Customer service and responsiveness are keys to winning with e-commerce
Every positive interaction with customers inspires others to engage with a brand
By: Narjès Boufaden, Founder & CEO, Keatext
Brands are always searching for new ways to attract customers, both in-store and online. Now, the disruption caused by the global pandemic adds a new urgency to cracking the e-commerce code, with in-store shopping sidelined for the time being.
So how can they create a compelling shopping experience that will keep customers coming back? Now more than ever, it’s about two key elements: customer service and responsiveness.
Consumers want to be comfortable with the purchases they make, and that’s not as easy online as it is in a brick-and-mortar store. In a physical store, they can touch a product, ask for help, and easily return the product if it doesn’t meet their expectations. But online, understanding a product and returning it if needed can be difficult.
That’s why consumers increasingly turn to brand reviews as their main source of validation when shopping online. They speak to a brand’s trustworthiness and reliability in the absence of first-hand experience.
With in-store shopping not possible for the time being, high-quality customer support is imperative. Companies can’t waste any opportunity to cultivate positive responses and strengthen its reputation.
One way for brands to build that trust is by monitoring and responding to customer questions and reviews quickly. This reinforces a brand’s commitment to customer service and reassures consumers. For customers, there’s no better feeling than getting an instant and helpful response. It’s validation that their time is respected and their business valued.
With the right tools in place, brands can make purchasing decisions easier, and address customer concerns before they fester and damage trust that’s so difficult to build, but easy to break. The result is a virtuous cycle of positive interactions that foster trust and ultimately generate sales.
In many ways, the pandemic has leveled the playing field for brands online because established players have lost the advantage of the in-store experience. Brands that embrace the need for trust and responsiveness in their customer support will emerge as the new leaders once the worst of COVID-19 is behind us.
Find more e-commerce strategies in BDC’s free eBook: Succeed with e-commerce.
