How to Deliver Incredible Customer Support Through Shopify
Have you lost sales because of poor customer support on your Shopify store?
Achieving customer success through Shopify can feel challenging.
We’ve all been there at some point.
The answer lies in finding the right strategies for providing top-notch customer support. It should be easy to implement and scale as your brand grows.
With 2 billion digital buyers across the globe, eCommerce is quickly transforming the retail landscape.
With such heavy competition, providing excellent customer support through various methods such as live chat support and personalized communication is key.
To stand out of the crowd, you need to focus on customer-centricity and go the extra mile.
Find below a winning strategy for customer success through Shopify that you can implement on your Shopify store today!
6 Tips for Customer Success Through Shopify
Following are a few tips that will go a long way in getting your customers to trust your brand.
Provide real-time customer service
Step into your customer’s shoes for a moment. Will you wait more than a few seconds for a response while you’re shopping?
Probably not.
This is why 66 percent of online shoppers expressed that they would prefer shopping from an eCommerce store that values their time and responds quickly.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you should add a live chat support to offer real-time customer service on your Shopify store, 24×7.
Does Shopify have live chat? Yes.
Is it good? Well, not quite.
What you need is an AI-powered live chat support app.
One that provides your customers the best-in-class service and one that seamlessly integrates with your Shopify store.
This will allow you to address common customer questions such as pre-purchase queries and refund requests within seconds.
If you’re already crunching numbers in your head, take a pause. While you’ll be investing a small amount in a powerful AI-based chat assistant, the payoff is worth it.
A Shopify study reveals that businesses that offer live chat support on Shopify increase the chances of a customer making a purchase 3x.
Empower customers to solve their own problems
Ironic as it may sound, trying to get in touch with customer support is a leading cause of frustration for customers.
They have already had a bad experience with your brand. Then to put extra effort into getting in touch, and waiting for a response from your support mechanism only worsens the problem.
After all, we’ve all been left hanging by a lousy customer support rep, haven’t we?
In fact, a study by Gartner confirms that a large number of customers will manage their relationship with an enterprise without interacting with a human.
So, what can you do to address this? We recommend a shift of power.
Empower your customers with the capability to solve problems quickly and efficiently right from your Shopify store.
For instance, a thorough FAQ section, online discussion forums, live chat support, and customer support articles are excellent resources to enable customers to resolve their problems, quickly.
While these resources will require investing some time and money, you’ll benefit from reduced traffic on your support channels and higher customer retention.
The cost-benefit, therefore, is certainly favorable.
Personalize your Shopify customer support
Personalization has always been an important aspect of providing quality customer support in the digital context.
So much so, that a study by Epsilon found that 80 percent of consumers prefer to purchase from brands that offer personalized experiences.
We know what you’re thinking, though. “How could I possibly personalize such a large volume of customer queries, most of which require multiple responses?”
Well, it would have been a tough task a decade ago, but no longer.
The emergence of AI gives some powerful benefits to Shopify stores. AI can help you respond to all your customer queries without them feeling like they’re interacting with a robot.
While level 1 and level 2 AI couldn’t personalize responses, level 3 AI can.
You should personalize off-website communication too.
For instance, instead of referring to your customer by their registration number, treat them like humans by using their names in emails.
If you want to go a step further, record your customer’s birthday and send them a special greeting, deal or discount that day.
Collect and analyze customer support data
One of the largest benefits of having a robust customer service mechanism is that you have access to the information collected by these support channels. You can use this information to optimize your efforts towards customer success through Shopify.
Imagine you have a level-3 AI chat assistant on your Shopify store. The customer makes a few inquiries regarding a product and the chat assistant gives personalized, real-time responses.
You can use these inquiries to identify your customer’s pain points and even gauge the demand for your products.
For instance, if your customers have been consistently registering complaints about delayed deliveries, you should use the data to investigate and resolve the matter.
Not only does this give you valuable insights into areas where there is room for improvement, but it also helps you increase conversion rates by assessing demand for your products.
Offer Omnichannel customer support
59 percent of global eCommerce sales happen through a mobile device.
This share is only going to get bigger with time, which means your first step towards providing omnichannel support should be to have a mobile responsive customer support page.
Also, customers often reach out to businesses on social media platforms instead of visiting the website when they need support.
You need to respond quickly to queries they will send you on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Consider customer support automation and a single e-commerce help-dek to minimize resolution time.
Invite and respond to feedback
A foundational principle of good customer service is to never let a customer’s query go unanswered, or their feedback unacknowledged.
This doesn’t just apply to negative feedback.
Respond to positive feedback and let the customer know you appreciate them taking the time to share feedback. After all, these are the people that will bring in more customers through word of mouth.
If you have an upset customer leaving a negative review, be quick to respond. Empathize with their issue and apologize for the inconvenience. If you can offer a solution quickly, you might just convert them into happy customers.
The thing is, a lot of your customers won’t bother leaving a review. Only one out of 26 customers will take initiative and register a complaint.
Others will simply take their business to another store.
Therefore, you should encourage customers to share their experiences and be mindful of the changes you need to bring to your store for improving your customer service.
Level 3 AI Is the Next Big Thing in Customer Service
AI is revolutionizing eCommerce. The customer service domain is no different.
An AI-powered chat assistant offers many benefits, including quick response times, personalized customer service, and harvesting of rich data events from customers that have interacted with your business.
Think of AI as a complete solution that encompasses all the features you need for customer success through Shopify.
If your Shopify store doesn’t have live chat support, or uses Shopify Chat or a level 2 AI chatbot, take note- you’re missing out on providing stellar Customer Service– the kind that is not only needed but expected from good brands.
You need something that engages your customers and makes your and your customer’s lives easy.
Level 3 AI understands a customer’s query at a deeper level since it can remember user preferences and past interactions (also known as context). It offers real-time, personalized solutions to your customers and help drive up your conversion and retention rates.
A Shopify live chat app with AI capabilities will add will help in automating customer support and reduce the load on your agents.
Improve Customer Service with Conversational AI
You only want the best for your customers, but achieving customer success through Shopify can feel confusing. You just need the right tools that can minimize manual efforts without compromising on the quality of service.
LimeChat is the world’s first level 3 AI chat assistant. Our virtual assistant has helped more than 50 of the top D2C brands unlock their potential through the power of AI.
If you want to learn more about how AI can improve your customer service, schedule a free demo with us.