The e-commerce boom in the Philippines has led many businesses to adapt by opening digital counterparts of their stores for customers who prefer to shop online. In fact, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) estimated that there were around 2 million e-commerce sellers in 2022. This only goes to show that more businesses are now recognizing the power of e-commerce as a means to reach out to more customers and elevate the way they do business.
Branching out to e-commerce platforms, however, is no easy task, especially for small businesses that may be lacking the tools needed to do so. Partnering up with a trustworthy business solutions provider such as Maya Business can make the shift from offline to online less daunting. Maya Business offers a variety of online payment solutions that businesses can use to effectively manage their finances and handle online transactions. With tools such as Maya Checkout that you can even integrate into your online store via the Shopify or WooCommerce payment gateway plugin, your customers can shop and pay for their purchases with ease. By offering customers a more seamless shopping experience through Maya Business solutions, you can give your e-commerce business a much-needed boost.
That being said, the wide array of options available to online shoppers nowadays also means that it’s becoming more difficult for e-commerce businesses to rise above the crowd. One way to make your online store stand out from competitors is to deliver top-notch customer service. Here are some actionable steps you can take to elevate your e-commerce business’s current customer service approach.
1. Implement Live Chat Support
Having live chat support for your e-commerce store ensures that your customers will always get immediate answers to their queries, thus reducing instances of cart abandonment. Whether it’s about product specifications or delivery timeframes, your instant responses to their concerns can certainly boost customer trust and satisfaction. Consider making use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots to attend to simpler queries and then having your human agents handle more complex issues for more efficient customer support.
2. Have an Effective Payment Gateway
An efficient payment gateway ensures smooth and secure transactions, a critical aspect in online shopping. Thus, make sure that the payment gateway your online store has can accept a wide variety of payment methods to cater to your customers’ payment preferences.
Maya Checkout, for instance, enables you to accept credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, and QR Ph, making it easier for your customers to transact with your store. By having a reliable payment gateway, you can minimize failed payment transactions and enhance customer trust, which can then encourage repeat purchases.
3. Create a Comprehensive Knowledge Base
Having a well-organized knowledge base empowers your customers to resolve issues independently, as some may prefer doing exactly this rather than resort to asking questions from customer support. Make sure your e-commerce store has an easy-to-browse Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, product guides such as size references if you’re selling apparel or shoes, troubleshooting instructions, and tutorial videos for setting up products such as appliances or gadgets. Not only does having accessible information pages reduce strain on your customer service team, but you will also be able to boost customer confidence and proactively reduce their frustrations as well.
4. Leverage Social Media for Customer Service
Social media is a crucial tool for any customer service strategy. Engage with customers on popular platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram for quick resolution of customer concerns and public or private acknowledgment of customer feedback. Moreover, social media can also double as a public relations tool to convey to customers that your business is always within reach, thus encouraging them to approach you more for their concerns.
5. Reward Loyal Customers
Recognizing loyal customers through rewards and incentives enhances their connection to your brand and makes them feel more appreciated. Set up a loyalty program where customers can earn rewards for each purchase they make in your store, or offer exclusive discounts for repeat customers. The incentive of accumulating rewards will help encourage them to stay loyal to your e-commerce store rather than switch to your competitors.
6. Train Staff to Exceed Expectations
Effective customer service hinges on a well-trained team. Thus, make sure to invest in training your customer service team to handle difficult situations with empathy and professionalism. Make sure they’re also knowledgeable about your products and policies so they’re always ready to guide customers in need of clarification. Overall, focus your training programs on equipping your team with the set of skills needed to go above and beyond customer expectations, ensuring that your customers will always have a pleasant experience whenever they consult with any of your customer service staff.
Stay Proactive in Delivering Quality Customer Service With Maya Checkout
Having a seamless payment gateway such as Maya Checkout for your e-commerce store significantly reduces cart abandonment by accommodating your customers’ diverse payment preferences. Sign up for Maya Business today to get access to Maya Checkout as well as other online payment solutions, such as Maya Payment Links and Maya Invoice Payments.
Setting up a Maya Business account also lets you open a Maya Business Deposit account and use it as your settlement account. With an industry-leading 2.5% per annum interest rate, you’ll earn PHP 25,000 in interest per year on a PHP 1 million deposit. Moreover, you’ll be able to send money to your partners and suppliers for free via InstaPay and PESONet, allowing you to save on transaction fees.
In addition, signing up qualifies you for a no-collateral Maya Flexi Loan offer of up to PHP 2 million in just 3 months, which you can use for staff training or upgrading customer service tools that you’re currently using. Just use Maya as your primary processor for all wallet and card payments. The more you use our solutions, the better the loan offer will be.
Sign up for Maya Business today and give your e-commerce store a boost through our Maya Business solutions.
