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Five Customer Support Services Worth Outsourcing for Ecommerce

A man providing customer support services while working on a laptop.

You spend a lot of time, money, effort, and other resources running an ecommerce business. Generating sales and revenue is your focus. That’s where you’re good at as a business owner.

While you view customer support services as critical for your online company to survive and thrive, you don’t have the knowledge or skills to operate them effectively.

An excellent option is outsourcing these services to a third-party vendor such as a business process outsourcing (BPO) company. A service provider can help make your processes more cost-effective and efficient. 

Let’s take a look at five support services worth outsourcing.

1. Live Chat Support 

Live chat support allows online shoppers to interact with customer service agents. Consumers post their requests, questions, or concerns on a small pop-up window on your website. On the same window, they receive a quick response. 

Why live chat support is worth outsourcing:

    • Convenient and simple for customers. Their product or service issues are resolved while communicating with agents. 
    • Useful context delivery. Live chat software makes agents better understand customer or user problems, allowing them to provide quick and more accurate resolutions. 
  • Informal conversation. Many online buyers are more at ease with chatting than formal writing. Live chat interactions are broken down into small chunks that are easy to follow.

Millennials prefer live chat due to its speed and simplicity. These are people born between 1981 and 1996 who want their issues addressed in a short time. They are becoming the largest group in the customer service area.

2. Phone Support 

Phone support lets consumers call a customer service team using their phone numbers. They ring you up to ask or complain about products and services. This type of support is still considered the most popular communication method and an all-time favorite. 

Why phone support is worth outsourcing:

  • Attentive human voice providing empathy. Consumers need human connection, particularly in times of crisis. A phone support team focuses on empathy to build strong relationships that lead to customer loyalty and retention.
  • Ideal for gathering feedback. The phone is the fastest way to get user comments, views, opinions, or suggestions. Agents get firsthand information straight from the source. 
  • Familiar with all age groups. The phone cuts across everyone, regardless of demographics. It is the mother of modern long-distance communications, allowing clear voice interaction without typing or texting. 

Phone support continues to play a vital role in providing customer service. Large or established ecommerce companies rely on phone calls to address high consumer demand. 

3. Social Media Support 

Social media support refers to providing customer or tech assistance through social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. The channel lets you meet consumers wherever they are and resolve their issues in no time.

Why social media support is worth outsourcing:

  • Quick replies. Your support team promptly responds to customer or user issues. They answer within an hour and track posted feedback to help improve consumer relationships. 
  • Brand image enhancement. Excellent customer service via social media easily gets known. Satisfied consumers typically post favorable reviews and comments about excellent service for others to read. 
  • Cost savings. Your operating costs go down when delivering this type of support. Phone calls and other communication channels are more expensive than social media platforms. 

Statista places the total number of social media users at almost four billion in 2022. Facebook continues to lead with roughly three billion users. Instagram has nearly 1.5 billion users, while TikTok has around one billion. 

4. Email Support 

Email support is a service where agents use electronic messages to communicate with consumers to resolve their questions and issues. Your team doesn’t need to use phones or chat to answer concerns immediately. 

Why email support is worth outsourcing:

  • Dependable service. Your customer service team provides privacy with this support. Customers simply attach relevant and vital documents to detail their concerns, and agents review them to send back the best solution. 
    • Flexible response time. Agents are not obliged to reply quickly and are allowed to take several hours or days to answer questions or complaints. But responding to customers as soon as possible must be enforced to avoid poor service. 
  • Adaptability. Your team simultaneously deals with various issues and inquiries without sacrificing first-rate quality support. Conveniently combine email support with voice and chat channels for better customer service. 
  • Traceability. Email support enables your team to track issues with ease in the event of service disputes or disagreements. Emails with ticket numbers are quick to trace.  

5. Technical Support 

Technical support helps and advises registered users about your products and services. A tech support (also known as help desk or IT support) team is responsible for resolving customer or user issues. 

Examples of tech support services are: 

  • Installing new software
  • Detecting software problems
  • Performing product safety checks
  • Troubleshooting network or internet connections
  • Configuring computer systems
  • Conducting a series of hardware tests 
  • Network monitoring for security and compliance 

Why technical support is worth outsourcing:

  • Trained specialists. Team members are technically proficient with hands-on skills in the services or products they manage. They explain to customers complicated problems and issues in simple terms. 
  • Increased competitiveness. Outsourced IT support handles numerous basic technical tasks that are repetitive and time-consuming. You can then focus on highly specialized aspects such as developing more advanced or new products or services.
  • Affordability. Outsourcing tech support allows you to access a cost-effective but high-quality service. Many BPO companies operate in countries where an ample supply of competent, educated, and low-cost labor is available. 

Final Thoughts 

Whichever customer support service you decide on, remember that you must meet your customers wherever they are at any time. Many are demanding and impatient nowadays. Some might stop using your product or service if they experience poor support.

Quick, accurate, timely, and personalized service makes outsourced customer support successful. Ensure that the service provider you want to partner with meets these requirements.

 

About the Author:

Rene Mallari is a B2B content writer for Unity Communications, an Arizona-based Inc. 5000 company specializing in outsourcing and offshoring services. 

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