In the modern era, where choices abound and information is readily available, the customer experience is crucial to a company’s prosperity. According to recent data, 80% of businesses surveyed claim to provide exceptional customer service, but only 8% of customers surveyed agreed. This alarming statistic should resonate with everyone, regardless of the industry they work in, as soon as they have even one customer, they are in the business of customer service.

When you consider that the companies that excel at the customer experience are also the ones that grow the quickest, the significance of customer experience becomes crystal clear. 

Customers are savvy and can access a wealth of information about your product and business via their smartphones. This reality has made many business decisions customer-driven. As your business expands and competition increases, the customer experience you create can be a significant competitive advantage. The question is, how can you achieve this?

What is the importance of having a customer service strategy in place?

 In today’s world, acquiring new customers is a continuous goal for businesses. However, the real key to success lies in retaining customers and increasing their purchases. This makes having a strong customer support strategy all the more essential, particularly as more consumers turn to online shopping. 

By being present on different channels like Instagram, Facebook chat, SMS or phone, businesses can turn negative experiences into positive ones and generate additional revenue opportunities. Even though running ads on social media can bring conversions, directing customers to a funnel to speak to someone can have a greater impact on customer satisfaction and purchasing decisions, setting businesses apart from competitors.

What are the causes of negative customer experiences?

1. Delayed response to customer inquiries – When customers visit your website and have questions, providing prompt and accurate answers is essential for their satisfaction. If their inquiries are not addressed immediately, it can lead to a negative customer experience, and you may lose the customer.

2. Difficulty in accessing support – A visitor to your website will only take a few seconds to decide whether to continue browsing or leave. By providing an automated response system with the right tools, you can quickly grab their attention and provide better customer service.

3. Failure to address customer needs – Simply apologizing for the inconvenience is not enough. Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to exceed their expectations, and you can even try to convert them into loyal customers. By training your customer service team to upsell and turn negative experiences into positive ones, you can reduce the likelihood of negative customer experiences.

What are the skills that can improve the customer service experience for merchants?

1. Train your customer support team to use your brand’s voice in communication. This means using language and tone that reflects your brand’s personality, such as signing off with “With love, from Access Team.”

2. Use macros to provide pre-written responses to frequently asked questions. For example, a macro can be used to quickly respond to a question like “Where is my order?” and sign off with the representative’s name. This saves time and ensures consistent responses.

3. Prioritize urgent inquiries to ensure a good customer experience. For instance, if a customer reports a broken product, you should prioritize processing the return or sending a new shipment quickly. It’s essential to prioritize inquiries based on urgency across different channels. By using automation, machine learning, and macros, customer service teams can handle repetitive inquiries efficiently and focus on more urgent requests.

What are the main reasons a customer will be upset, and how do you resolve these issues?

One of the reasons that can make a customer upset is when they receive damaged or lost items, or the items do not fit as expected. However, the definition of a successful purchase depends on the brand’s perspective. To mitigate this, you can take actions such as launching a chat on the collections page to suggest a bigger size or using pre-canned responses to answer frequently asked questions. By understanding and meeting customer needs, return rates can be reduced.

During holidays, there are many opportunities for quick wins. Relevant offers such as a discount code on the welcome page or sharing reviews related to customer inquiries can improve the customer experience.

How does automation play a role in helping serve customers better?

The use of automation, bots, and autoresponders can contribute to providing better customer service by allowing for faster and more efficient responses to inquiries. This can save time for both the customer and the company. When customers see that their concerns are being addressed quickly and effectively, it can increase their satisfaction and loyalty to the brand. Conversely, if the process is difficult or unpleasant, it can negatively affect their perception of the company and decrease their likelihood of making future purchases.

What are strategies for reducing customer service response time?

Having a lower customer response time can increase your conversions. If a customer has to wait a long time to get their questions answered, they are less likely to make a purchase. However, you do not need a large customer service team to reduce response times. One way to do this is by using a customer service tool. This allows you to personalize your response to customers by using variables such as tracking numbers and shipping addresses. It can also help with pre-written responses to common inquiries like order cancellations. By using these tools, you can save your customers time and focus on urgent issues like customer complaints about damaged products.

Here are some tips that can help merchants on any platform develop an effective customer service strategy:

1. Evaluate your competitors – Review the response time of your competitors when you ask a question. If they have a better response rate than your team, take note of it and use it as a benchmark for improvement.

2. Embrace automation and tools – Automation and tools can help you work more efficiently and save money in the long run. Don’t be afraid to use them to your advantage.

3. Utilize technology to avoid support queues – Managing customer inquiries can be time-consuming, so consider using technology that can handle them for you. This will allow you to focus on other important aspects of your business.

Final thoughts:

Providing exceptional customer service should always be a priority when operating an online store or any other eCommerce business. Not only does it build trust between you and your customers — but it also helps boost loyalty, increases profits, and encourages word-of-mouth marketing. By making sure that every customer receives the best possible experience when shopping with you, you will be well on your way to achieving greater success in the long run.