HOW WILL E-COMMERCE COMPANIES BENEFIT WITH OUTSOURCING THEIR CUSTOMER SUPPORT?

Can you imagine the world without online shopping? Over the past couple of years, there has been an increase in the number of e-commerce websites and that has brought everything at people’s fingertips (literally!). From shopping clothes and everyday groceries, electronics and appointment scheduling, travel bookings and everything in between, e-commerce business is thriving and for good reason.

The e-commerce websites are new-age firms that are founded by young and dynamic techno-entrepreneurs and they have ventured into almost all domains, as well as, the category of products and services. It is not an exaggeration to say that almost every need of an individual is being satisfactorily serviced by the various e-commerce companies online.

Some of the e-commerce companies have achieved the cult status with a billion dollar valuation while there are others who are still struggling to make a mark in this highly competitive industry. Industry reports suggest that the rate of failure is much higher than the rate of success and one of the reasons for this is that entrepreneurs try to do too much. They fill their plate with more than what they can handle and that leads to confusion.

Do you know that at an elementary level, e-commerce business models are all identical? They either run on an inventory-based model or on a marketplace model. So, when the models are similar, what is it that distinguishes one e-commerce company from the other? While technology is definitely a determinant factor, most experts suggest that customer service and sales support is the most significant factor that decides the success of an e-commerce business.

Efficient and quick customer support is the secret to a successful e-commerce business

Do you want your e-commerce business to be a raging success? If yes, pay attention to improving your customer assistance and service. In an era when consumer activism is so heightened, even a single disgruntled customer can deal a heavy blow on your company’s reputation through daily updates on various social media platforms. Therefore, the adoption of the best practices of customer relationship management is imperative. This way, you can look forward to gaining a competitive edge. Always remember that when doing business online, a customer may forego receiving a damaged product thinking that “it happens”, but they will never forgive a lackadaisical attitude when it comes to customer support.

Seems all too much to handle? No problem! Outsource your customer support to be able to give your customers a seamless experience. To know more benefits of e-commerce call center outsourcing, keep reading.

You will be able to focus more on your core business

By engaging a third-party customer support service provider, you will be able to focus more on your core business. Your internal resources will be freed and you can lay emphasis on important business functions, such as accounting, engineering, marketing and sales, analytics and data mining, among others. This way, along with your customer service, you will also be able to strengthen your business, think about expansion or introducing a new product line.

Be able to offer customer industry-focused services

In e-commerce businesses, customer support involves the adoption of cutting-edge technology, specialized skill-sets, and tools. If you want to grow your business, you will have to take up a multi-channel customer support approach. You need to focus on various communication touch points, such as live chat, voice calls, SMS, email support and so on. This will ensure that you are able to provide your customers with a seamless and satisfactory experience. By outsourcing customer support to an industry-specific company, you can be sure that they have all the tools and technologies necessary to meet your exact requirements. They will also be able to deliver customer services flawlessly and help to increase the number of satisfied customers.

Do you know why a happy customer is important? Because they being your sales and revenue! Also, they might advertise you for free (word of mouth advertising) that will grow your brand awareness and recognition.

Outsourcing will give you access to a highly specialized workforce

Customer service is actually a specialized service and it quite tough. It requires highly experienced and qualified professionals to manage the whole process efficiently. By outsourcing, you will be gaining access to professionals who have years of expertise and experience in customer service. They understand the needs of customers and will be able to assist you in retaining them. Also, you do not have to invest in training them!

Round-the-clock customer support

Since your business is online, it means that there is no closing or opening time. Your shop is basically open at all times. So, suppose a customer is purchasing a product or service in the middle of the night or during the wee hours of the morning and he/she faces a problem. Who will he/she turn to? Unless you are a call center/e-commerce company, you will not be open 24/7 and you might actually lose out on potential customers. But, if you outsource customer service to a third-party, it will be their responsibility to cater to every need of your customers whether day or night. They will be functioning for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You never have to worry about losing a customer.

Outsource e-commerce customer service to actually guarantee enriching conversations with customers. Since that is their sole function, they are able to handle every aspect of it quite efficiently. But, when you have too many things to worry about, you automatically become a little careless while solving your customers’ query or issue. Now, when running a business, you would never want your customers to feel that they are not important to you. This is where outsourcing plays a really important role and can be the difference between gaining customers and losing out on them.

Do you agree that outsourcing customer support offers loads of benefit to e-commerce businesses? Do you have any experiences that you would want other entrepreneurs to know about? Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts and suggestions.