The most powerful tool to help change our e-commerce journeys for the better is feedback both on and offline. It allows us to identify how customers are really viewing our service and prioritise improvements that have customer satisfaction at their heart.<\/p>\n 2. Test, Test and Test Again<\/strong><\/p>\n One thing we don\u2019t allow in our business is the mentality that we know best. Use a dedicated programme of usability studies, MVT and analytics to ensure you get things right for your customers, not just what e-commerce best practice dictates.<\/p>\n 3. Communicate Your Message<\/strong><\/p>\n We sell a complex package that involves three purchases in one sale, the phone, the tariff and the network provider. We strive to ensure every customer knows the benefits of each of these elements online without overloading them on the site. Use test and learn principles to ensure that the messages you want to convey have a clear hierarchy and encourage investigation at the right point in the journey to purchase.<\/p>\n 4. One Size Doesn\u2019t Fit All <\/strong><\/p>\n Bespoke personalisation for each customer should be the goal of any e-commerce business. We are always striving to offer an experience that mirrors a great face to face occurrence. Look to humanise your content with video and interactive guides to give each user the experience they crave. Having a clear customer journey across multi-device is also key. Maintaining continuity in experience across devices allows the user to pick up where they left off at any time.<\/p>\n 5. Be Agile<\/strong><\/p>\n If a change is worth making, then make it! We often forget the advantage of being in an e-commerce business is that we don\u2019t have to wait to update POS, experience production or media. If it\u2019s the right thing to do then do it. Monitor and optimise your message or experience as you go. We can procrastinate all day long on wording or style but try and work to 80\/20 rule. If most customers will benefit regardless of style then do it and seek forgiveness later.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Make it straightforward for customers to find what they\u2019re looking for. Applying filters, clear categorisation and search functionality will allow users to navigate your site with ease to find the products they are looking for.<\/p>\n 2. Don\u2019t Overwhelm Your Users<\/strong><\/p>\n Too many e-commerce sites are overwhelming and everything is screaming for the user\u2019s attention. Amongst all of this confusion it is hard to navigate the site, so remove the clutter to allow customers to find what they want quickly and get to the checkout.<\/p>\n 3. Have an Easy Checkout<\/strong><\/p>\n Too many websites overcomplicate the checkout process, which is the prime reason why customers abandon the cart. Therefore, remove all unnecessary steps and make this experience as enjoyable as possible \u2013 that\u2019s when you\u2019re going to see increased conversions and repeat customers.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0<\/strong>Speedy Delivery<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s inevitable that customers will judge a site not only on the speed and efficiency of ordering but also how quickly they receive their item. Customers expect the shortest possible delivery times, but do give them options at different price points, and ensure a reliable courier service.<\/p>\n 5. Customer Feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep getting customer feedback, test new things and constantly look to iterate and improve your site. By making continual small changes, based on user requests, you\u2019ll improve the customer experience leading to more satisfied customers, growing word of mouth referrals and increased frequency of visit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nichola shares her tips on looking after your e-commerce customers when things don\u2019t go as planned<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0The User Experience is Everything<\/strong><\/p>\n Ease of ordering and next day delivery are good, but it is customer service that makes you great. The moment something goes wrong with an online process, the customer wants to know there is a human he can pick up the phone to who will be willing to help.<\/p>\n 2. Say \u2018Yes\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n We like to keep it simple and have one main rule – if we\u2019re able to give the customer what they want, we do it. The cost of whatever the customer is asking for is probably less than the damaging review they can leave. By saying \u2018yes\u2019, we resolve the issue instantly and to the customer\u2019s satisfaction.<\/p>\n 3. View Your Customer Service as Another Branch of Marketing<\/strong><\/p>\n The money some companies spend on Google Adwords, we spend on customer service training and generous policies which allow your customer service team to be flexible. Reviews can make or break your business so it\u2019s important to earn the positive ones and try to eliminate negative ones.<\/p>\n 4. Good Customer Service Starts with Listening<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s the only way to understand what your customer wants. As a manager or business owner, take the time to listen to calls and learn from the conversations you hear to better understand what customers are complaining about and how you can make it better.<\/p>\n 5. Don\u2019t Limit Yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n In our contact centre, we never set a time limit for staff to complete a call within. In our view, if it takes 15 minutes to put a customer at ease, then that\u2019s OK. Each customer is an individual, their complaint or enquiry will be different, so treat them that way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thanks to all our contributors for their valuable advice. For more expert tips be sure to follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In today\u2019s edition of Tips from the Experts, we asked four business professionals to share their top five tips on how to facilitate a smooth e-commerce experience. Paul Sandey, Brand Marketing Manager at e2save 1. Listen The most powerful tool to help change our e-commerce journeys for the better is feedback both on and offline. It allows us to identify how customers are really viewing our service and prioritise improvements that have customer satisfaction at their heart. 