2020 has been strange, complex, unusual, and full of changes. Everything has changed: our way of socializing, working, studying and, of course, consuming.
Yes, COVID-19 has become the great accelerator of digital transformation. The future has become the present, and we have to recognize that the digitization of our companies is already a necessity.
At this point, we imagine ourselves behind the screen of our computer managing our customers’ orders, and the big question comes to mind: How to give good customer service in a digital environment?
Effective customer service is the basis for the success of our company and the loyalty of our customers. Acting quickly, being decisive, transmitting confidence, or knowing our target well are principles that we must always apply if we want to have a successful business; However, we must not forget that the techniques, tools, and strategies that we will apply so that the customer service of our 2.0 business is ten will not be the same as those used in a traditional business.
Customer Service Tools In E-commerce
We will learn about some of the technological tools to support customer service, that is, the ICTs that facilitate support for the daily work of customer service and relationships.
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management). This application allows centralizing a single database all the interactions between a company and its customers, facilitating real-time service, marketing actions, the sales process, resolution of incidents, and knowledge of customer needs.
- Voice over IP. It is the way to make data calls using the internet protocol (IP). An example of this tool would be Skype from Microsoft or Hangouts from Google.
- Social networks. Social networks are today one of the most important tools to interact with customers. According to the Annual Study of Social Networks – carried out in June 2020 – 87% of Internet users aged 16 to 65 use social networks; it leads the ranking of WhatsApp usage (85%), followed by Facebook (81%), YouTube (70%), and Instagram (59%).
The use of social networks as a means of communication with our clients offers us a series of competitive advantages in contrast to traditional media: instant communication without borders, the possibility of offering fully personalized content, interactivity, economy – since opening and managing a Profile on the networks is free-, constant updating of our contents, …
- Blogs and Microblogs. An exciting option to improve and strengthen your brand on the Internet, create your content, publish it on your blog associated with your website to capture and centralize traffic to your website, and share it on your social networks for your followers to consult and comment on. And friends.
New Sales Technologies
The Internet and the online world open up new and unlimited possibilities for commercial transactions, but how to sell through the Internet?
The answer to this question is not simple, but I will give you some methods and tips to start selling online with an online store. The first step before leaping e-commerce will be to define the best solution to obtain the best cost for your online store:
Payment for a solution hosted in the cloud.
The cost can vary from very cheap to more expensive depending on the needs to be covered.
Free solutions.
They will always be the most basic, although you will have the possibility of accessing higher versions or with add-ons by investing some money. Some examples would be Wex, Weebly, …
Payment for a solution hosted on a third-party server.
Hosting is the server where all the information on your website is stored, from where users download it. The cheapest and the one used by most personal projects and small businesses is the shared one.
Pay-per-use rental mode SaaS in the cloud.
You will have to pay in the rental mode for the applications, elements, and actual amounts you use (generally every month).
Open Source solutions.
Its code is open and accessible, although adapting it may entail some cost. The big problem with this option is that you will need programming knowledge to use it. Some examples are PrestaShop, WooCommerce, or Magento.
Also Read: How To Identify And Prevent Cyberbullying
Payment For A Customized Solution.
The cost is usually higher than with other solutions. Some examples of companies that virtual design stores are Oleoshop or Innovadeluxe.
Once the most appropriate solution for your digital business has been defined, you must consider a series of aspects that will facilitate the sales process, making it agile, fast, easy, simple, and that generates trust at all times.
- A good catalog of products, colorful and that generates the interest and desire of your client to buy.
- The registration and sale processes should be easy, simple, and fast.
- The collection process. You must define the most appropriate payment method or methods for your store: card payment, PAYPAL, cash on delivery, prepaid card, direct debit, mobile payment, …
- The integration of the other processes of your company.
Means To Reach Our Customers
So far, we have known some tools that can be very useful in the commercial management of your clients, but we have decided to leave some of the most exciting means to attract our clients to the end and thus complete the purchase cycle.
Email.
Email to email emailing can reach many people without spending much money, which makes it an excellent way to publicize our company and contact our clients, offering them only the information that interests them. This tool has different plans, and it can be used for free or paid.
Chat (live chat).
Thanks to this tool, we will be able to resolve the doubts and queries of our clients at the exact moment in which they occur. In addition, more complex live chats allow you to incorporate audio and video.
Forum
The forum is a public communication tool that, like the chat, is characterized by its immediacy. A well-managed forum becomes a highly effective tool for solving problems or doubts and promoting our business and the loyalty of our clients.
Good customer service improves the image of the company and customer acquisition, user experience, and sales conversion. In the current digital age, companies must transform and use new technologies to provide quality customer service.