“Customer is King” is an age-old phrase often used by marketers to accentuate the importance of customers and “would-be” consumers in every business. It is particularly true for E-commerce, where the scope of seller-consumer interaction is limited and slightly more complicated than traditional retail because of the virtual nature of business. So, positive customer service, of course, holds more value and can really set Amazon sellers apart from other competing brands. It can take them one step closer to the most coveted prize for sellers on the platform, the Buy Box. It is also the right time to be talking about the importance of prompt and effective customer service because the festive season is already underway. The customer demands are soaring up as we move on towards the upcoming sales, which will most likely increase pressure on your back-end customer service. So, to help you tactfully deal with your buyers and come out of this period on top, our Amazon marketplace experts have suggested four tips that you can look to integrate into your customer service plan.
1. Phrase Your Statements Positively
Poor phrasing of statements is a sign of bad communication and has the potential to destroy your relationship with the consumers right from the onset. Spotting negative statements and carefully rephrasing them is a skill you should definitely look to master. If you try to convey information in a crisp, concise and friendly style, that alone can yield happier consumers.
Start by removing the word “You” from a piece of communication that is meant to address a problem because otherwise, it will sound like you are blaming the consumer even when you don’t intend to. For instance, if a consumer purchases your product on an Amazon marketplace and is facing issues regarding its usage, how would you respond?
- Wrong: “I am sorry that you couldn’t figure out how to use this item.”
- Right: “That’s awful! I am apologetic for the fact that our instructions were unclear. “
In the same way, avoid using negative statements like “Can’t,” “Don’t,” or “Never.” Instead, you can frame a positive reply by giving it an optimistic tone. For example:
- Wrong: “I am sorry to hear that, but I don’t know how to address this issue. I’ll have to call the manufacturer.”
- Right: “I am sorry to hear that. Let me call the manufacturer to get in touch with you to fix this issue at the earliest. Will that work fine for you?”
There would also be exhausting days where you would have to deal with one consumer complaint after another. In such scenarios, go through your reply once before you press the “Send” icon. If you keep your tone and statements positive, your consumers will reply positively, too, more often than not.
If you need assistance in managing your customer support for the holiday season, our Amazon outsourcing experts will be more than happy to help you.
2. Minimize Task Repetition
Performing the same tasks over and over again can be mentally and physically draining. During the holiday rush, the last thing you want is for your customer service team to be exhausted by doing work that is repetitive in nature. If your customer executives are bored because of the monotony surrounding their work-life or are unable to think and respond clearly to customers, you need to have a closer look at the tasks assigned to them. Let us consider a practical example and see how we can solve this problem:
Imagine that your consumer executives are getting similar queries over and over again regarding a particular product. They naturally have to type the same reply over and over again. It can be one of the least mind-engaging tasks that can derail any employee’s morale and interest. But, Amazon has a solution to minimize the occurrence of this issue: Email templates.
Also known as canned replies, these templates give you an option of saving replies for commonly asked questions and add them to responses. Even though you will still have to fill the spaces for “User Name” and “Ordered Product,” typing repetitive replies will be cut out.
If you feel the need to eliminate the task of repeatedly inserting user names and product names, you can make use of an online helpdesk. By integrating a helpdesk, you can prepare canned replies that automatically enter customer and product details without necessitating any typing. It will do a world of good for your customer executives as they will be able to think more and close consumer complaints at the earliest.
3. Make Use of an Autoresponder Software
Automated replies don’t convince most sellers. The fact that Amazon doesn’t categorize automated responses as replies is one reason why this perception exists. But, to believe that they are of no use is not true at all. In fact, they can prove to be quite useful if used correctly.
An autoresponder tool connects to your Seller Central account via API and sends emails through Amazon buyer-seller messages. With the tool’s assistance, you can create automated email sequences designed for responding to different triggers. For instance, if a customer is facing issues regarding an order placed, decides to send an email but doesn’t get a prompt response because the customer executives are currently out of office. Do you think he/she will remain calm about the situation? In most cases, probably not.
Hence, using an autoresponder to design an automatic sequence for such a scenario can make even an angry customer understand the whole situation. A simple email stating, “We have received your message, and our specialists will get back to you in X hours,” can help them be at ease with the wait time and build more trust towards the brand.
You needn’t go overboard but make use of them strategically to improve your brand’s customer experience on an Amazon marketplace.
4. Channel Focus
Customer service agents are knowledge workers, so it is important for them to channel all their focus into solving consumers’ issues or dealing with other queries raised by them. But, that can be a real challenge at times. If you are an E-commerce brand, your agents may receive inputs from multiple channels all at once. A single executive may have multiple communication tabs open for Amazon, Shopify, Facebook, Twitter, etc. In the meantime, one of their coworkers would need help with another query, and loads of other discrepancies would result in unsolved customer issues and rushed replies.
Such situations are quite prevalent; hence minimizing surrounding distractions is so much more important for customer support. You have to remember that a bad customer service experience often translates into a bad review, which can then impact your future sales.
Conclusion
If you are serious about winning the Buy Box and meeting your revenue goals for the festive period, then you need to ensure that your consumer experience remains top-notch. You can incorporate some of these tips into your customer service plan and train your agents to deal with each consumer query in a positive, problem-solving manner. By doing this, you would already be halfway through creating a loyal consumer base for your brand.
You can also get in touch with our Amazon outsourcing experts if you wish to know about our customer service offerings
