Loyalty: The importance of good customer service
In the e-commerce world, they always talk about the importance of customer loyalty and they give you a bunch of numbers, endless statistics, and strategic data to increase the conversion of your business. The question they keep repeating is the same, “How can we convert a one-time customer into a recurring client?” And the answer isn’t that complicated.
The fact that customer service is essential for any business is clear; especially since customer reviews are all over social networks and 95% of shoppers share bad experiences. However, even though setting yourself apart from the competition is getting easier and easier, customer service can be the key in making yourself stand out to a potential buyer over a neighboring company.
It’s completely obvious, yes, but it is worth mentioning to what point good customer service can affect the client because, according to a study done by Zendesk:
- 66% of online consumers change companies due to even just one bad customer service experience
- 42% switch stores because of rude or inefficient sales clerks
- And 82% think that your business could do something to prevent this
Loyalty = Good customer service
In other words: customer service is important for loyalty and you’re not trying hard enough to retain your customers. A satisfied customer is a loyal one. Make them happy.
Another reason to give excellent customer service is for your pockets: the probability of selling to someone new is between 5% and 20% but the probability that a customer will return after a good experience goes up to 70%.
In all practicality, it’s a lot more expensive to get a new client than to keep an existing one. Publicity vs. Customer service. Do the math: if 73% of consumers fall in love with a brand thanks to good customer service and 52% return to shop at a store where they had a positive customer service experience, how much does it hurt to be generous with good product recommendations?
How to attend a customer well
We’ve already given you some basic advice and some recommendations on how to approach an angry customer, the only thing you need is empathy. Each customer that shops at your e-commerce is spending their money on a product or service and at your business so the sales clerks can attend them when they need it.
There are thousands of reasons that a customer can have questions and if they’re not resolved immediately, they’ll probably abandon their cart. Your e-commerce needs an available agent, but according to a study from the Evolution of E-commerce in 2016, only 39% of online commerce has a livechat installed.
There’s a large percentage of online stores that seemingly don’t consider a livechat to be important. But 49% of those interviewed by IAB Spain recognized that some cart abandonment wouldn’t have happened with an agent connected through an online chat.
Once you have a livechat, what should you tell your customers? First, make it clear that you’re there to help them in whatever they need and, secondly, be clear and sincere. Interacting in real time with your patrons you will be able to see what they want, where they have the most questions, and correct their mistakes without wasting your energy sending customer satisfaction surveys. Your business strategy depends on what your clients think!