How to provide great call center customer service
92% of consumers will leave a brand over bad customer service. Call centers can help boost customer service and CX.
As e-commerce continues to grow, more and more companies have been enhancing their online shopping experiences. At the same time, they’re looking for ways to optimize and improve customer service in e-commerce.
Simply put, your e-commerce business can’t succeed without having top-notch service that helps customers as they navigate your site, choose items, make purchases, and use your products or services.
Benefits of improving customer service for e-commerce
Customer service is crucial for any business, but it’s especially important for e-commerce. That’s because in a self-led e-commerce experience, customer service is often the customer’s main, if not only, point of contact.
Whereas in a brick-and-mortar experience, customers engage with sales staff, see and touch products, and ask questions on the spot, e-commerce is primarily a solo experience. And that’s part of the appeal.
Customers can shop when they want, where they want, and as focused or as casually as they want. It’s on their terms. And when they do have questions or issues – whether that’s choosing a size, selecting a service plan, tracking a package, scheduling maintenance, or making a return – they turn to customer service.
So your service experience better be at least as good as the rest of your CX. A good interaction can drive loyalty, and even increase sales. In fact, service is the biggest driver of customer loyalty today, and 75% of organizations can connect higher customer satisfaction with revenue growth.
On the other hand, a bad interaction one can ruin a customer’s experience. It may even cause them to take their business elsewhere, and post negative reviews and comments about your company.
What makes great e-commerce customer service?
According to consumers, great customer service interactions are quick, helpful, and pleasant. So whether you’re engaging with customers before, during, or after purchase, the priority should always be resolving their issues as quickly and painlessly as possible.
When thinking specifically about e-commerce, there’s even more to consider. What makes a great e-commerce experience? It’s convenient, easy to navigate, and available on the customers’ terms.
So it stands to reason that great customer service needs to include all those things too:
- Easy to navigate: Be transparent and clearly guide the customer to where they need to go.
- Omnichannel: When we say “be where your customers are,” we basically mean “you need to be everywhere.” Customers should be able to reach out via their preferred channel — whether that’s live chat, email, phone, or social media — and get consistent, seamless experiences.
- Available 24/7: Even if your office is closed, use chat bots and automated emails, as well as self-service content, to give customers off-hours support.
- Pleasant and personable: Whether your customer is talking to a service rep or reading through an FAQ page, the experience should be pleasant and should reflect your brand’s voice and values.
- And above all, HELPFUL: Remember, you’re providing service. Answer their questions, resolve their issues, or reach out with pertinent reminders. Every interaction should be helpful and build their confidence in your brand.
Pop quiz: What do all these elements of great service have in common?
Answer: They can all be achieved (or improved) with data.
Using data to optimize customer service for e-commerce
Data is our most powerful tool for delivering customer experiences that drive loyalty and revenue. We use it to level up our marketing, commerce and sales engagements – customer service should be no different.
5 data-driven ways to optimize e-commerce customer service:
- Understand your customers and their preferences
- Personalize the service experience
- Deliver seamless, omnichannel CX
- Anticipate needs and provide proactive service
- Measure service success
Service fail: 7 customer service mistakes to avoid
Find out the top common customer service mistakes and how to avoid them to deliver top-notch service that drives loyalty + revenue.
1. Understand your customers and their preferences
76% of consumers expect companies to understand and adapt to their expectations and needs. Use customer data to get a clear, comprehensive profile of your audience. Learn where and how they like to engage, and what matters most to them. Then, use those insights to drive your customer service strategy.
2. Personalize the service experience
Say goodbye to the one-size-fits-all approach. Consumers expect personalized experiences at every step of the journey – including customer service. Their personal preferences, transaction history, and past service interactions should all inform how you engage with them today.
3. Deliver seamless, omnichannel CX
Don’t make customers repeat themselves every time they reach out with an issue. Make sure all your customer teams (sales, marketing, commerce, and customer service) have access to the same data. If customer service doesn’t have insight into the customer’s past purchases, or interactions with other departments, it creates a disjointed experience. And that could raise more issues than it resolves.
4. Anticipate service needs
Use product and transaction data to anticipate needs, and provide proactive (or even preventative) service. For example, send personalized reminders about scheduled maintenance, or contract renewals. Or, provide recommendations for product upgrades or service add-ons post-purchase.
Also, pay attention to trends on your site to see where issues are occurring, and address them before they snowball.
5. Measure customer service success
And of course, use your company and departmental data to track service success. See which channels are the most popular, where you’re seeing the most positive feedback, etc. Then adapt your strategy to optimize your own performance.
