subject: How to improve your customers' retail experience [print this page] Keeping your customers happy involves many factors, some of which are specific to the industry or sector you operate in. When taking goods online or by telephone, there are some key ingredients that customers demand.
1. A good experience online is obviously a must. The customer must be able to find what they want on your website quickly and easily. If they're hunting round or your search function doesn't produce the results they are looking for, they may go elsewhere. Having an attractive website with excellent functionality should be a top priority.
2. Make sure you offer an efficient online ordering service. Once your customer has found what they're looking for, they're going to want the actual purchase to run smoothly. Make sure the e-commerce capabilities of your site are top notch and your customer will remember the experience. If ever a situation arises where they can choose between ordering from your company or a rival business, they'll go to the one that offers the easiest and most efficient route to getting their goods.
3. People like to speak to other people. Studies have revealed that most shoppers still like to place orders with an actual person, even though their purchasing tends to happen outside of normal working hours. This means you'll need people at the other end of a phone line to take calls. If you run a particularly large operation, you may require a call centre. This can be very expensive to set up, which is why many companies outsource their order taking to an external call centre.
4. If a customer does place an order by phone, they'll want friendly and knowledgeable staff to take the call. While you may fear a virtual office and business answering service aren't clued up enough about your company, the better ones get to know your organisation and can be fully briefed by you on how they need to deal with your call. Look for one with a good IT system that will bring up all the information they need as soon as the customer's call comes through.
5. Don't forget to implement a fast, convenient and reliable delivery service. Customers will want their goods quickly, but also in one piece and at the time you've specified. If you're outsourcing, do your homework on the best delivery services available and look for one with a strong reputation. Even if it's clear they are an external delivery service, customers will think badly of your company if they aren't up to scratch.
If you're ready to improve or launch your customer's retail experience, maybe it is time to find a digital agency for the web design and development, an outsourced call centre for inbound call handling, and a top-notch delivery service.
