| E-business
Success Through Person-to-person Communication
Customer Retention is the Game
Consumer frustration on the Web takes
on different flavors. E-business
customer service ranges from and enterprise burying its head in the sand
to staffing call centers. E-mail
can be a partial solution but not necessarily a low cost one if it takes
several exchanges to correct a problem and results in a bad customer
experience. Is an E-mail
response time of 24 hours commerce friendly?
The Web is an effective self-service
sales channel. However, 63%
of online customers would purchase more if human help was available.
The competition is one click away.
Human assistance builds long-term customer satisfaction and
relationship. Buyer
satisfaction is rewarded with customer loyalty and stickiness.
While a lot of money is spent acquiring customers, the more
compelling concern is retaining them.
Customer service representatives should
be available when online self-service fails.
They problem solve and answer questions that require
interpretation. For instance,
an online customer gets better service with instant text messaging than
with E-mail and at a lower cost to the enterprise than voice communication
(phone). Text messaging can
accommodate both cross and up selling opportunities, exceptions handling,
customer data gathering, and real-time service in a time sensitive
environment.
Customer Service Considerations
An escalating range of customer service
should factor in the differences between the time and functions of offline
and online interactions. Consider
the following:
·
Examine the service goal and technical
options available to achieve that goal.
If the service goal is e-mailing or instant messaging, this is a
one-to-many technical option where one customer service representative can
serve many customers simultaneously.
If the service goal is voice on the Web or a phone call, this is a
one-to-one option with a single customer service representative dealing
with one customer at a time. The
cost penalty for a Web voice is similar to a phone voice because it
consumes the complete attention of the customer service representative for
the duration of the conversation.
·
Use real time support for acquiring
customers. This can induce a
browser into becoming a buyer. It
can also increase the average size of the order.
·
Reduce shopping cart abandonment.
Increase customer loyalty by providing assistance at the point of
sale and even after confirmation of the sale.
·
Migrate customers to the Web.
Make the Web less intimidating by teaching customers how to use it
thus building their confidence. Walk
customers through Web usage and make it easy for them to get help from
real time customer service representatives.
This not only increases Web traffic but can also increase
self-service on the Web for reduced phone costs.
·
Implement outbound, targeted e-mail
service as part of online marketing.
Avail this targeted audience to real time help regarding online
ads. This can increase
response rates, cross selling opportunities, and revenues.
·
Understand your customer and their
behavior. Use customer
feedback to improve service to them.
Overhaul troublesome web pages for business process improvements.
Integrate log data and sales data for their full profitability
potential.
Web site and business improvements go
in tandem. The economics are
different for phone-centric versus Web-centric solutions.
Mass consumer adoption depends on standards rather than proprietary
practices. There are
compelling economics for a profit center orientation from the Web rather
than one as a cost center. The
Web is both a communications tool and business solution where customers
improve your business with their feedback.
|
