But just like with most things in life, the way a fantastic customer experience is delivered has also changed. This is because customer needs are evolving, and businesses must adapt to these changing needs.
Where phone and email used to be the primary tools for customer support, businesses now have the opportunity to leverage channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and live chat. Most of these tools are already used and loved by customers, making messaging an essential channel for any business to improve the customer journey.
But what makes messaging so important when you run an E-Commerce store?
Why do I need messaging?
Messaging is one of the most popular ways to communicate. From messages to family and friends to business messages between colleagues: it has become an indispensable part of daily life. More than 5 billion people worldwide send messages every day.
Messaging is so popular that you can also use it in your business. Customers want simple, personalized interactions with the companies they buy from. They don't want to wait days for a boilerplate email from support or hang on hold on the phone until an advisor becomes free just to solve a simple problem. This is probably why the majority of customers prefer to send a message to a business rather than call.
And not just to solve problems. Think of e-commerce chat as a cornerstone of conversational commerce. This is where customers ask questions before they buy, and put simply: whoever answers the question first makes the sale.
So with a messaging service you can:
Connect with your customers on a more personal level, building a deeper relationship compared to email. This increases customer satisfaction and brings them back more often.
Messaging saves you and your customers time. Through messaging, simple issues can be resolved quickly without customers having to wait for a reply. Additionally, questions about orders or payment and other concerns can be clarified on the spot.
Messaging also saves your business time. Since messaging is much faster, customer service representatives do not have to spend hours on the phone solving straightforward issues.
It clearly follows that this is a convenient and interactive way to connect with your customers and answer their questions at a time that suits them. This makes messaging an indispensable part of your customer service.
But I already have phone and email support!
Why should you invest in messaging when you already offer customer support through other channels like phone and email?
Don't get us wrong, it's not about discarding phone or email. Quite the opposite. Email support is crucial for any customer service strategy. It is a simple and cost-effective way to solve your customers' problems. Likewise, demand for phone support is high, so it would be wrong not to offer it
But customers want fast answers. Remember that in a customer-centric environment, the customer comes first, so answering questions and resolving issues faster significantly improves customer satisfaction. The goal is not to replace your current systems, but to complement them in order to improve your customer service. So think of it as an extra tool in your toolkit.
And remember: happy customers are repeat customers, so improving customer service and customer satisfaction increases customer retention and therefore revenue.
What about chatbots?
The next question is: if you invest in a messaging service, should you also invest in a chatbot? And here the answer is a clear yes. AI chatbots are a natural consequence if you want to implement messaging in customer support.
In addition to the benefits that messaging services themselves offer, chatbots bring the following advantages:
They free up your customer service agents' time by answering simple questions that would take much longer via email or phone. Agents spend up to 70% of their time answering these simple questions, and eliminating them gives them more time for complex concerns.
They answer customer questions and resolve their problems faster. Nobody can deny that computers are faster than humans. A chatbot can sort through options in the blink of an eye and give the customer the answer they need, when they need it. This also means that customers do not have to wait for an email or an agent to get an answer.
Chatbots save you money. They don't get paid a salary, and if they work effectively, there is no need to hire more agents to expand your customer service team. This makes them a cost-effective solution that saves you money over time.
In short: yes, you should definitely consider investing in a chatbot as part of your messaging solution for customer service. The automation that chatbots offer can go a long way in optimizing your customer service and support efforts.
What are the benefits for my customers?
By now, the benefits of messaging in customer service should be obvious. In summary, it improves customer service in the following ways:
Messaging is simple and familiar. Customers already use messaging for their personal communication, so they don't have to learn a new technology to get in touch with you.
Messaging is always available. Customers can ask questions at any time and are not restricted by business hours. They don't have to wait for an email or a callback to resolve their issue.
Messaging is convenient. Customers no longer have to wait on the phone or rush to send an email to support before the end of business hours. They can ask questions when it is convenient for them.
Details from previous conversations are always at hand. It is clearly documented what questions have been answered and what information has already been provided.
Messaging can work with digital content. Unlike phone calls, messaging can provide customers with visual content such as links to web pages, images, and videos to help them solve their problems.
Ultimately, this enriches and improves the customer journey and ensures that the customer is happy to return.
Why is messaging great for my business?
Now you have seen what it means for your customers, but you probably also want to know what it means for you, the business owner. It is obvious that by improving the customer experience and increasing customer loyalty, you will increase your sales. But what are the other benefits?
Messaging accelerates digital transformation. It encourages customers to use digital channels instead of higher-cost channels like phone. This in turn makes it easier to automate customer service, especially through the use of chatbots.
Messaging increases agent success. Agents can collaborate in teams and consult with team members to resolve customer issues. This increases agent satisfaction and skill development.
Messaging is cost-effective. Resolving customer issues faster means that messaging is less expensive than phone calls, both directly and indirectly. Over time, this saves you money.
How do I get started?
So you see that messaging is an important channel for customer support in e-commerce. It can give that extra edge to all your efforts. But where do you start?
Mercury.ai offers a high-quality all-in-one solution. Our platform provides messaging and AI assistants to automate customer interaction. It makes it easy to build, run, and analyze intelligent virtual assistants and chatbots across multiple channels and languages.
It also enables you to deliver impactful customer experiences in website chat, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. This relieves your agents of repetitive service requests and gives them time to focus on empathetic and complex use cases. This reduces costs and increases revenue.
