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The rise of the digital marketplace has given birth to a whole new behavioral set among shoppers. While e-commerce has made it easier for businesses to expand their reach, buyers now also have a different level of expectation when it comes to customer experience. Case in point, customer service and international shipping. Just because automation plays a huge role in the way the world shops now doesn’t mean that business customer support has taken a backseat. In fact, it has become important more than ever.

How important is it you might ask? 2018 data from Microsoft says that 95% of consumers consider customer service as a very important part of building brand loyalty. Moreover, results from a study made by Grand View Research say that the customer experience management industry was valued at 7.5M USD in 2020 and is expected to grow more in the coming years. These numbers are proof enough that if there is one thing an e-commerce business has to nail in the head regardless of industry and size, it is providing the best experience to their target market.

So how exactly can you work on this? Here are a few things you can do:

1. Use a combination of chatbots and live chat to provide instant engagement

Face-to-face interaction used to be one of the most important aspects of customer service. Now that e-commerce is at an all-time rise, however, it has taken a slightly different form. Live chat, in particular, remains to be a prime channel when it comes to delivering customer satisfaction, with 51% of shoppers saying that they are more likely to become loyal followers of a brand with good live support.

The thing is, live chat can’t always fill the hours that your customers might need help, especially since with e-commerce, anyone can now buy anytime, anywhere. This is where your automated support comes in. The key is to make these automated chats as conversational and close to the real experience as much as possible, with your shoppers still having the option of choosing live interactions during regular working hours if 24/7 support is not possible.

2. Create a bank of helpful references

Another way you can improve your business customer support system is to create a collection of references that your customers can easily use as a guide for possible concerns. This can come in the form of a website FAQ, videos, a knowledge bank, or an online support system. Not only will these materials lower the possibility of customer complaints, they will also take some work off the shoulders of your customer service team—and let them focus on matters that require more in-depth communications.

3. Use the right channels for customer service

Depending on which industry you’re in, you’ll have to consider which channels you should prioritize in terms of customer service. It is normal for e-commerce businesses now to have the full suite of social media platforms to promote their business while having a website at the same time. However, having all of these channels can quickly become challenging since you have to automatically expect that your customers will reach out to you via all of them. Make sure that you create a good system to manage these and use customer experience software tools if necessary.

For example, if you’re mostly managing customer support via email, using a help desk or ticketing system can help you a lot. You can even connect these with your social media accounts or customize them to include live or voice chats. Other than making the traffic more manageable, software like this also serves as a great database for all your past customer interactions so you can easily assess and review your performance.

4. Create good engagement

he fact that e-commerce has taken away the window for face-to-face interactions with your shoppers makes it even more important for you to try and create good engagement with them for as much as you can. You can do this by offering valuable follow-ups and personalized updates. Closed an issue with a customer? Get in touch with them even after the problem has been solved just to ask if you can help with anything else. Item out of stock? Offer to put them on the waitlist once your inventory drops. In an industry where almost everyone is pushing their services and products online, high-value business customer support is one thing that can definitely set you apart from the crowd. A customer service system that is shaped with empathy and genuine interest is a good place to start.

5. Improve and foolproof your handling of shipping concerns

Being in the business of e-commerce automatically puts you in the business of shipping as well. This particular part of your business model is very important because it deals with the actual delivery of the product to its end-user after they’ve gone through the lengthy stage of choosing your product and buying it. The thing is, even if you’ve provided A+ support during the earlier stages of securing a sale, everything can easily go down the drain once the poor shipping experience rears its ugly head.

To prevent this, make sure to partner with a trusted customer service international shipping and logistics partner to handle your deliveries. Consider factors like rates, postal system, and transit time when assessing your delivery partner. At the same time, don’t forget to communicate to your customers what they should expect from you when it comes to shipping and delivery.

Looking for a good logistics partner that can fulfill your needs as an e-commerce owner while meeting the demands of your customers? We here at MyKartero have designed our service to provide exactly these. Not only do we offer a variety of postal services that can fit any budget, but we also made sure to develop a good postal system and offer optimal transit time to our clients. We are fully optimized to serve e-commerce businesses so that you can focus on improving your operations while we take care of your shipping needs with our end-to-end enterprise and e-fulfillment solutions. Want to know more about how we can help you?