Tips to Improve Customer Service on Your E-commerce Site

What is e-commerce customer service?

E-commerce customer service revolves around addressing customers’ questions, needs and concerns before, during and after online sales. It means replying to messages you receive on e-commerce marketplaces or social media channels (or by email, text or phone) to quickly capture leads while they’re already engaged. It can also mean hiring customer service agents to ensure proper attention is paid to your customer communications across multiple channels.

How to improve customer service on your e-commerce site

When you’re selling products online, you have distinct advantages and disadvantages. While the pros typically outweigh the cons by far, your inability to interact with customers face-to-face is usually viewed as a negative.

However, e-commerce businesses can still offer good customer service; it just takes a little extra work. Here are a few tips to improve how you interact with customers through your online storefront.

1. Ask for feedback

You need to develop the habit of asking for feedback. While it might not always be positive, it is always helpful. If you truly want to offer the best customer service, knowing what your customers think about your brand, business, products and service is of the utmost importance.

“You need to be transparent and ask for it,” said Jennifer Johnson, founder of True Fashionistas. “I know that may be scary for some but if you don’t know you can’t do better and you don’t know if what you are doing is working.”

2. Offer options

The fact that a customer is shopping for your products online is proof in itself that they enjoy having various options. When it comes to customer service, make sure you give them the same opportunity to choose. Instead of giving them a boring contact form, offer additional options, like live chat support, text message customer service and a toll-free number to call.

3. Be clear

According to MagicDust, a full-service internet marketing and web design firm, “Unhappy customers are unfortunately inevitable in any kind of business. To avoid any conflict, include as much information on orders as possible.” This means providing detailed information on such matters as shipping and return policies, warranties, guarantees and other information that could affect a customer’s experience.

“In all the terms and conditions on your website (this includes product descriptions) you need to be very clear, even if it is obvious,” Johnson said. “People often don’t read, and you need to spell it out for them.”

4. Invest in quality site search

Much of your customer service relates to how you design your e-commerce site. To keep customers happy and convert shoppers, invest heavily in high-quality site search functionality.

“Your website needs to be fast, searchable and easy to use, period,” Johnson said. “You have only a few seconds to get their attention when they land on your website. It has to be easy to navigate and search for what they want, or they leave and go elsewhere.”

Good site search will help to keep customers satisfied, and you will avoid unnecessary interactions that waste your time. “[It] is the unsung hero of e-commerce,” said Jadah Hawkins, global market leader for retail and e-commerce at Alorica. “When done right — with smart filters, synonyms and natural language support — it helps customers find what they need fast, reducing friction and boosting conversion rates.”

5. Provide valuable follow-up

We’ve all received those annoying emails from companies after we’ve purchased one thing from their site. Don’t be that company. Instead of sending lazy promotions for months after a client’s purchase, shoot out valuable deals and offers immediately after they buy. Shoppers are more likely to convert when you are still fresh in their mind. Additionally, good deals and free offers show you care about keeping them as a customer.

“A ‘thank you for your order’ email isn’t enough,” Hawkins said. “Brands that follow up with helpful tips, how-to guides or shipping updates create a sense of care and professionalism. If something went wrong, a personalized message and make-good can turn a critic into a loyal fan.”

6. Offer free shipping

One of the best e-commerce customer service tactics is to offer free shipping. It costs you a couple of extra dollars, but it goes a long way in impressing customers and persuading them to make that first purchase (and maybe others down the road).

“Free shipping is not just a perk anymore — it’s expected,” Hawkins said. “Many customers abandon carts the moment they see a shipping fee.

7. Improve customer interactions

Although your team members have the skills necessary to interact with customers, they also need to relate to customers. For instance, try to identify common ground with the customer, such as a shared interest. This step helps your team members to understand conflict and humanizes the rep-staff relationship for the customer. 

Johnson told business.com that companies can improve customer interactions by having quick response times on top of connecting with customers. “Whether it was an order issue, question or simply to say I love your store,” she said. “The quicker the better because the customer really appreciates it and is ‘wowed’ when you are efficient.”

8. Follow up after a problem has been solved

It is essential that customers feel as though you are on their side when a problem occurs, so follow up to ensure the issue is fully resolved and that the customer is satisfied with the service. “Always follow up no matter what,” Johnson said. “ … They need to know they are important to your company. If you don’t follow up right away, it is sending a very clear message that they don’t matter.”  

You can do this through an email or a customer feedback survey — the goal is to let the customer know you are on their side. “Yes, it is an extra step but well worth it to know if you are hitting all the points the customer is expecting,” Johnson advised.

9. Actively listen to the customer

When you’re talking with customers, it’s important to clarify and rephrase what they are saying to make sure you understand them correctly. Showing empathy and reflecting their feelings will also help you turn the conversation in the right direction.

10. Be available

Part of the personal touch necessary for customer satisfaction is making sure your customers can reach you. For instance, if you’re in different time zones, be available on their time. This will help to build their trust and remind them that your business isn’t programmed. 

Hawkins advised that being available — especially for your consumers not in the same time zone — is a necessity for great customer service. “24/7 doesn’t always mean a human on call, but customers should always feel supported,” she said. “Brands can use AI, chatbots and a dynamic help center to maintain round-the-clock responsiveness, with seamless handoffs to human agents when needed.”

Customer service may not be most companies’ favorite activity, but it should be a major point of emphasis. When you’re looking for ways to improve your e-commerce site, analyze your customer service and look for areas where you can improve.

How does customer service for e-commerce differ from brick and mortar?

There are some key differences between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar customer service:

• Face-to-face interaction: E-commerce inherently lacks the face-to-face interactions that define brick-and-mortar storefronts. Good e-commerce customer service teams attempt to replicate this face-to-face structure and value. Phone calls, live chat and chatbots are some tools an e-commerce business might use to achieve this goal.
• Opening hours: Brick-and-mortar stores have set opening hours, so their employees aren’t typically expected to interact with customers after hours. The internet runs 24/7, though, so consumers may contact you around the clock. As a result, you might quickly find yourself behind in replying to customer emails, texts and the like.
• High expectations: Since e-commerce giants like Amazon have branded themselves on excellent customer service, many consumers may expect the same care from smaller e-commerce businesses. This expectation poses a substantial challenge for small e-commerce businesses. Falling behind on customer communications is almost inevitable with a tiny staff, yet it has greater consequences for an e-commerce business than for a standard retail storefront.

What is the value of customer service?

Whether or not you realize it, customer service plays a significant role in most purchases you make. Think about when you’re looking to buy a particular item that multiple brands sell for roughly the same price. What sets the one you select apart from the ones you pass up? While brand equity and familiarity play a role, it often comes down to how quickly you’ll get the product, what support it comes with and how comfortable you are with the brand.

Each of these aspects falls under customer service and indicates the importance of selling service to customers instead of just products.

Amanda Hoffman and Sean Peek contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.