Customer service and grievance handling are quite different terms when it comes to offering customer support services in the retail industry.
Customer care service is accountable for assisting the customer throughout its life cycle in association with the particular brand, whereas grievances registered through the call center services are specifically dealt with the offering of resolutions to raised concerns regarding product/service’s quality and return/refund in minimum possible time.
In recent years, the retail industry has shifted its base to the digital method that further allows it to earn big, and the most influential benefit is its facility of seamless customer care service.
In this article, we will be discussing why each online retailer must have customer care service in the niche to win the customer.
Let’s Begin!
What is E-commerce Customer Care?
E-commerce customer care service is a platform offered by retailers to facilitate the solution to customers with challenges occurring on their path from assisting them in creating the purchase to solving the post-purchase concerns- on all viable platforms such as live messages, chatbots, social media including native phone calls technique.
Why Customer Care Service is a Game Changer for Online Retailers?
Online retail shopping is one of the flourishing market types that is growing exponentially, not just in terms of the customer base but also in terms of annual revenue generation.
Data from Statista shows that the online retail market is ready to hit 6.54 trillion US dollars in the year 2023.
Also, as per the reports of The Economic Times, online retail is continuously experiencing a hike in the number of customers.
If we talk specifically about the rise of online retail in India, the market has witnessed tremendous growth in the festive season from 47 million in 2019 to 88 million in 2020, which is continuously growing beyond expectations.
Therefore, based on the above-figured data, one can easily gather understanding about the stand online retail shopping businesses hold in the business world.
Hence, to accommodate the requirements of such a huge number of customers, the business does require a dedicated staff that can manage the customer’s issues.
In order to support the retail business, which completely revolves around customer satisfaction, offering customer care service to prospective customers can guarantee the level of success.
5 Best Practices Online Retailers Should Know for Offering Quality Customer Care Service
‘A satisfied customer is key to have a successful business’. Hence, working hard on methods to improve customer service plays a decisive role in growing the venture.
Following are the few best practices that every online retailer should take into consideration for improving the quality of customer care service.
1. Integrate Retail Platform with Supporting Tools
Begin the process of offering customer support service by choosing the software and tools that can work well for bringing the required set of results.
Once you are done with selecting the tools and channels for customer care service, integrate it into the parent retail platform (website/mobile application).
This step will create an easy pathway for customers as well as for agents to develop a better understanding of available products and services.
2. Allow the Customer with Self-Service Facility
Today, the customer is well aware of everyday development in the field of technology. Therefore, the customer is familiar with the functioning of services like Interactive Voice Response (IVR), etc.
As an emerging online retailer, introduce the self-servicing options in your business to offer a handful of support to customers pertaining to product and service.
The self-servicing facilities allow the customers to get a resolution to their queries in minimal possible time, by reducing the wait to get in touch with an actual representative.
Read More: https://go4customer.com/blog/call-center/integration-of-ivr-in-call-center-for-e-commerce-business
3. Create a Multi-Channel Support Strategy
In order to make a business successful, it is mandatory to acknowledge customer queries and complaints on all sorts of communication platforms.
Therefore, instead of just sticking to the traditional mode of customer care service. The online retailer should reach their targeted audience on multiple platforms and offer them multi-channel support that comprises social media, chatbot, mobile, web, email, etc.
4. Personalize Live Chat for Instant Resolutions
Live chat is quirky and promising in terms of providing instant resolutions to customer’s concerns.
When intended to offer the resolution to a potential or existing customer, giving a personalized touch to a live chat dashboard adds the stars to the customer service process.
When implementing the live chat option in a retail business, make sure to address the customer with their name, as doing this will develop a sense of trust in the customer’s mind.
Also, the live chat allows one to have instant resolutions with 24*7 availability of the customer care executive.
5. Use Customer Reviews for Harnessing the Online Retail Business
The customer reviews can act as a turning point for your business if used well.
The reviews given by the customer are 100% genuine. Therefore, online retailers should never underestimate its power as further act as a word of mouth and hold the power for deciding the destiny of your business by creating the impact of your product and services on consecutive customer’s minds.
Apart from just collecting reviews in bulk, the retailers should acknowledge them with replies and offer reliable customer care service in order to retain the customer and upsell them the products of different varieties and ranges.
In Conclusion
The online retail industry is emerging day by day. If you are the one owning the retail business, never underrate the customer in any sense- their concerns, queries, reviews, etc.
You can only expect the online retail business to grow if you are ready to offer a helping hand to your customer through a well-prepared strategy.
Comment down below your take on how you are expecting the customer care service to shape your business.
