By Nermeen Nabil Khear 
Good customer service in e-commerce is a game changer. In fact, it can help you stand out from the crowd.
How Is E-commerce Customer Service Unique
5 Best Practices For E-commerce Customer Service
Final Thoughts on E-commerce Customer Service
About the Author
This is not a statement we’re pulling out of thin air; it’s backed by research. In fact, according to Zendesk, a whopping 87% of customers said good customer experience changes their buying behavior.
At a time when quality customer service is steadily deteriorating and call wait times are increasing at a steady speed, shoppers today have even bigger expectations from customer service (i.e., according to the Zendesk study, people (especially millennials) want customer service to be faster, require more contact options, and believe companies should provide several self-serve options).
On that note, let’s dive in to find out more about what makes customer service in the e-commerce space unique, what are some of the benefits exceptional customer service offers, and which best practices you can consider to provide an elevated service to your customers.
How Is E-commerce Customer Service Unique
More often than not, because of the way e-commerce businesses operate (aka, they’re available online, around the clock, catering to multiple audiences in different languages, and have a large variety of products), the customer service they offer also has to be:
Omnichannel (aka, customers should be able to access support from social channels like Twitter or through calls, emails, etc.)
Catered in different languages
Available 24/7
Some e-commerce companies that provide exceptional customer support also ensure they:
Supply users with multiple self-serve options (like how-to guides, videos, and tutorials for today’s customers);
Are highly proactive (i.e., they’ll reach out to you to ensure an issue was solved, will provide a transcript of service calls, etc.);
Have personalized support (based on the person’s shopping history) and
Provide instant gratification (aka, they’re quick to respond).
Other e-commerce giants train their customer support professionals on a different level, including teaching them how to mirror body language and tones, use friendly and casual language, leverage psychology-based principles to address specific issues, etc.
Benefits of Exceptional Customer Service
Now that we know e-commerce companies’ efforts to provide exceptional service, let’s investigate the benefits of this kind of effort and why e-commerce giants focus on excellent service.
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Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and imagine you had a negative experience while shopping online (suppose, say, one item was missing from your order).
Now, if the company did not respond to you within a couple of days regarding your issue, you’d rightfully be resentful and would take to different platforms (e.g., Twitter) to get their attention.
If the issue persists and you still haven’t received a response from the company, you might want to tell your family and friends about it, too.
Imagine if the scenario flipped, though: Let’s say they make the same mistake, but once you send them an email about it, they respond within an hour, assure you they’ll send the missing item, send a tracking link of the shipment, and provide you with a 15%-off coupon to apologize for the inconvenience.
It’s a bit easier to forgive them this time, isn’t it? Plus, this kind of interaction builds more trust, changes a negative experience into a positive one, and allows you to recommend the company to your friends/family, too.
Improve Brand Reputation
A lot of time, energy, marketing, and effort from customer-facing teams (i.e., sales and support) goes into building the company’s reputation. Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor would your company’s reputation.
However, the one thing that can help you improve your brand reputation tenfold is excellent customer testimonials (mainly because customers only trust their peers)—and to get exceptional customer testimonials, you’ll need to provide excellent customer service.
Source: x.com
Delighted customers can become your genuine brand ambassadors (e.g., consider the case of what ButterDocs is doing). They can even help you with honest product feedback (e.g., consider the micro-communities Glossier has with its loyal customers).
Source: linkedin.com
Some companies offer rewards, exclusive access, and other incentives to foster customer loyalty. In some instances, they even partner with banks to provide branded credit cards to their customers (to give them more rewards and incentives and to encourage them to bring more customers on board).
Don’t forget that there are tools that help you remove fake Amazon reviews if needed. Keeping only real and positive reviews will contribute to improving your brand reputation.
Competitive Advantage
Several brands in the market’s primary differentiator is not their product but rather their attention to customer service—for example, brands like Chewy, Costco, Chick-fil-A, etc., would not be the names they are today if not for their attention to customer satisfaction.
Source: x.com
This kind of customer service has not only given them a competitive advantage and helped them increase customer acquisition, enhance customer retention, and create more positive experiences.
Attract New Customers
A largely positive image of your company and your experiences will ultimately result in word-of-mouth marketing, which will help you attract new (and better) leads and customers (and their conversion process might be a lot easier, too, since you wouldn’t have to spend much time building their trust). Incorporating Creative Event Venues into your strategy can enhance this effect, as unique and memorable locations contribute to a stronger impression.
