comes to e-commerce and customer service is of fundamental importance.
He explained: “Customer service is paramount to any online seller be it on their own website or through marketplaces.
“If you aren’t a traditional bricks-and-mortar retailer, customer service is one way potential new customers will judge you - and through platforms such as Google Reviews, Trustpilot or traditional feedback through marketplaces, there are lots of touch points where customers can check out how reputable an online seller is.
“For the more traditional retailer, who has a presence on the high street, there is a growing demand for customers to be able to return their online orders direct to store - and that returns process can be a real challenge from a logistics point of view.
“Indeed, many store managers continue to see e-commerce as a threat to their store.”
When asked how Digitl works with its clients to ensure that they’re in the best position when it comes to e-commerce and customer service, Ratcliffe replied: “To make sure that our clients are giving the best possible customer service, we help them understand what software can help give a great experience.
“From a practical point of view, customer service is often needed when something goes wrong and that’s a time when there’s potentially some friction with the customer.
“Making sure the returns process is easy to follow is an essential part of making sure that customers will return again in the future.
“Small things can make a big difference - working with a courier to offer reasonable return charges and refunding money quickly will engender a better relationship with your customers.
“The basics of day-to-day contact with customers is also crucial - social media as a great, engaging way to deliver exceptional customer service and raise awareness of your brand.
“For those that sell on a website and on marketplaces, looking at software such as xSellCo eDesk helps pull all of the different points of contact into one place.”
In the future, Ratcliffe maintains that the relationship between technology and customer service will become even more closely intertwined.
He concluded: “The future for customer service and e-commerce will be that technology will continue to improve standards.
“For national retailers, the challenge will always be showing that they care as much as the smaller independents.
“They will also need to ensure their stores can handle their online returns, and if you’re JD Fashion for example why not allow your returns from JD to be taken to a Millets or Blacks?
“For the big online retailers like Boohoo and ASOS, look to the high street to have drop-off points for free returns - it will save your customers having to trudge to the post office or set up a return through a courier.”
Lawrence Jones MBE on e-commerce and Customer Service
The world of e-commerce is crowded to say the least. With hundreds, if not thousands, of sites in each market and niche, it is seemingly impossible to stand out from the crowd. Add to that the price cuts, sales and promotions, how could anyone compete with the big players?
It is simple. Service.
I have learned a valuable lesson in more than 30 years in business; customer service is king. Whether that is in person or online, the same rules apply: customer service can make or break your business.
Ultimately, whichever platform you use, your job as a retailer is to make your customers’ lives easier and for them to end up feeling great about every single experience that they have with you.
There are so many tools to aid delivery of these now, especially online. From chatbots to delivery options, every step of the journey can be completely customised to help your business stand out from the crowd.
Alongside this, there are more metrics than ever to find out what is working, what isn’t and what your customers really want. For example, we measure our customer satisfaction at ƵFast using NPS scores. This gives us a real-time score of how happy our clients are and helps us to further support anyone who gives us a neutral or negative score.
When you have happy customers, you have loyal customers, and buying from you becomes a habit. It is a win-win for you and your clients.
Especially as we build into the busiest shopping days of the year, customer service is king.
