How to Provide Great Customer Service

Customer service is just as important as the products you sell. As an online business, you don’t have the in-person contact as a physical store, but you still need to offer incredible customer service.

Providing an exceptional customer experience fosters relationships with customers, which will in turn boost your revenue. Up to 52% of consumers make an additional purchase from a company after a great customer service experience.

So, how can you provide great customer service as an online business? Read on to find out!

Offer Multiple Points of Access

Different consumers have different preferences when it comes to reaching brands. Every modern eCommerce business should offer several customer service strategies to ensure that all customers have a preferred way to connect. Here are some of the top customer service channels to consider:

• Telephone: Many shoppers still want to contact companies via phone. Offer a customer support helpline, ensuring that your phones are properly staffed and the agents are knowledgeable and friendly.
• Live chat: Live chat is now an expectation of online businesses. Live chat can offer real-time responses and resolve urgent queries. It’s imperative that you answer quickly and can support a live chat function.
• Email: Customers are increasingly interested in using email for customer service. Typically, they don’t expect an immediate response like with live chat, but you should still respond promptly.
• Social media: While social media is modern technology, it’s one that customers are already turning to for customer support. Answer the customer questions you see in comments and DMs, directing customers when necessary.

Monitor Social Media

Social media offers valuable insight into customer service as a whole. You can use social listening tools to monitor certain keywords or phrases and to view all of your mentions across platforms. Read through social media to find out what people think about your brand and customer experience. You can also reach out to customers to thank them for their feedback and let them know how you plan to incorporate them into your business.

Social media listening gives you a chance to put out fires before they get too big. You’ll find negative comments and unhappy customers so you can attempt to resolve the issues and nip them in the bud.

You can use any recurring questions or misunderstandings to develop new FAQs that you can address on your website or even social media page. If a few people online are unclear about something, chances are that many others experienced the same confusion, and you can address this via an FAQ.

Engage with Your Customers

Respond to your customers. Reply to reviews and feedback left on your website, third party review sites, and social media. It’s worth the investment to respond to every comment and direct message, whether it’s positive or negative. The response shows that you’re listening and willing to help.

Here are some tips for responding to customers:

• Make the response personal. The response should meet the needs of the recipient, use their first name, and answer all of their questions.
• Maintain professionalism. Establish your brand voice and keep it consistent, regardless of how the customer may speak with you. Consider developing a style guide for your team and crafting some templates for common question/comment types.
• Reply quickly. Prompt responses are now an expectation on social media. If possible, respond in an hour or less.
• Respond to negative comments. It’s always easy to respond to nice feedback, but it’s very important to respond to complaints and negative comments as well. Try your best to communicate through any misunderstandings and to resolve the problem if possible.

Provide Stellar Post-Purchase Support

Customer service should not end once a purchase is made. How you treat a customer post-purchase can have a lasting impact on how they perceive your brand and if they return. Here are 3 simple steps to use in a post-purchase follow-up campaign:

• Order confirmation email. Thank the customer for their purchase, including an FAQ, and use the opportunity to cross-sell any complementary products.
• Send a product education email a day or two after the customer’s order is delivered. Give an overview of how the customer can get the most out of their product. You could take this opportunity to include a video tutorial, FAQ, downloadable instruction manual, or how-to guide.
• Request customer feedback. Send this request 3-4 days after the product is delivered.

Take a Customer-Centric Approach

Customers are the lifeline of your eCommerce business. Your real purpose is to deliver products and experiences that help customers, and the best way to do so is through excellent customer service. When it comes down to it, providing a great customer experience is all about putting the customer first. Apologize for mistakes, show your customers you appreciate them, and most of all listen.

For more helpful eCommerce tips, news, and information, visit the Listing Mirror blog. If you’re ready to simplify multi-channel selling so you can offer the best customer experience, our #1 multichannel listing software can help. Learn how Listing Mirror can simplify the process of growing your business by trying us out for yourself risk-free.

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