Opportunities for Upselling
If a company believes you’re trustworthy, they’ll often believe and buy into your up-selling or cross-selling recommendations (which is what makes Amazon’s “Customers Also Bought” feature a massive hit).
Screenshot provided by the author
5 Best Practices For E-commerce Customer Service
Since we now know a little more about the importance of good customer service, let’s find out what best practices you should consider to offer your customers the same kind of service.
Leverage Customer Data
One of the best and easiest ways to elevate customer experience is to be equipped with the data you need to make their experience seamless.
That’s to say, customer service teams should have full access to their shopping history and the customer’s past service experiences, including the experiences they’ve had on call, via emails, or even while engaging with a chatbot).
This data is readily available using CRM tools. Alternatively, social media listening and monitoring tools might provide a better idea of the customer’s pain points, wants, and wishes.
Personalize Your Response
Another thing you could do is to use value-based servicing (i.e., considering all the context and information required before providing them with recommendations and answers).
For example, even if you’re trying to upsell or cross-sell a product, your shoppers might not know the exact benefit the product can provide them, why they should buy it, or the value they can attain from it.
In this scenario, personalizing your recommendations and responses based on the information and context you have on hand will massively help and will also improve their experience.
You can also consider using their names while talking to them, switching to a more friendly than formal tone (i.e., talking to them like a person and not a company representative), and focusing on building a rapport/relationship with them.
Damian Grabarczyk, a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur and the co-founder of PetLab Co., says, “Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t resonate with dedicated pet owners, we shifted our customer service strategy to focus on personalization. Instead of generic responses, each interaction became an opportunity to offer tailored advice—whether recommending the right joint supplement or a calming treat based on a pet’s specific age, breed, and health conditions. This shift not only allowed us to resolve issues more effectively but also fostered deeper, trust-based relationships with our customers. As a result, we’ve seen a significant increase in repeat business and glowing feedback, highlighting the impact of personalized customer service on long-term loyalty.”
Communicate Clearly
In any type of company communication, clarity wins over cleverness, any day.
So, if you’re trying to explain a concept or a situation to your customers, try to empathize with them, actively listen to their concerns, use the language and communication style they’re comfortable with, and then explain the situation in the easiest way possible without jargon.
Utilize Technology
Your tech stack for effective customer experience should entirely rely on the kind of service you’re trying to provide them.
For example, if you wish to provide excellent customer support, you’ll need to equip your staff with call center software. This software will allow them to optimize their customer service operations by centralizing customer inquiries, optimizing response times, and ensuring consistent service quality.
Similarly, with a composable CDP (Customer Data Platform), your customer success team can use data from multiple sources to improve customer experience. This helps create personalized customer experiences and improve service strategies. By integrating data seamlessly, composable CDPs ensure that customer service teams have a comprehensive view of customer behavior, leading to better support and satisfaction.
Track Performance KPIs
Lastly, to fully understand whether your customer service efforts have been effective, you’ll need to track important KPIs to ensure customers have been getting the experience you want to deliver.
A couple of essential KPIs to consider are:
Customer Satisfaction Score
Customer Acquisition Rate
Customer Retention Rate
Average Resolution Time
First Response Time
Net Promoter Score
Resolution Rate
Ticket Volume
Final Thoughts on E-commerce Customer Service
Just as a quick TL;DR, in this guide, we uncovered the following:
Great customer service leads to improved brand reputation, increased conversions, new customers, opportunities for upselling, and a competitive advantage.
To provide excellent customer service, you can rely on existing customer feedback data, personalize responses, address customer issues head-on, communicate clearly, track KPIs, and adopt technology.
A lot goes into delivering an above-average customer service experience to acquire and keep happy customers. E-commerce, especially, is a business where you need a team of well-trained and dedicated customer service representatives (also known as customer service agents).
Thankfully, we have guides and resources to help you achieve this. On that note, check out the DSers Blog to keep up with all e-commerce tips, guides, and news! Boost customer interactions once and for all.
About the Author
Guillaume is a digital marketer focusing on content management at Wordable and Digital PR at uSERP. Outside of work, he enjoys his life in sunny Mexico, reading books, wandering around and catching the latest shows on TV.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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