A human being’s economic and social life primarily revolves around meeting one’s basic survival needs. When the human race came into being, survival was defined by the presence of food, shelter and clothing. As the world evolved, the traditional list extended to include the likes of sanitation, healthcare, education and psychological needs. It is safe to say in the digital era one can consider internet as one of the basic survival needs. The digital world brings forth a massive community of technology reliant customers. As business owners we need to realize, within the emergence of this digital community lie great opportunities. Customer service in the digital age is a whole new ball game. Having an understanding of the digital customer’s needs and expectations as the groundwork, we shall walk through a few concepts that will help you up your game if you are an e-commerce business owner today.
Research and common sense both support the fact that the digital customer is primarily active on social media platforms. Whether you are a B2C or B2B setup, anyone and everyone who is your potential customer is actively present on social media.
A customer visiting your website often does not want to fill in an extensive form or call your support center. Live chat service is the simplest, fastest, and least obtrusive form of real-time customer support. This also serves as a great catalyst for lead conversions. Check out our Live chat Pricing.
A bank of resources on your website can be a valuable asset for your customers for self-service. This knowledge center can be used to find answers to commonly asked questions, details on product usage, and anything else you deem informative to your customers
After sales customer service is the most commonly overlooked aspect of customer support. Customers often have queries regarding product usage and will be delighted if they are proactively reached out to. Also ask for their feedback and thank them for doing business with you.
The biggest barrier in e-commerce businesses is customers’ inability to touch and feel the product. If your customers know that you have flexible return and refund policies, their hesitation to make an online purchase will largely diminish. A ‘no questions asked’ return policy may be tough to implement but will help you attain unmatchable customer service.
Humans love to share and are largely influenced by the experience of other customers. A forum on your business website is a great way to provide customers a platform to share their experiences and engage in fruitful conversations with other customers.
Who better to advocate your brand than your loyal customers? Independent sales representative programs allow your customers to become your sales representatives on a contractual basis in return for a commission and sometimes even an attractive set of benefits.
Customization during a sales interaction always feel great from a customer’s perspective. Addressing customers by their name on a return visit to your website, auto-filling forms or providing solutions relevant to their visit history are a few great ways to make your customer feel special.