Help Me Help You – “Self-Service” Features in e-Commerce
If you want it done right, do it yourself. Some of us feel duty bound to that philosophy as it gives us a sense of control; we know exactly what is needed, our own personal preferences and motivations, and how to get to where we want. Before the days of e-Commerce websites, having the customer do things themselves was generally considered to be bad. Why? With their lack of resources, knowledge, and tools, there are things customers can’t readily manage; there are so many roadblocks in the overall process. It’s also probably implies you’re not doing a good job in anticipating the needs of customers to help them. It is always in the company’s best interest to help customers.
Now with technology and e-Commerce changing how things are bought, sold, and managed, there is so much that can be done. There is now a large amount of information at the customer’s fingertips. In order to do “self-service” successfully, there needs to be an element of control. From the small details that a customer wants to manage in the front end to the boundaries that the company set ups by managing the roles and permissions and guidelines in the back end.
When customers are able to help themselves, this leaves more time on the company to deal with trickier customer service issues that require the human touch. Resources can be focused on more pertinent issues and challenges as they come up.
“No thanks, I got it.” – Content for the Customer
Properly crafted content informs, entertains, and persuades your customers. When every bit of content can be added, changed, or removed simply from NAV, take advantage of this flexibility and power. Each piece of content you create is a touch point and a chance to shape your brand, impart knowledge, and connect with your customer. Content on your website can come in the form of product or category descriptions, FAQ’s, user reviews, specifications, related files, and much more. Make sure it’s easy to read and to navigate from one page or section to another. Another tip is to use links in a strategic way because there is more than one way to reach a destination.
“I can find it myself.” – Making Search Better
How easy is it to find what customers are looking for? There is no one right way to arrive at the desired product. Customers can browse multiple categories and subcategories where items can be listed under multiple of them. This helps organize your products but also target specific shoppers. For example, the ones who are looking for Beige Sofas vs the ones looking for Modern Seating can both arrive at the exact same item. Advanced search functions and parametric search managed in NAV give you better control so you present the most relevant search results to your customers.
“Can you tell me when it’s back in stock?” – Price and Availability Alerts
There is no longer a need for you to manually let each customer know. This feature provides notifications to customers (if they requested it) as soon as the price goes down or the item is back in stock with virtually no effort on your part. This blog post here may be of some interest for when the timing isn’t quite right. Instead of leaving it to your staff to deal with it, these alerts are efficient and effective. Features like this help your customers help themselves.
Customer Account Portal
This is what you need, the ultimate in self-help on a website that is both safe and secure for your customers (B2B or B2C), vendors, or sales agents. Upon logging in, a custom welcome message can greet them. This can be personalized and can be used to address any issues that are ongoing or some updates and other relevant information. An account manager at the company can use this as a dedicated communication channel in addition to emails and phone calls.
More ways to use a dedicated customer account portal:
- Draw attention to sales that are soon ending, special promotion coupons that must be used, or events coming up that may interest the customer
- Features like wish lists, order history, online bill payments, saved shopping carts, reports, and online quote management can help shape the shopping experience
- Aid in sales and management of accounts, invoices, purchasing, and more
- Especially in a B2B context, it also acts as a sales hub, with tools to approve, manage, view, and monitor (roles and permissions are controlled by the company in the back end, all in NAV)
Additional Information Required
In the case of unique issues where the customer writes in with a lengthy (and sometimes rambling) email, this process needs to be streamlined and more productive. It takes time and effort to decipher these emails and can result in lots of back and forth and possible misunderstandings between the customer and business. A feature like Submission Manager allows you to create as many forms as you like in NAV. It’s possible to ask questions in multiple formats and inputs to filter for the information required. This is good for the customer experience because it helps them narrow down and articulate their issues or questions, and makes it simpler for you as a business to assess the situation and assign help and/or resources accordingly.
- See our video and blog post for more information on submission manager and the possibilities this gives your e-Commerce website for better communication with your customers
Websites are not just about selling products but making the experience of buying pleasant all around. B2C and B2B customers will have different needs and the right features can address their concerns.