Customer Service

With the busy holiday shopping season comes a huge increase in customer service calls (375 percent in the past two years), including into the new year. Therefore, it’s important that retailers re-evaluate their customer service security policies. According to a report from Sitel Group and CallMiner, 30 percent of Americans think the retail industry is…

The internet has not only increased the importance of customer service as a differentiator; it’s altogether changed the way shoppers and brands interact. In the past, sellers could rely on mass messaging to communicate offers and announce new products, with a toll-free number or mailing address for customer service inquiries. Now customers expect to have…

Every facet of a retailer’s business can present a challenge when it comes to providing the perfect customer experience — sales, inventory, shipping, delivery, you name it. At some point, those challenges will give rise to issues, and it’s no secret that when consumers encounter a problem, they reach out to the source to get…

No matter how diverse your customer base may be, the majority of them have two things in common. First, they expect you to provide information and answers to their questions immediately. Second, they will become former customers the first time you fail to do so. In today’s mobile, always-connected world, all retailers face the challenge…

Over nearly three decades, online shopping has ushered in many changes to the retail landscape — one of which is that a growing number of product categories are now commoditized. Whereas previously, shoppers wishing to comparison shop had to travel physically to other stores or seek out new catalogs, now it’s easy to find multiple…

Over the past few years we've witnessed customer experience undergo a complete digital transformation. The modern consumer is more demanding than ever, and technological advancements are coming thick and fast. Creating a coherent strategy can seem overwhelming, particularly when you consider that 83 percent of consumers have higher digital care expectations today than they did just…

In a new world of retail comes a new set of responsibilities. According to Adobe’s Digital Trends Report, the single most exciting opportunity in 2020 is the customer experience. The Temkin Group found that companies earning $1 billion annually can expect to make an additional $700 million within three years by investing in the customer…

Your customers’ store experience — and impression of your brand — starts and ends with your frontline employees. Store associates are directly responsible for delivering your customer service model. Unfortunately, retail work has long had a reputation for low employee morale and high turnover, which can negatively impact employee satisfaction. Retailers have the opportunity to…

Without a doubt, e-commerce has permanently altered how people shop. Even those who still prefer to shop in-store frequently do preliminary research online by visiting retailers’ websites, comparing item specs, and reading customer reviews. While online shopping has made more products available to more consumers all over the world, it’s also introduced a host of…

Retail is facing more stress and complexity than ever before. U.S. population growth is less than 1 percent annually, shopper journeys no longer follow predictable demographics, and customers are simultaneously demanding more human interaction and more self-service technology. Add to that the rising cost of shipping, the looming threat of tariffs, and the tight labor market. Retail…