Why eCommerce Customer Service Is Important And What It Brings

Increased social proof

When people see others loving your online store, they trust you more. Like when I was on the fence about buying from this small skincare shop, but then saw all these customer comments saying “OMG they answered my weird skin question at midnight!” I immediately felt better about ordering.

Increased repeat customers

Good service makes people come back again and again. Remember how your sister kept ordering from that coffee subscription even though it was pricier? That’s because when her order got lost, they shipped a replacement the same day with extra samples! So, it’s super important to be caring, try to go extra mile and collect and work with customer feedback.

Increased revenue

Happy customers spend more money, it’s that simple. I literally went from buying one book to ordering my entire summer reading list from that online bookstore just because their recommendation chat was so helpful and friendly.

The ability to avoid bad publicity or at least react instantly

One angry customer can do serious damage. My cousin had a terrible experience with a tech store that ignored his emails about a broken laptop, so he posted screenshots everywhere. Their Google reviews tanked, and now whenever you search their name, you see complaint posts!

Types of eCommerce Support Channels – The Basics

So when you’re shopping online and need help, there are a bunch of different ways stores can be there for you. Think of these as different doors into the same building – they’re all ways to get help, but each works a little differently depending on what you need!

So, the key channels customers prefer to communicate are as follows.

• Phone support. This is the classic “call and talk to a human” option, and yes, customers use it still. The common queries like when I couldn’t figure out why my new blender from that kitchen gadget site wasn’t working, I called their number and the guy walked me through troubleshooting step by step. It’s great for complex problems where texting back and forth would take forever.
• Self-service support. This is all the DIY help stuff – FAQs, knowledge bases, video tutorials. Remember when I bought that furniture that needed assembly and instead of calling someone, I just used their super detailed help center? Found the exact video for my bookshelf model and figured it out myself at 11 PM!
• Helpdesk. This is basically the organized system behind the scenes that tracks all your questions and problems. When you submit a “ticket” and get that number like “#45873,” that’s a helpdesk. Like when my headphones order got duplicated, they created a ticket that followed the whole process until it was fixed – no matter who I talked to, they could see the history.
• Email. Good old email support – you send a question, they respond. It’s not instant but works great for non-urgent stuff. Like when I emailed that clothing store asking about fabric care for that fancy sweater, they got back to me the next morning with detailed washing instructions.
• Live chat and chatbots. That little chatbot that pops up on websites! Some connect to real people, others to AI bots. Super convenient – I was shopping for a gift last week and used the chat to ask if they could gift wrap. Got an answer in seconds without leaving the page or picking up the phone.
• Social media platforms. When brands help you through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. My internet went down last month, and instead of waiting on hold forever, I just DM’d my provider on Twitter. They responded way faster and fixed the billing issue that was causing it!

Needless to add, when it comes to ecommerce customer service best practices, we have to remember that every interaction is important. And it’s an imperative to be where your customers are. So, today, to provide excellent ecommerce customer support, your customer communication should be cross channel. That is how you can improve brand loyalty and boost your business growth.

To improve customer service for your online store, you need to start by listening to what your customers are saying about their experiences with your company. Then, make sure everyone on your team knows exactly how to handle different customer issues with clear steps and timing. Finally, use the right tech tools that make helping customers faster without losing that human touch.

But this does not end here. Check out the listed below tips to achieve customer lifetime value.

7 ways to level up your eCommerce customer service:

1. Don’t ignore bad reviews and speak directly to your customer. When someone leaves a one-star review, don’t panic – respond to it! Our customer’s customer Jake bought shoes that fell apart after two weeks, left a bad review, and the company immediately reached out, sent him a better pair, and turned him into a loyal customer. Those negative reviews are opportunities to show how much you care. Customer get what they want doubled or just they feel that they are special and cared. This approach involves actionable insights and can make your brand stand out.

2. Commit to SLAs. This just means promising specific response times and sticking to them. Like when that electronics store guarantees email replies within 4 hours – it makes you feel so much better knowing you won’t be waiting for days wondering if anyone got your message about the missing order.

3. Introduce automation and reduce manual tasks. Use smart tech to handle basic customer queries and streamline the simple stuff so your team can focus on trickier problems. Think about those automatic “Your order has shipped” texts that save customer service reps from answering hundreds of “where’s my stuff?” calls, or those helpful chatbots that can instantly tell you store hours or return policies.

4. Use insights to inform your strategy. Look at the patterns in customer questions to fix bigger issues. Track and analyze CX KPIs. We helped our customer, a coffee subscription service, notice that they were getting tons of “how do I grind this?” questions, so they added brewing guides to every package and suddenly those questions practically disappeared.

5. Know the context. Make sure whoever helps customers can see their whole history with your store. Track all customer interactions and customer data. There’s nothing’s more frustrating than explaining your entire order problem again because the new support person can’t see that you’ve already returned the item twice for the same defect, right?

6. Reward loyal customers. Update your customer base and aim to improve customer loyalty. Give a little extra to people who shop with you regularly. Like that bookstore you order from all the time occasionally tosses in a free bookmark or shipping upgrade, and honestly, that little surprise makes you feel special and keeps you coming back instead of going to Amazon. We all have such tiny sweet brands in mind, right? Finally, conduct a regular survey to understand your real customer needs and the true customer expectations.

7. Speak your customers’ language and provide personalized service. Talk like a normal person, not a robot reading from a script. Here’s an example: You contacted that gaming store about your broken controller and the rep replied with “Ah man, that totally sucks – let’s get you back to your game session ASAP!” instead of “We regret to inform you of this inconvenience,” it felt like talking to a friend who actually gets why you were frustrated. Of course, this customer retention strategy should be well thought. You have to make your customers feel valued, but ensure that your support agent is not too aggressive or untactful with them.