E-commerce offers a huge opportunity for businesses to both expand their reach and consequently increase revenue online. Effective e-commerce strategies require more than just setting up a nice website and driving web traffic to it. Creating the kind of buying experience that delights customers, builds loyalty and keeps them coming back also demands a personal, human touch. According to those at Apello, this is where partnering with a professional live answering service becomes a pivotal component for e-commerce success.

Providing around-the-clock support from real people means answering services enable e-commerce businesses to balance efficient digital transactions with high-touch customer service. Shoppers appreciate speaking with someone helpful when they have questions or when issues arise. The right service lets you cost-effectively provide that personal experience at scale. Here are some of the key benefits:

Provide Quick Assistance

Even the best designed e-commerce platforms will occasionally make shoppers irritated. Customers encountering technical glitches or struggling to find a particular product need immediate support to avoid frustrating experiences that drive them away. With an answering service’s agents available 24/7, customers can get timely answers and hands-on virtual assistance to resolve issues quickly and painlessly.

Field Pre-Purchase Questions 

Many shoppers need to ask questions before they feel comfortable making purchases online. Answering services allow e-commerce businesses to thoroughly respond to pre-sales inquiries even during nights, weekends and holidays. Shoppers gain confidence to complete their orders knowing support reps are there to address concerns when needed. Driving additional sales through exceptional customer service 24/7 creates a competitive advantage.

Improve Post-Purchase Experiences 

Most e-commerce businesses know that post-purchase support is just as important for them. Customers expect the ability to call and speak to someone about order status, shipping issues, returns, exchanges and other needs. Fielding such inquiries through a professional answering service provides better experiences than frustrating automated systems. 

Receive Calls from Offline Marketing

E-commerce marketing often goes beyond the online world to include print, radio, and television advertising in the mix. These campaigns will inevitably drive inbound calls in addition to online traffic. An answering service enables e-commerce businesses to capture calls generated by offline marketing at all hours. No need to miss potential customers and revenue during the overnight hours when your digital shop is always open.

Support International Customers 

For e-commerce businesses expanding globally, customers located across different time zones often need assistance while companies are closed for the night. Answering services bridge that gap, ensuring international shoppers can receive knowledgeable, timely support 24/7. 

Provide Specialized Expertise  

Shoppers often appreciate talking to support reps with specific expertise regarding products, industry-specific regulations, payment systems, and e-commerce platforms. Sophisticated answering services staff specialized agents to master these domains. For an electronics business, tech-savvy reps provide confident guidance. Apparel sellers may partner with reps experienced in international shipping.

Offer Multilingual Support

E-commerce businesses marketing to global audiences need answering service reps fluent in their customers’ languages. The best answering services screen multilingual talent so they can offer natively fluent assistance in over a dozen languages. Shoppers appreciate the ability to get questions answered and issues resolved in their own language. 

Collect Customer Feedback

In addition to fielding inquiries and resolving issues, answering service agents should gather open-ended customer feedback about the online shopping experience. This qualitative data provides e-commerce businesses with insights to identify pain points, improve site navigation, recommend new products, refine policies and more. The feedback captured after-hours can drive better customer experiences.

Conclusion

While e-commerce’s seems to continue growing unabated, the need for exceptional 24/7 customer support has never been greater or more apparent. Partnering with a professional answering service allows online businesses to balance efficient digital transactions with high-touch service.