01/17/2023

Posted By: Tripti Rijhwani

The eCommerce industry continues to expand rapidly, with the global market reaching $5.7 trillion at the start of 2023, according to eMarketer. Exceptional customer service remains a priority; however, customer expectations are shifting. Not surprisingly, 69% of customers say they're willing to interact with a bot on simple issues, a 23% increase from 2021, according to Zendesk. Brands need more than human-assisted support like telephone and live chat. Below are four of the most contemporary strategies that eCommerce brands should consider for the latest customer self-service solutions:

AI Chatbots is becoming a "must-have" for digital customer support to providing customers with the ability to quickly get answers to their questions without needing a live agent. AI chatbots can answer customer inquiries like product information, order status, and shipping information. They can also provide complex customer support, like troubleshooting device issues, addressing customer complaints, or resolving problems that only humans could handle a few years ago. Today's chatbots are more intelligent and easier to implement with the need for technical staff.

Knowledge Bases and FAQs with searchable content are vital to any self-service solution. They provide customers with detailed information on various topics related to a brand's product or service. Many brands can mine their historical customer requests to help inform and extend FAQs in the knowledge base. The ideal way to deploy these knowledge bases and FAQs is on the website, through a dedicated support search, or via most AI chatbots.

My Account services provide a personalized self-service organized after a customer provides a secure account login. These My Account services offer customers a convenient way to manage their orders and customer service inquiries. This self-service allows customers to view order status, track packages, and read frequently asked questions. It also allows them to update their profile, contact information, and payment options. These solutions are valuable as they can know a customer's identity and provide contextual support based on their profile and past transactions with a brand.

Dark Social is the most intriguing and unknown channel where customers can get support and help. Customer support often lies within a highly used set of social apps where people share content one to one to provide feedback and ask questions about products and services. They are referred to as dark social as they are hard to track or attribute as a referral source to web traffic. These apps include:

• Open social platforms that are trackable sources (very public, but can produce dark social when someone interacts with a peer's shared content).
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Closed social platforms (dark social if copied and pasted – but trackable via share buttons).
• WhatsApp and Slack messaging
• Direct messaging (Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn DMs, Instagram DMs, etc.).
• SMS (text message) and Email
• Private social groups and communities
• Reddit

Customers can use these forums to share their experiences about a company with other customers. Dark social has become a powerful source of word-of-mouth advice that is often more trusted and followed as it's not curated or moderated by the brand. Expect dark social to be the fastest-growing content source brands need to monitor and understand.

In conclusion, a solid customer self-service strategy is a competitive advantage for eCommerce brands if done right. By understanding expectations and embracing new technologies, eCommerce brands can provide their customers with a better customer experience while also improving their bottom line. Implementing AI chatbots, knowledge bases and FAQs, personalized self-service, and knowing dark social are all excellent strategies that will become reliable ways that customers can get support.

Dreaming Code supports hundreds of brands through the complex and ever-changing world of customer self-service. We can offer strategy, services, and solutions to ensure your customers can get the help they need when it is required. Feel free to contact us to set up a consultation with us today.

To learn more about how we can help your business, schedule an appointment with one of our solution experts today.

To learn more about the Dreaming code eCommerce platform visit: http://dreamingcode.com.