It is no secret that retail can be a challenging industry, with low margins and brands vying for market share even at the best of times. Companies have been scrambling to find a way to stay competitive and to carve out more profit from the current crisis, while simultaneously delivering their products and services to customers with a best-in-class experience. Taking advantage of e-commerce has provided brands with wonderful opportunities to grow market share and customer acquisition through amazing customer service that they will be able to offer to their clients.
The adoption of digital technologies by retail brands has also been equally challenging; those that are ‘native e-commerce’ companies, however, have certainly been riding this post-pandemic wave with ease, whereas others late to adopt digital transformation have faced some serious challenges. There hasn’t been much of a change in game fundamentals since brands are still selling products and selling services to their customers. In the case of delivering those items, and the experience presented to the end users, irrevocably changed, is the medium in which those items are delivered. Is it possible to purchase items in an online environment while staying connected with customers?
Customer experience starts with understanding the customer and what they want, wrapped up in CX. In a recent report, COVID has revealed some interesting facts about how we make purchasing decisions as consumers. It is understandable that during these times, customers may still feel a sense of loneliness and isolation; therefore, they require more trust from our brands and long for a feeling of relationship, assurance, and deeper personalization.
Based on a survey done by the Capgemini Research Institute, they found that the three primary reasons consumers now choose brands are convenience, health and safety, and purpose. It is without a doubt that companies with contact centers that utilize live agents, supported by technology and automation, have an undeniably competitive edge in regard to increasing customer acquisition as well as retention of customers.
Listed below are five benefits of outsourcing customer service operations to call centers for e-commerce brands.
Brand Loyalty & Customer Loyalty
Building and maintaining trust with customers is the most important thing for a brand. There is a lot on the plate of e-commerce companies, especially startups, in terms of managing a business, keeping in touch with suppliers, and dealing with administration. As a result, the customer is often neglected in all the commotion and may get overlooked a bit. When a company outsources customer support, it puts the focus back on the customer and helps them start building that intrinsic trust necessary to form long-lasting relationships.
With the changing needs of online customers, e-commerce brands are being forced to customize their communications, both through live, experienced agents and technology, in order to remain competitive. In order to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels, the contact center agents become the face of the company. By leveraging the ability of contact center agents to be empathetic, brands can make absolutely certain that customers receive the best possible service, while solidifying both their trust and their loyalty to the brand.
Globalize your business model
There will often be a lack of cultural and linguistic abilities on the part of companies that want to service customers in different countries. Furthermore, it may be that such firms do not possess the personnel and technologies needed to deliver omnichannel services to their customers. There is no doubt that global contact centers, especially those that are native cloud providers like TalentWorldGroup, have scaling down to a science, and are prepared and in the position to address customer needs in any language, dialect, or culture.
Effective in terms of cost
It is both a logistical challenge as well as a costly undertaking for any company to build out an entire department as quickly as possible. There are so many things to take into consideration; hiring, training, equipment, work-spaces… the list is endless. It makes sense to hire one provider to handle all of this for a fraction of the price. There is an opportunity for brands to develop their business strategy so they can invest capital in services and results, rather than bodies and overhead.
Analysis of customers
A contact center, if data is the new oil, can provide the refinery process by providing support. When a brand gathers customer information about its customers, it can transform this data into actionable insights. There is no doubt that having the right service support allows companies to offer a better informed approach to their client’s needs, whether it is data on customer journeys or data on the client themselves.
Result-oriented Workbooks
The more brands experience this, the more likely it may be that their management will discover after the fact that a particular area of business was not maximized, not because there was a lack of incentive, but rather because of other constraints. In order to ensure that results are delivered, and that money isn’t left on the table, an outsourced customer team is dedicated to driving sales, conversions, or any other metric that drives sales.
Final Thoughts
According to an article by McKinsey & Company, Customer Service and Care are expected to continue to evolve over the next decade. The need for personalization –and the empathy and connection that come with it –are more important than ever… Human agents won’t disappear for quite some time, but technology will enable companies to be better targeted and more efficient in how they deploy their agents in pursuit of personalization.”
Customers care can no longer be a reactionary activity. Instead, e-commerce brands must understand their customers better and develop a customer journey that is unified, cohesive and enriching at every touchpoint. Outsourcing contact center agents to manage this ultimate standard of service delivery plays a far more pivotal role in addressing and managing customer expectations for e-commerce brands when it comes to addressing and managing customer requests.
As the world is beginning to slip into a second pandemic wave, outsourcing customer service to contact centers that are able to provide their services in an omni-channel manner, particularly with live experienced agents working for them, assures that brands continue to stay close to their customers throughout all seasons.