A recent study conducted by CX solution provider Simplr has discovered a shocking number of ecommerce brands are unprepared to meet the demands of customers in the digital space.
"The State of Ecommerce Customer Service 2021," surveyed 1,483 online companies, inquiring about the ways these brands use various communication channels to interact with customers. Despite the dramatically increased amount of online customer activity over the last year, a surprising number of businesses have yet to adapt to the shifting preferences of customers across the globe. According to the results of the survey, just 40% of ecommerce brands have live chat available. Not only that, but 21% of survey participants are unable to provide email support.
This study has been released only a few months before a critical holiday season, as many brands hope to recoup lost revenue that was strained as a result of the pandemic. Because of the shaky nature of the current economy, ecommerce businesses cannot afford to risk losing customers to poor customer service, especially with such an abundance of CX solutions currently available on the market.
"Today's NOW customer expects effective, personalized, and most importantly prompt responses to their inquiries. Every single time. If ecommerce brands are unable to meet those expectations in August and September, what does that mean for November and December, especially as companies struggle to staff?" said Daniel Rodriguez, Simplr CMO. "This study should act as a warning to ecommerce leaders: Make rapid improvements to your CX programs now, or lose customers in the very near future."
Because online markets are full of competition, customers generally have no reason to stick with a particular brand after having a poor experience. Simplr’s survey found that 91% of consumers said that they are "not at all likely" or "not likely" to repurchase from a brand that could not resolve their chat inquiry. Unfortunately for businesses, it only takes one bad experience to potentially lose a lifetime customer, which means the stakes in customer service are higher than ever before.
Ecommerce brands that want to survive the long haul, and not just this upcoming holiday season, need to get serious about the new expectations among online customers. If business leaders want to get serious about standing out amongst the competition, investing in CX technology and focusing on quality customer support is the only way to do it.
To learn more, readers can click here to download a full copy of "The State of Ecommerce Customer Service 2021."
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
