Eptica showcases solutions for retail at E-Commerce Paris 2012
Paris Exposition: Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, 1900 (Photo credit: Brooklyn Museum)
As the clock ticks down towards Christmas, there is still time for retailers to make final changes to their websites in time for their busiest period. Continuing economic woes around the world mean that customers are demanding the highest levels of online service – if not, they will simply click across to the competition.
Eptica is currently showing how its multi-channel customer service solutions help retailers at the E-Commerce Paris 2012 exhibition. One of the biggest French shows of its type it is being held between 18-20 September 2012 at Porte de Versailles. Eptica can be found on stand A57 and will be showing its advanced, integrated solution that manages customer interactions across all channels. We are in an era where customers want to be able to contact retailers across multiple channels – and get quick, consistent responses whether through email, the web, telephone or social media. Eptica’s software underpins this, sharing a single knowledgebase between all customer touchpoints to ensure service is always fast, accurate and efficient.
From Eptica’s experience working with major retailers such as Dixons, Republic, Castorama, Decathalon and La Redoute, we have outlined five areas where technology can help retail customer service:
1 Be Social
The Facebook pages of many retailers are receiving double the traffic of their actual websites. Companies therefore need to listen to what is being said about them on social media and engage with shoppers, particularly around customer service queries. Many of Eptica’s customers, including Castorama and La Redoute have integrated Facebook with their other service channels. Customers simply ask a question via the retailer’s Facebook page and access the same knowledgebase information as on the web.
2 Don’t force customers off the web
-commerce is now the dominant retail channel for many audiences and products. So when customers are browsing your website make sure they can easily find answers to their questions – forcing them to call or email a query is guaranteed to frustrate them and may even send them across to a rival. By deploying web self-service systems retailers make it easy for customers to find the information they are looking for, using sophisticated technology that understands their questions and automatically provides the right answer within seconds.
3 Make it mobile
Half the population own smartphones and are increasingly using them when they shop, even if the actual purchase is made through another channel. Make sure that you are ready for this by ensuring your website is mobile optimised as a minimum, with key information, such as the nearest store, easily accessible for mobile shoppers. Investigate whether you should invest in specific mobile apps by talking to customers and understanding their needs.
4 Join it up
Customers want to use different channels to contact you during the buying process, so make sure you have a joined-up approach. Share information across all channels and integrate them to provide a single view of the customer. This avoids inconsistent silos of information developing and means that customers won’t have to repeat themselves, something that is going to annoy them and impact the overall customer experience.
5 Deliver on your promises
One of the reasons people shop online is ease. It provides the opportunity to browse millions of products without leaving the house, twenty four hours a day, whenever it is convenient. However if you can’t deliver goods on time, customers are going to shop elsewhere. Particularly in the run up to Christmas make sure that last ordering dates are very visible and that it is easy for shoppers (and your customer service staff) to track their delivery every step of the way.
If you are attending E-Commerce Paris, pop along to stand A57 to discuss how Eptica can help underpin a Happy Christmas for your retail business.
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