Providing exceptional customer service is a necessity that has never been more important. However, the majority of CX teams still have to overcome significant obstacles. High customer expectations, fierce competition, and immediate responses across a rising number of digital and physical channels are challenges that intensify during the busy holiday season.
Being proactive in eCommerce customer support planning is the best way to set your team up for success and deliver support that maintains customer satisfaction. Be prepared with our eCommerce holiday trends report 2022 and keep reading for the top 5 CX challenges and how you can proactively combat them for the holidays.
The holiday’s biggest CX challenges and how to overcome them
1. Rising above the noise
Consumers are constantly fed marketing messages by the thousands daily. According to Web Tribunal…
The average person sees anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 ads a day.
During the holidays, ads are at full throttle and there’s a delicate line between keeping customers engaged versus exasperating them with too much content.
Our solution to being seen and heard:
We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t publish ads - far from it, but if you want to stand out and differentiate your business from competitors this season, the key is to create unforgettable experiences for your customers. Offering your customers an enjoyable experience is something they won’t easily forget, turning new customers into loyal ones.
Focusing on CX can involve anything from connecting more with your audience through your voice and transparency to testing user experience (UX) and removing any friction you come across. Throughout your operations, how can you spark joy for your customers? Even if it’s something small, going the extra mile for superior customer experience is something that leaves a lasting impression and goes a long way to increase customer satisfaction.
2. A fragmented customer journey
The customer journey is not linear and there are many different avenues that customers take when making purchase decisions, especially during the holidays. Curating experiences that help customers flow into the journey requires figuring out several different complexities. However, there are ways to fructify the customer journey no matter what their point of entry is.
Our solution to assembling the customer journey:
Organize and compartmentalize. Embrace omnichannel potential by creating a seamless shopping experience for all of your customers. By preparing, or reviewing and optimizing, omnichannel support for the holidays, it enables customers to access your brand in the method that suits them best, providing them with a seamless journey across all platforms and an overall superior customer experience.
3. Neglecting customer feedback
Ignoring customer feedback is (arguably) the most dangerous thing a business can do. In this digital age, customers share their opinions broadly, especially if they had a negative experience. According to Trustpilot…
95% of consumers read reviews before they buy a product, while 67% say they wouldn’t trust a high rating unless it comes with many reviews.
A significant amount of negative reviews is enough to persuade customers not to purchase, even if they had plans to do so before researching. Neglecting customer feedback is detrimental to acquiring new customers.
Our solution to customer feedback:
Take customer reviews seriously and create post-purchase surveys to gather valuable insights on customer support, product usability, and overall satisfaction. You may get back overwhelmingly positive feedback - great! But there could also be gaps in processes that only customers can fully contribute to improving.
4. Lack of attention and care given to customer support
When tickets flood the inbox and teams feel pressed for time, it can cut into quality that negatively impacts the customer experience. It’s important to anticipate an increase in customer support and proactively take steps to prepare.
Our solution to great customer support:
Pay attention to details to make each interaction better than the previous one. This demonstrates the competence of your company and representatives.
If in the previous year, your support team was overwhelmed, looking into month-to-month outside support can allow you to flex and scale as needed. An extra layer of support saves money, cuts out the need to hire agents only for the holiday season, and ensures that your customers are getting the very best experience possible.
5. Delivering personalization at scale
Personalization at scale has never been more important. Customers expect it. Without personalizing customer interactions it harms brand reputation and frustrates customers, as they feel they are receiving a one-size-fits all approach and simply checking off boxes.
Our solution to tailoring customer interactions:
Add personalization wherever possible to customer interactions. Consider the following:
- Develop customer profiles
- Train all employees to be customer-facing
- Give customers choices
- Offer live chat or fun, interactive content
- Seek regular employee feedback on how to create a better customer experience
- Regularly evaluate offerings
This strategy ensures that your company is prepared to tailor every consumer interaction depending on the context as well as previously observed behavior. The objective is to consistently deliver the most relevant and tailored experience in real time.
Prepare for the holidays with an extra layer of support
Customer support is the most important thing a company can invest in. Our teams work on demand to provide 24/7 support with all management and training included. Ready to launch in one week, we can provide CX support that makes space for your team to tackle other pressing priorities.
