Shopping on an e-commerce site involves purchasing products without seeing or touching them due to the nature of the process. Customers who are uncertain about their purchase may want to get answers to their questions either through the information on the website or by contacting customer service directly. Customer service, which can also be seen as a form of PR work, is therefore very important. If e-commerce customers had a say on customer service issues, most would probably express dissatisfaction. Given that it is a service that also determines your company’s reliability, why do you think customer service issues are more prominent? Let's try to answer this question together.
Long Waiting Times We all shop on e-commerce sites for various reasons. When we encounter problems, our solution is to contact the e-commerce site's customer service to explain our issue and request a resolution. After reaching customer service, it is possible for issues to be resolved in some way, but often we have to wait for a long time before speaking to a customer service representative. Long waiting times are a fundamental reason for customer service issues. E-commerce companies that perform their duties well and show the necessary care in the services they provide work to optimize the waiting times for customer service. Long waiting times can make consumers bored of waiting and may lead them to avoid the same company for future purchases.
Transferring the Customer to Different Representatives Another issue with customer service is the transfer of the customer to different representatives or managers while they expect their issue to be resolved quickly, which can extend the resolution process and cause the consumer to repeatedly explain their problem. E-commerce companies should work with customer service representatives who are experts and committed to their job, rather than facing customer service issues themselves.
Rude Customer Representatives One of the biggest mistakes a customer service representative can make is to engage in unnecessary arguments and disputes with customers, displaying a harsh tone and rude behavior. A well-known saying in business is: "The customer is always right!" A customer choosing the relevant e-commerce company wants to get what they have paid for, and this is quite natural. Sometimes, due to frustration, a customer might become overly persistent and even rude. Here, the customer service representative's task is to listen patiently, help politely, and win the customer over. Although not very common, rude behavior is an important issue in customer service problems. Companies use various mechanisms to continuously monitor their employees to prevent this situation.
Automating the Entire System As technology and artificial intelligence rapidly advance, various solutions have been developed for customer service just like for almost all systems. Some companies incorporate artificial intelligence and automation into specific areas, while others fully automate the system, not offering customers the chance to speak directly. The main problem here is that automation has not yet developed to provide the right answers to every problem. Remember that we are still in a technological transition period, and individuals might prefer solving their issues by talking to humans who understand them.
Lack of Knowledge among Representatives As mentioned earlier, being effective, knowledgeable, and polite are some of the qualities that customer service representatives should possess. Therefore, customer service representatives who lack technical proficiency about the products on sale must regularly receive training to improve themselves and provide the necessary support to customers seeking solutions. A customer service representative who is uninformed and disconnected from the topic can become one of the biggest customer service problems.
Managing customer service issues is crucial in the management of e-commerce companies. Therefore, you should pay attention to this issue, which directly affects your relationship with customers, and manage the process correctly with both the chosen personnel and the technological support you provide.
Comwize is an advanced e-commerce solution that offers a range of services in one package to strengthen your communication with your customers and gather feedback. If you would like to learn more about our different services and robust software architecture, you can contact us at any time.