Even though dropshipping falls under the umbrella of e-commerce, it has its own particularities that should be reflected in the customer service it receives. To engage in dropshipping, you must run an online store but keep very little actual inventory. You sell goods produced by other companies, which the original distributors will deliver.
It might appear easy and hassle-free because there is no planning involved. True, but because your company is the one the customer is dealing with, you will be the target of any claims or complaints.
Taking into account the unique nature of the dropshipping business model, there are specific customer service strategies that you should implement to keep your customers happy.
Dropshipping Customer Service Best Practices
Providing subpar service to customers can cost you far more than the money you’d have to pay out in compensation or refunds. Your company’s reputation and public perception could take a hit as well, since unhappy customers tend to spread the word to twice as many people as satisfied ones.
Since you have no control over either production or shipping, your online store’s customer service is crucial. Eighty percent of customers say service is just as crucial as the product the business sells, suggesting that service quality could be the deciding factor in whether or not they remain loyal.
The following best practises can help your dropshipping company provide satisfying service to its clients.
Make Use Of Powerful Customer Relationship Management Software
One of the fundamental ideas in customer service is customer relationship management (CRM). Marketing, customer database management, data gathering, support, and feedback collection are just some of the customer-facing activities that modern CRM software streamlines.
Customers can reach out to you for help and support, and you can gain valuable insights into your business operations with the help of a customer relationship management platform. One of the most important aspects of a successful dropshipping business is the availability and efficiency of communication with customers.
Use a Variety of Methods of Contact
It’s crucial to let customers get in touch with you whenever they want and however it suits them. More so, make sure their question is taken seriously, dealt with, and answered as soon as possible. Since nearly half of customers want a response within four hours, it’s important to arrange communication in a way that facilitates rapid response and resolution.
Provide several ways for customers to get in touch with you for the most convenient experience. Make sure your website, newsletters, and other communications include a specific email address for customer inquiries. Implementing this email into your customer relationship management system is a best practise that will make it possible for customers to create support tickets directly from their inboxes. Attending an email marketing conference like MailCon is a great way for marketers to learn new strategies for integrating email marketing with other forms of communication.
In addition, a toll-free number should be kept active so that customers can contact you directly. While the majority of consumers would rather send a text message than make a phone call, there is still a sizeable population that prefers to have conversations with “real people.”
Finally, you should consider incorporating a live chat feature into your customer relationship management software. Customers expect instantaneous responses to their inquiries, and a good chat app can give them that and more, by enabling them to share files, send links, and upload images to help solve their problems.
Integrate a Frequently Asked Questions section into your website.
Create an informative Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page to address concerns your customers may have. Delivery and shipping terms, refund policies, billing and claims processes are common examples in the e-commerce world.
- Virtually every one of your dropshipping clients will want to know which carrier you use, if free shipping is offered, how long the process takes, what the return policy is, and how they can get their money back.
- Make it simpler to find the information you need by arranging it all in the form of questions and answers. Strive for clarity and simplicity in your responses, and make sure to give as much detail as you can about each topic. If any of your terms and conditions change, be sure to reflect that in the FAQ.
- Making your frequently asked questions page more prominent can help your customer service team save time by allowing frequent questions to be answered by the customers themselves.
Create a Seamless Experience for Your Customers From Start to Finish
Your eCommerce website’s ease and convenience has a significant impact on customer satisfaction and retention; if your site is too difficult or inconvenient to use, 74% of customers will consider switching to another brand.
Customers today have their pick of countless online retailers, so they won’t waste time trying to make sense of a confusing site. In that case, they will simply leave your site for one of your rivals.
- If you want to keep your customers around, you need to make their experience as pleasant and straightforward as possible. Before you launch your online shop, make sure you can answer some fundamental questions. Is it simple to find what you need? Is there anything else we should know about this? How logical and safe is the checkout process?
- Observe how visitors behave even after you’ve established a satisfying user flow. Keeping tabs on your website’s traffic in this way will let you know where people are likely to get stuck and where they are likely to leave for good. Using this information, you can strategically position live chat prompts to assist site visitors at any point in their journey, and establish triggered messages, such as cart abandonment alerts.
Provide Detailed Descriptions of Your Products.
Twenty-two percent of items purchased online are sent back because “the product looks different.” What this means is that the customer had a positive experience with the web store and the delivery of their order, but they received an incorrect item.
- You can reduce the number of returns by providing accurate and up-to-date product information. Give as much information as you can so that people can make an informed decision about purchasing the product. Include high-resolution photos that do the item justice and show it off from all angles.
- Customers’ trust in you as a seller can be bolstered if you give them all the information they need, including a thorough description and high-quality images. There is less likelihood of a profit from this purchase. Please update the product description as soon as possible if any items are no longer available or if there have been any significant changes to the product’s specifications.
Manage complaints from customers in a proactive manner.
You need to be in close contact with your customers and your suppliers and couriers in dropshipping because speedy problem solving is of the essence. While you may not be responsible for stocking shelves or making deliveries, you should still coordinate these activities and solve any issues that arise as a result.
- If the item you ordered is out of stock, for instance, you should look for it with a different supplier. If the item is missing, it’s important to let the customer know as soon as possible, preferably in person. Of course, the best way to avoid such problems is to keep the product catalogue up to date, but in the worst case, keep in touch with the customer personally via phone or a messaging app.
- Get in touch with the supplier if the delivery of a customer’s order is taking longer than expected. Make immediate contact with the client and share this news with them. Even if you are unable to hasten the procedure, you may be able to keep the customer’s confidence in you.
- There will be some returns for you to deal with as a dropshipper. Regardless of the motivation, you must deal with such requests while making it a priority to keep the customer happy. To begin, you must make sure that your return policy is consistent with that of your vendor, since it is the vendor who will be responsible for accepting and replacing the returned item.
- If a customer requests a refund, you should inquire as to the reason and relay that information to the vendor. No matter the cause, prompt and decisive action is required at all times to preserve the customer’s faith in your business.
Obtain Feedback From Customers And Evaluate It
After every transaction, follow up with a request for customer opinion. If everything went smoothly, ask for feedback to show that you care about their thoughts and to uncover any problems you may have overlooked. If problems occurred, asking for the customer’s opinion can help you figure out how to avoid those problems in the future.
There is more than one way to solicit opinions and comments. Ask the customer for feedback by having them rate their experience or writing a review. However, don’t bother calling or messaging people to ask for input. These forms of interaction with the customer are more intrusive and potentially stressful for them. Instead, you should send the customer an email.
For the final remarks
Successful dropshippers know that providing excellent customer service is essential to their business. You play a crucial role in the sales process by connecting buyers and sellers to ensure a positive transaction for both parties and a happy ending for the customers.
Since there is no storage or shipping area, providing excellent customer service is crucial to maintaining a high conversion rate. Follow our advice to make it something truly special.
