The availability of a plethora of online shopping sites makes the average customer set very high standards for service. This being the case let us take a look at how we can prevent a mishap from occurring.
What upsets a customer?
1. Sub standard customer support
If a customer is not treated well by the support staff, she or he is likely to obtain little to no customer satisfaction and even switch to a rival. Shoppers find it difficult to carry out transactions with a company whose support personnel type out impersonal mail, or do not handle calls suitably. Trying to pass of the blame to another player and not taking responsibility for the error will cost the seller. It will be prudent to train your support staff in dealing with different types of customers.
If you look at the image given here, it shows how an unfavourable attitude from the service personnel is cause for 68% of customers to move on.
Studies have shown that the opposite also holds true. That is, if your customer service is good, it contributes to a customer satisfaction. 78% the respondents of a study that Genesys Global Survey conducted in 2009 said that competent service representatives played a major share in their experience.
2. Multiple points of contact
When a customer calls your helpline and is transferred to different representatives, it can turn into a tedious and frustrating experience. If the customer has to repeat the problem every time to each new person she or he talks to, the customer will surely abandon the call, leave a bad rating on customer service, and move to another seller. To avoid this, try to limit the number of representatives a customer has to go through. If possible, try to resolve issues at a single point of contact.
So what can you do to prevent the complaints?
a. Problem resolution
Offer a little extra something with the refund or exchange in the event of an unfortunate incident. Amazon is well known for its attempts to woo customers, and the speed with which it solves customer grievances. There are instances where Amazon has handed out gift certificates to a customer upon knowing that it is a birthday.
b. Equip your employees with a little more power
Be it the power to hand out a discount or an offer to a seething customer; allow your employees the trust and the jurisdiction to handle a high tension situation. On the same note, it is important to have a happy employee base to maintain a happy customer base. Invest in your employees and listen to their grievances. This will motivate them to give good service, resulting in less customer complaints. This can also help control complaint escalation to higher levels.
c. Shorter resolution time
Deal with the fact that no matter how careful you are, it is impossible to eliminate complaints altogether. When you do get a complaint, deal with it properly. The quicker you fix a complaint, the happier your customer. If you drag your feet over the issue for a few days by transferring it to other parties involved, your customer is not going to want to shop with you again. Instead, speed up the turnaround time to keep your customer happy. A quick resolution of issues also indicates your high levels of professionalism.
d. Give incentives for customers to leave their feedback
Slip a little freebie with their order, or better still, give them a discount for their future purchase. While some might call this bribing, let us just call it a necessity to ensure that the customer has no reason to complain. Getting constructive feedback from customers can help you fix issues in your service thereby preventing future complaints. It is also good to conduct regular surveys to identify pain areas and fix them.
e. Simple process for complaint recording
Yes, you heard that right. Help your customers to log a complaint about anything they have a problem with. If you have a long wound route to register complaints, most customers will abandon the attempt. Missing out on a complaint will mean not just loss of that one customer, but also the lost opportunity to fix the issue for future customers.
f. Precise product dimensions
You can avoid many a return and complaint if you give the exact measurements and dimensions of your product, in the case of apparel or footwear. Many times the guide that gives an approximate measurement of a product might not work for all brands.
Now that you know what causes customers to frown, and how to prevent them, get going and drive your sales through the roof. If you need any help with regards to your ecommerce, contact Browntape. We are India’s leading ecommerce solutions experts.
