We’ve discussed before how one of the best ways that smaller retailers can distinguish themselves from big box stores and ecommerce giants is by offering superior services. Enterprise retailers may not be able to afford to offer product discounts at a loss, but what they can offer is a better user experience, and more personal customer service options.
Think customer service doesn’t matter that much? Famed shoe seller and customer service trendsetter Zappos.com certainly does, and cites it as a key reason to their success and continuing motivator. Apple, notably has similar policies aimed at customer satisfaction and superior IT services. Not only do these companies believe that good customer service is key to their success, customers also frequently cite positive company interactions as a reason for their continued patronage.
Fortunately, good customer service isn’t something that requires huge investments in warehouse machinery or website overhaul. Often, it just requires a few dedicated, knowledgeable representatives, and a basic infrastructure of policy and systems to support them effectively.
Fast response times
Even if you can’t afford a 24/7 call center, small ecommerce businesses can still strive to maintain consistently responsive customer service. Answer every email and determine what a fast response time means to your company—perhaps 5 minutes, perhaps an hour. And then make sure that you are sticking to it!
No Hassle Returns
In the ecommerce environment, returns are nearly inevitable. For this reason, it is important that your customer service department maintains a clear and hassle-free policy that will allow customers to buy with confidence, and encourage them to continue to patronize your business, even if the first purchase may not have been their cup of tea. Offering free shipping on future purchases, store credit, or simply a fast, efficient return process can go a long way.
Reward loyal customers
Everyone appreciates being treated well, and customers are more likely to continue shopping with you if they are rewarded for their loyalty. This can be done with exclusive sales, rewards programs, and even occasional shipping upgrades.
A robust, integrated help desk
Understandably, dealing with a wide variety of customer service issues in a fast, effective and also personal manner can often be very challenging. For this reason, good customer service is about more than good policy, it is also about maintaining a system that works with representatives to maintain best practices.
This is where a system like the new Upshot Commerce Help Desk comes in. Designed with your business infrastructure in mind, the application is fully integrated into the Upshot Commerce platform, allowing you to easily create help tickets that are connected into your database of customers, orders, and products. Because all of your information is in one place, this means that issues are easier to resolve and easier track, ensuring that problems are followed through until they reach a resolution— and beyond!
We’re very excited to unveil this new, and fully integrated Upshot Commerce extension to our ecommerce retailers. To find out more about the Help Desk Extension and how it can be customized to work with your platform, just contact us!