It’s a relief the public didn’t cancel Meta despite its outage last Tuesday. But of course, it’s a staple in the social media industry—kind of hard to ‘cancel,’ right?
We can’t say the same for ecommerce brands though, especially small ones.
So, how will you convince your customers to stay with you if your brand has the same outage?
The answer: consistently good customer experience.
- Customer experience vs. customer service 🆚
- Top customer experience trends in 2024 🔥
- Customer self-service 💪
BIG IDEA
In some cases, customer experience (CX) and customer service are treated as similar things. However, there’s a slight BUT IMPORTANT difference between the two.
📍 In a nutshell, CX is the big picture that starts from the moment a customer hears about your brand to long after they've made a purchase. On the other hand, CS zooms in on the post-purchase phase, when your team steps in to answer customer concerns.
In case you’re still a bit confused, IBM broke down the differences between these two and why they're crucial to your success.
⚙️ Tools
- CX:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to track and analyze customer interactions across various channels.
- A/B test software to see which content/message best resonates with customers.
- Dynamic recommendations tosuggest other products based on previous purchases.
- CS:
- Chatbots to provide automated answers to customer queries.
- Knowledge bases, which serve as an online library of articles and FAQs to guide customers.
- Contact options on your website or storefront so that buyers can easily reach customer support.
- Proactive communication, such assending emails or texts to check on customers.
📊 Metrics
- CX:
- Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): How satisfied customers are with a particular interaction
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): The likelihood of customers recommending your brand
- Customer Effort Score (CES): How easy or difficult it was for customers to get what they needed
- Customer retention rate: How many customers stay with your brand over time
- CS:
- First Response Time (FRT): How quickly your team responds to customer issues
- Average Resolution Time (ART): Time taken to resolve a customer issue
- Issue resolution rate: The percentage of customer issues successfully resolved
CX + CS = Dream Team
Today’s consumers have more options than ever. Providing exceptional customer experiences shouldn't just be a bonus—it’s a necessity.
Offering top-notch CX and CS is like having Batman and Robin on your side—they have their strengths that when put together are unstoppable. 🤝
BITES OF THE WEEK
- Gen A–Z: Apparently, customer service expectations vary from generation to generation.
- CS by Amazon: DYK you can get an 85% satisfaction rate by enrolling in Customer Service by Amazon?
- Customer Nightmares: Here are some of the worst customer service experiences (and how to fix them).
- Lifelong Fan: The key to ecommerce success is to build a long-lasting relationship with your customers.
TRENDING TOPIC
3 customer experience trends to adopt this 2024
The journey to improving customer experiences has been wild over the years. From omni-channel support to last year’s AI-powered gimmicks, the ecommerce community surely has no shortage of ideas to win shoppers.
Not sure which one to try for your business? HubSpot dished out some of the newest customer experience trends that are set to shape 2024 and beyond.
1. AI-powered CX
As the most recent means to elevate customer support, AI is widely used by businesses to achieve:
- 24/7 customer support through chatbots. This ensures customers get instant help anytime, anywhere.
- Predictive analytics. AI looks at customer behaviors to predict their needs and address them before they even ask. For example, you can send automatic reminders based on purchase history. 🔔
2. More personalization
Online transactions aren’t as warm and welcoming as physical ones. That’s why customers crave a personal touch during online shopping.
🤖 At this point, AI is brand owners’ go-to tool to give this to shoppers. By leveraging AI’s copying ability in crafting content and responses, you can replicate the personal touch of in-person interactions.
3. Data security
ICYDK, 81% of customers are concerned about how companies use their data. To address this:
- Opt-in for data sharing. Let customers choose to share their data.
- Maintain transparent data practices by clearly explaining how you collect and store data.
- Be honest and upfront about any data breaches or risks.
🛞 Navigating the CX road ahead
In the fast-changing and uncertain world of ecommerce, trends swiftly come and go. To survive, you must adapt by listening to customers and embracing new trends.
But first, you must stay tuned to the latest news and updates—delivered by yours truly.
ACTIONABLE ADVICE
Why you should offer customer self-service this year
Did you know that 81% of customers prefer to solve simple issues on their own?
This is why having a customer self-service option is now a must for brands. Besides, Hiver emphasized that this option is also designed to empower customers to help themselves, reducing your CS team’s workload. 🧰
Aside from this, here are other compelling reasons whycustomer self-service matters:
- 24/7 support availability. This is particularly appealing to customers who shop during the wee hours as they won’t need to talk to live agents to solve their concerns.
- Cost-efficient support. Self-service costs less than live support interactions, especially in terms of staff costs.
- Boosted agent productivity. If customers can solve basic issues, your CS agents can focus on complex issues. 🧠
- Improved customer retention. ICYDK, empowering your customers through easy problem-solving builds trust and loyalty.
Types of customer self-service portals
- FAQ pages: For answering common questions and boosting SEO and accessibility.
- Knowledge bases: For providing customers with more product details and tutorials.
- Community forums: For fostering peer-to-peer support and brand loyalty.
- Chatbots: For providing instant and personalized assistance.
- In-app widgets: For guiding customers within your app.
🏆 All in all, offering easy-to-access solutions not only cuts costs but also improves the overall customer experience. Plus, 79% of consumers actually expect brands to have these technologies in place.
Do you plan on offering any of the customer self-service options above? If so, let us know which ones you’re eyeing by replying to this email! 👀
