No matter what business you’re in, you will come across an angry customer from time to time. It’s inevitable: you can’t please everyone no matter how good your product or service is. So when that time comes, you need to be prepared. This is especially true for eCommerce stores. Without the ability to see or speak to someone in person, the message can sometimes be misconstrued. Having excellent eCommerce customer service is key to dealing with these angry customers. So how can you make sure you’re delivering excellent service? Let’s discuss.
eCommerce Customer Service: How to Deal With Angry Customers
- Practice the HEARD method
HEARD is a 5 step method that helps you cover your customer’s pain points and solve the issue. It’s an acronym that stands for hear, empathize, ask, respond, and deliver. Start with “hear” – listen to what your customer is saying and hear them out. Then empathize with them, making sure they know you understand why they are upset.
Next is the A for ask: ask your customer how they’d like you to solve the issue. It puts them in the driver’s seat and makes them feel like they’re in control. Rather than you pushing company policies on them, it gives them a chance to say what they’d like the outcome to be. Then, you’ll respond with a resolution. The key to responding is to do so within the same call, email chain, or chat with the customer. They will want to feel that the issue is being solved in a timely manner. Research has confirmed that 90% of shoppers who encounter an issue with a business will return and shop again if they feel that the issue was handled by someone who truly cared and wanted to help correct it. Finally, deliver the solution that you discussed within the time period agreed upon. This is crucial for ending the situation in a positive manner.
Shortening processing time as a dropshipper
- Give real-time assistance
Customers want to feel like you value their time. One study on customer service found that 77% of adults on the internet said that the absolute best thing a company could do is to show that it values its customers’ time. Considering that unhappy customers are far more likely to share their experience than happy customers, this is very important to take into account. In fact, 1 unhappy customer equals about 10 unhappy customers by the time they are done sharing their negative feedback.
To avoid this, provide real-time assistance. In eCommerce, there are so many options to do this. You can start by using an AI chatbot to help solve smaller, simpler problems before they make it to you. Then, provide a chat option with a live agent to help with both sales and support issues. You can even implement video and screen-sharing capabilities to solve more complex issues. Having these options in place will show the customer how much you care about giving them a great experience in a timely manner.
- Seek out feedback
When a customer is encountering an issue, look at it as an opportunity. More often than not, eCommerce issues are due to operational problems. If you take the time to get feedback from the customer, you can work to address that issue and avoid the same problem occurring again in the future.
Seeking out feedback can also be the difference between an angry customer sharing negative reviews and converting them into a return shopper who advocates for your business. People want to feel heard. When you listen to what they say and then request feedback, you show that you’re engaged and you truly care. Make sure you let them know you’ll share the feedback with the rest of your team affected – be that your product manager, web design team, etc.
Final Thoughts
- Learn not to take things personally
At the end of the day, business is business. When you encounter angry customers, you can’t take it personally. They’re unhappy with your product or service, not you as a person. By removing yourself from the issue, you’ll be able to solve the issue more gracefully.
Final Thoughts
Unhappy or angry customers are inevitable. As your business grows, you’ll be able to put practices and programs in place to help minimize issues. When issues do still arise, offering excellent eCommerce customer service is key. Remember that any issues that come up are not personal. Then, use the HEARD method, seek out feedback, and offer timely assistance. What practices can you put in place today to aid with angry customers?
Written By
Jane Hardt
May 19th, 2021
