5 Tips To Deliver Amazon Like E-commerce Customer Service

Guest post 9.4.2024. Reading Time: 5 minutes
E-commerce Customer Service

By 2026, 24% of all retail purchases will be made online.

E-commerce is on a boom, and goliaths like Amazon have paved their way to creating a large recurring user base.

What are they doing right?

The answer is simple, just by treating their customers “the way THEY want to be treated”!

This detailed guide will uncover how all the big e-commerce platforms around the world like Amazon, E-bay, and AliExpress strategize and deploy their customer service programs.

What makes e-commerce customer service so important?

According to Hubspot, 93% of shoppers will come back to your e-commerce platform if the customer service is right.

And not just that, acquisition costs have gone bezerk, with every new entry costing between 5-25 times of retaining an existing one.

Customers nowadays have high expectations when it comes to service. 

Even though a small number of people go through actual problems, we now notice that more of them are speaking up about the issues they face with customer service.

You don’t want people to do that!

According to statistics, millennials are ready to spend 21% more if it means they get top-notch customer service in return. 

Having effective customer service is vital for the success of any eCommerce venture

When you make customer satisfaction a top priority, cater to their needs, and establish trust, you pave the way for a loyal customer base, encourage repeat purchases, and ultimately boost your revenues.

5 Best practices for Amazon-like e-commerce customer service

According to a Forbes survey, Amazon accounts for 37.8% of all retail purchases happening online.

Although comparison to a trillion-dollar company is not exactly ideal, all the largest brands in the world have one thing in common, they do the fundamentals right.

And so can you, let’s decode these e-commerce customer service practices that make Amazon the best in the world.

Streamline your operations 

One of the mantras behind Amazon’s renowned customer service is its impeccable organization. 

Just like Amazon, ensure your customer service department is WELL-ORGANISED.

If you are trying to lay out an effective customer support program, structure, fluidity, and transparency are key.

Implement tools such as shared inboxes and saved replies to streamline communication and collaboration within your team. 

This prevents any customer queries from slipping through the cracks and maintains consistency in your responses.

Offer round-the-clock customer support

64% of customers now prefer engaging with businesses through a 24/7 chatbox, it has become essential for all businesses to provide continuous customer assistance. 

However, maintaining a dedicated 24/7 customer service team to handle calls can be both financially and operationally demanding, making it impractical and time-consuming for many business owners. This is where exploring ecommerce outsourcing can be a valuable solution.

You can’t simply aim for high customer satisfaction without focusing on reducing average response times. 

This is where chatbox integration becomes invaluable. 

Contrary to common belief, you don’t necessarily need your team to be available 24/7 for a chatbox to operate smoothly. 

Thanks to advancements in generative AI, chatbots can now respond to customer queries even when your customer support team is offline. 

With certain tools, you can create branded chatboxes that seamlessly integrate into your e-commerce customer service platform, offering customers enhanced real-time assistance.

This ability to provide uninterrupted support is a crucial aspect of eCommerce customer service that can help your business distinguish itself in a competitive market.

Make things happen faster with Self-Service

When the idea is to help a customer, how can we ask them to do it themselves?

Many of you might ask.

In this era of experiential selling, self-service not only ensures an interactive experience but will also help you understand consumer trends.

It will save you an extra buck and will also make customers feel more in control.

Look at Amazon, they have built a space where customers handle everything from tracking orders to sorting out refunds without even talking to a rep “hassle-free”.

Please keep in mind customers unconsciously look for the line of least resistance, so if something is too complicated, they will likely quit.

So make sure you plan the self-service process right 

Make refunds your topmost priority 

Did you know at least 30% of all products ordered online are returned, as compared to 8.89% in brick-and-mortar stores?

As a business, you need to understand that not every purchase will meet the buyer’s expectations. 

Thus, you must ensure that their return and refund process is straightforward and user-friendly. 

Inject readily available FAQs and help topics detailing their policies and return procedures, aiming to make the process as seamless as possible for your customers.

If we talk about Amazon, they have smartly implemented policies such as a no-restocking-fee policy and providing free return shipping. 

With more than 30% of the customers voting for faster refunds, these measures must be designed to reduce customer effort and ensure a positive shopping experience for all buyers.

Work on your customer feedback rigorously 

Customer feedback is like knowing what to do without spending and depending on research as well as analytics 

This feedback can be gold when it comes to laying out effective customer support.

It’s like this neat loop called A.C.A.F. – Ask, Categorize, Act, and follow up.

First things first, you gotta find the best way to ask for feedback. 

You can do it through online directories, in-app surveys, or even good old email. 

Then comes the fun part – categorizing all that feedback you get, think of it like sorting out the good stuff from the not-so-good stuff, like the pros and cons of your product based on what your customers are saying.

Once you’ve got all that feedback sorted, it’s time to rally the troops and figure out what actions to take. 

Get everyone involved because brainstorming sessions are where the magic happens.

And here’s the kicker – remember to follow up with your customers. 

Oh, and even if you didn’t ask for feedback, chances are you will still get some. 

Whether it’s good or bad, make sure to respond. Show your customers you care, and who knows, you might turn a negative into a positive.

In today’s digital age, leveraging tools like an AI video generator can also amplify your feedback collection efforts, making the process even more efficient and engaging for both you and your customers.

Customise, Customise, Customise 

When you go above and beyond to make every step of your customer’s journey exceptional, it leaves a lasting impression. 

And guess what? They’ll be itching to come back for more or stick with your brand like glue.

Taking the time to craft personalized experiences for your e-commerce customer service and nurture your relationship with your clients is worth it. 

It’s all about finding those little touches that make them go “wow.”

So, think about how you can align your customer service program with actions that really help your customers.

And sometimes it’s the small gestures that matter the most. 

Just showing a bit of thoughtfulness and care while supporting your customers can make a world of difference. 

Treat each client like the unique gem they are, and you’ll earn way more than just their trust.

Concluding Thoughts 

When you are trying to craft seamless e-commerce customer support for your beloved users you need to make sure you touch all the above pointers.

Customer is king and you as a business should make them feel like one. 

Author

Ankita Malhotra
As an outreach specialist, I connect and build relationship with people. With over 4 years of experience along with communication skills, I develop and implement effective outreach strategies that deliver goal oriented results.