Tools supporting foreign customer service in e-shops

A customer shopping from abroad is a subject we could discuss for hours. We are talking about a different profile of a customer applicable to e-commerce companies, when compared to entities providing business services. In practice, this means that we are dealing with different circumstances where transactions are completed. The variety of industries and market segments is the reason why the offer of companies providing products for online business includes many online tools for supporting foreign customer service.

Foreign customer service in an e-shop

Commerce on the internet is one of the fastest developing online industries in Poland. A report prepared by Interaktywnie.com (sponsored by Business Insider) shows that only in 2018, the value of this market reached the level of PLN 40 billion and it has been increasing dynamically since. The proof is visible everywhere. According to data of Bisnode Poland, the number of e-shops in this country in 2013 was 21,744, while in 2018 this number was 30,936. The increase covers nearly 10 thousand entities within only 6 years. Foreign customers buy in Polish shops more often and if you want them to return and make a purchase again, it is worth choosing online tools that will support services provided to such customers.

Online tools that will help you grown your e-shop

Several areas can be listed where the proper functioning is key for the e-commerce industry. From the point of view of customer service, the following aspects should be noted:

1.      Remarketing and reaching customers, who have already bought your product with an offer.

2.      Customer communication.

3.      Complaint processes.

4.      Reliable information provided at each sales stage.

5.      Managing customer relations.

Encouraging another purchase at the e-shop

The internet is a space where every user is attacked with thousands of stimuli at one second. For this reason, many of your customers who have already made a purchase at your shop, quickly forget about it. This happens even if you ensure an efficient and problem-free transaction process. This is why effective and well-configured remarketing activities are becoming more important. Simply put: it involves taking advantage of the fact that a given consumer has already been interested in your offer once. This will make it possible to take actions, which will speed up the process of reaching such a consumer with your offer. Internet tools supporting this type of foreign customer service include, in particular:

1.      Google Analytics with properly-defined goals.

2.      Google Ads integrated with Google Analytics.

3.      Facebook with its advertisement platform.

What will you gain thanks to such tools?

When looking at benefits obtained through remarketing, one key aspect should be mentioned. It is not a secret that when you use the internet while logged into your Google account, the algorithms monitor your behaviour on an on-going basis. In times of Android-based smartphones being so popular, practically everyone needs a Google account to properly configure their device. It would be a good idea if you learnt this knowledge and used it to target your offer to a certain group of recipients.

Due to the above proper setting of goals in Google Analytics as well as conversion in Google Ads is required for remarketing. Similar benefits can be obtained from installing Facebook Pixel on your site. Using such features will make it possible for you to determine precisely the parameters in advertisement campaigns, targeting them to recipient groups taking into account their location, age, gender, interests and even the latest searches. The possibility of choosing users who have already visited your shop but not made a purchase is a valuable feature. With such knowledge, you can offer attractive discounts for their first purchase, which will make them visit your shop again, and thus contributing to increased sales.

How to improve customer communication in an e-shop?

Today, consumers like to be spoilt. Due to the above, it is worth remembering that ensuring basic communication between the customer and seller is the absolute minimum when it comes to increasing sales. It is also important to note that when you decide to reach international markets with your offer, your website in a foreign language or personnel speaking that language will no longer be enough. Methods of quick exchange of messages, preferably within a given e-shop are becoming more important. Here, we can generally list two online tools that will make it easier to respond to queries of potential customers quicker:

1.      Messenger-integrated communicators – they make it possible for messages sent by the customer to reach the inbox of your company.

2.      Online chat with a consultant.

What benefits will you obtain?

Improvement, and most of all, speeding up communication with customers will increase your chances for selling. Imagine that you write an email to an e-shop and you receive a response after several days. You will most likely not shop there and find a different offer, even if it’s more expensive. Your potential customer will act similarly. Don’t make them wait. It’s best if you responded to their message within a few minutes. This way you will increase the probability of finalising the transaction even if your products are more expensive than at a competitive shop.

Automation of complaint processes

If your online shop handles multiple transactions within a day, complaint process automation can be key to you. Especially that according to the Polish law, you have 14 days to process such a complaint. Also remember to ensure enough time to notify your customer about the complaint decision. When you choose software for automation of such processes it is worth paying specific attention to the following features:

1.      Managing multiple channels of communication.

2.      Possibility of adding service scenarios.

3.      Macro configuration option.

4.      Automation of customer notifications.

5.      Indicating and queueing tasks for your employees. Due to the above, more difficult issues will not be “pushed” by them for later dates.

6.      The “Light Agent” feature – it makes it possible to involve people who are not directly involved in customer service, to handle the complaint (an evaluation expert, IT specialist, technician, etc.).

7.      Setting different language versions of notifications, alerts and messages.

Aftersales services also contribute to building your shop’s brand

Building a brand does not only mean creating the desired image but also all activities that you perform, as a brand. Fast and efficient complaint process is an element that may make your company stand out among competition. Processing complaints causes problems in many cases. When you simplify this process, you will avoid legal consequences and satisfy your unhappy customer, which will make them buy again. This way, you can show them that a given situation is just an incident and that you ensure proper quality of your offer.

Managing customer relations at an e-shop

The more information about customers you obtain, the easier it will be to manage relationships with them. For this purpose, try a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. It will make it possible to collect the required information and properly segment it to facilitate its analysis. Currently, such systems have significantly evolved and their functionality makes it possible to support the entire sales cycle virtually at all stages. The following features are some of the more important ones:

1.      Identifying problems with sales, defining strong and weak sales strategies and identifying the best methods and sales channels for their further development.

2.      Supporting mailing campaign automation.

3.      Collecting information from customers in order to improve the offer.

4.      Coordination of the sales and marketing departments.

5.      Retaining the key consumers through analysing their shopping decisions in e-shops.

What will knowledge about your customers give you?

Regardless of the industry you operate in, knowledge about your customers is the key to success. The scale of business is not important here. Even if you operate in a small region, it is also worth noting detailed information that will make it possible to adjust your communication to recipient groups and even particular customers. If a credit advisor calls you and asks you how your dog is feeling, would you feel special? Certainly.

The same principles of communication also applies to your customers. If you own a well-developed contact network, it is worth investing into a CRM system dedicated to the character of your business. Today’s IT solutions make it possible to store detailed information about customers and it is highly important in improving all sales processes. Using such software will make it possible to define which products are popular in certain recipient groups, how to improve your offer, how to talk to your key accounts and which sales channels are the most effective.

Online tools are the key to success of every e-shop

Proper choice of internet tools, which support foreign customer service are the key to success in e-commerce. The above tools apply to all customers but their proper configuration will have a significant impact on simplifying communication with international consumers. Skilful use of Google Ads and similar tools, will make it possible to reach particular markets with your offer, not only in terms of the location but also in terms of trends in search, interests or past purchases of potential customers. It is a good idea to utilise such solutions. Practice has shown that as many as 80% of customers can choose a different company if you neglect communication-related processes.

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