The concept of customer service is one that is often left up to interpretation. What one company believes is necessary to treat its customers well may not even register on the list of priorities for another. Successful companies listen to the voice of the customer, but others try to mimic competitors or simply write their own rules. Who’s right? In an e-commerce environment, it’s important to pay attention to what works, and co-browsing technology can help.
In the traditional brick-and-mortar environment, customer service starts when the customer enters the store and ends when they walk out. It is often expected to be extended while on the phone, but personalization isn’t really a focus in store. Many companies simply look to provide the customer what he or she needs as quickly as possible and ensure they leave satisfied. This satisfaction is measured by words, facial expressions, body language and, of course, purchases. In the e-commerce environment, many of these cues are not available.
If a customer lands on your e-commerce site, you may or may not know why they are there or what they are looking to find. You likely study analytics to understand your traffic sources, most popular pages, average click-throughs and the percentage of customers who checkout versus those who abandon the cart before they complete the purchase. If you’d like to get more of them to fall into that first category, co-browsing technology can offer a leg up.
Self-Service is King
As consumers, we love the self-service appeal of the e-commerce environment. We can sit and watch a favorite movie while browsing the pages of a preferred retailer’s site. With just a few clicks, we can order a new outfit, register for a new service or pre-order the next season of our favorite shows. The possibilities are seemingly endless as we embrace this new way of consuming products and services.
For the retailer, however, the goal is to get this business each and every time. You want a customer to land on your site, browse through, find what they want and make a purchase. If they don’t find what they want, they’ll likely leave and go to a competitor. If you could just help them find the desired item or information before they leave your site, how much would that increase the likelihood of purchase?
Customer Service Still Reigns
This is where co-browsing technology steps in. It allows the contact center agent to browse the site with the customer, guiding them to what they are searching for and improving the overall experience. When implemented correctly, the contact center will save that information and know what the customer prefers, what they have searched for or purchased in the past and how best to help them each time they land on the site. Such service consistent across all channels will win a customer for life.
Edited by Blaise McNamee