2. Test, Test and Test Again One thing we don\u2019t allow in our business is the mentality that we know best. Use a dedicated programme of usability studies, MVT and analytics to ensure you get things right for your customers, not just what e-commerce best practice dictates. 3. Communicate Your Message We sell a complex package that involves three purchases in one sale, the phone, the tariff and the network provider. We strive to ensure every customer knows the benefits of each of these elements online without overloading them on the site. Use test and learn principles to ensure that the messages you want to convey have a clear hierarchy and encourage investigation at the right point in the journey to purchase. 4. One Size Doesn\u2019t Fit All Bespoke personalisation for each customer should be the goal of any e-commerce business. We are always striving to offer an experience that mirrors a great face to face occurrence. Look to humanise your content with video and interactive guides to give each user the experience they crave. Having a clear customer journey across multi-device is also key. Maintaining continuity in experience across devices allows the user to pick up where they left off at any time. 5. Be Agile If a change is worth making, then make it! We often forget the advantage of being in an e-commerce business is that we don\u2019t have to wait to update POS, experience production or media. If it\u2019s the right thing to do then do it. Monitor and optimise your message or experience as you go. We can procrastinate all day long on wording or style but try and work to 80\/20 rule. If most customers will benefit regardless of style then do it and seek forgiveness later. \u00a0 Bertie Stephens, Co-Founder and CEO of Flubit 1. Simplicity Make it straightforward for customers to find what they\u2019re looking for. Applying filters, clear categorisation and search functionality will allow users to navigate your site with ease to find the products they are looking for. 2. Don\u2019t Overwhelm Your Users Too many e-commerce sites are overwhelming and everything is screaming for the user\u2019s attention. Amongst all of this confusion it is hard to navigate the site, so remove the clutter to allow customers to find what they want quickly and get to the checkout. 3. Have an Easy Checkout Too many websites overcomplicate the checkout process, which is the prime reason why customers abandon the cart. Therefore, remove all unnecessary steps and make this experience as enjoyable as possible \u2013 that\u2019s when you\u2019re going to see increased conversions and repeat customers. 4.\u00a0Speedy Delivery It\u2019s inevitable that customers will judge a site not only on the speed and efficiency of ordering but also how quickly they receive their item. Customers expect the shortest possible delivery times, but do give them options at different price points, and ensure a reliable courier service. 5. Customer Feedback Keep getting customer feedback, test new things and constantly look to iterate and improve your site. By making continual small changes, based on user requests, you\u2019ll improve the customer experience leading to more satisfied customers, growing word of mouth referrals and increased frequency of visit. Nichola Ansbro, Contact Centre Manager at Officekitten Nichola shares her tips on looking after your e-commerce customers when things don\u2019t go as planned 1.\u00a0The User Experience is Everything Ease of ordering and next day delivery are good, but it is customer service that makes you great. The moment something goes wrong with an online process, the customer wants to know there is a human he can pick up the phone to who will be willing to help. 2. Say \u2018Yes\u2019 We like to keep it simple and have one main rule – if we\u2019re able to give the customer what they want, we do it. The cost of whatever the customer is asking for is probably less than the damaging review they can leave. By saying \u2018yes\u2019, we resolve the issue instantly and to the customer\u2019s satisfaction. 3. View Your Customer Service as Another Branch of Marketing The money some companies spend on Google Adwords, we spend on customer service training and generous policies which allow your customer service team to be flexible. Reviews can make or break your business so it\u2019s important to earn the positive ones and try to eliminate negative ones. 4. Good Customer Service Starts with Listening That\u2019s the only way to understand what your customer wants. As a manager or business owner, take the time to listen to calls and learn from the conversations you hear to better understand what customers are complaining about and how you can make it better. 5. Don\u2019t Limit Yourself In our contact centre, we never set a time limit for staff to complete a call within. In our view, if it takes 15 minutes to put a customer at ease, then that\u2019s OK. Each customer is an individual, their complaint or enquiry will be different, so treat them that way. Thanks to all our contributors for their valuable advice. For more expert tips be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,217],"tags":[93],"class_list":["post-1922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-growth","category-expert-tips","tag-tips-from-the-experts-2"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n![\"Paul](\"http:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Paul-Sandey-252x300-252x300.jpg\")
1. Listen<\/strong><\/p>\nBertie Stephens, Co-Founder and CEO of Flubit<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n
\n![\"Bertie-image\"](\"http:\/\/uk.instantoffices.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Bertie-image-200x300.jpg\")
1. Simplicity <\/strong><\/p>\nNichola Ansbro, Contact Centre Manager at Officekitten<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"Nichola-Ansbro-Contact-Centre-Manager\"](\"http:\/\/uk.instantoffices.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Nichola-Ansbro-Contact-Centre-Manager-265x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n