Retail Marketing Virtual Conference & Expo: Customer Service ‘WOW’ Factor Tips

It's not breaking news that great customer service is key for any retailer. In fact, a recent study from STELLAService found that 10.7 percent of online consumers will spend more for a great customer service experience. A session from Retail Online Integration's Retail Marketing Virtual Conference & Expo titled At Your Service: Current E-Commerce Customer Service Trends for Retailers features a roundtable discussion with retail industry leaders on best practices surrounding customer service. Will Freund, senior director of operations at Gilt Groupe; John Ernsberger, co-founder and vice president of sales at STELLAService; and John Rote, director of operations and customer experience at Bonobos, led the panel discussion.

The panel discussed reasons why retailers’ customer service tactics need to be integrated into their social media efforts. Here's a look at what they had to say in the form of tweets sent live during the session by the ROI staff:

Customer Service

• Customer Service is the sum of all interactions btwn shopppers + online retailers that contribute to the overall customer experience
• price, selection and service are the three legs of the customer service stool
• consumers spend 10% more with companies that offer great service
• Customer service begins with loyalty
• High levels of customer service WILL drive customer loyalty - make sure the customer experience is a good one

Social Media

• More people are engaging with brands via social media - make sure you get involved in those conversations
• Customer Service via social media - figure out your own voice and what tone is best for communicating - social media chatter is more lax
• Bonobos responds to its customers quickly; Twitter and Facebook inquiries are answered faster than email

Shipping

• Bonobos treats return and exhanges as a marketing tool, it's fairly open and liberal with its policy
• Surveys from Bonobos show its customers don't really have a preference in shipping carrier

Customer Service Staff

• Educate your service reps - empower them to provide fantastic service
• Gilt Groupe makes sure its employees are familiar with products and works with merchants to get this info
• small group and large group training has been effective for Gilt Groupe - make sure your team is prepped
• Gilt Groupe trains its employees on customer service anywhere from 5% to 15% of the week
• Keep customer service training ongoing - systems change, new products are launched, things change
• the best customer service reps are the ones who ask questions and learn about the shopper

The WOW Factor

• The WOW factor - when you go above and beyond what's expected - for Gilt Groupe, it's the quick response times
• The WOW factor is most relevant when something goes wrong - turn that negative energy into a positive
• You can WOW customers with empathy, great response times, and genuine and authentic customer service reps

Want more? You can register for the on-demand version of the full-day event here: http://virtualshow.retailonlineintegration.com/fall/registration. Also, follow us on Twitter at @RetailOnlineMag.