Coaching Session 6: Retail/E-commerce Perspective
Lesson Notes
Time Stamps:
00:05 Video Introduction
00:53 Learning Objectives
01:33 Retail Industry
03:18 E-commerce
04:21 Common Issues in Retail/E-commerce
- General Inquiry
- Billing
- Refund/return and exchange
15:51 Dealing with Inquiries, Refund/return, and Exchange
- General inquiry and Billing
- Refund/return and exchange
- Return and exchange
- Return and refund
33:30 Top Skills Needed for Retail/E-commerce Customer Service
- Communication Skills
- Patience/Self Control
- Product Knowledge
52:06 Portfolio 6
I. What are Retail and E-commerce?
Retail Industry
(https://bizfluent.com/list-6679006-types-retail-formats-india.html)
Retail is the vehicle by which manufacturers sell their finished products. It involves the trading or selling of goods to consumers either for use or consumption.
Goods are tangibles. They have a physical form. They can be touched.
They may also be perishable or non-perishable. Perishable are those products that deteriorate quickly when not stored properly. Non-perishables deteriorate slowly and can be kept in a cool dry storage.
Items sold can be in-store or online.
Examples: clothing, footwear, accessories, gadgets, cosmetics, medicine and food supplements, grocery items.
E-commerce
(https://ecommerceguide.com/guides/what-is-ecommerce/)
Ecommerce, or electronic commerce, refers to transactions conducted via the internet.
Every time individuals and companies are buying or selling products and services online they’re engaging in eCommerce. The term e-commerce also encompasses other activities including online auctions, internet banking, payment gateways, and online ticketing.
II. Common Issues in Retail/E-commerce
- General inquiry
- Billing
- Refund/Return and exchange
1. General Issues in Retail/E-commerce
i. Product specifications
Customers asking about a feature or specification of a product.
The questions may come in the form of size, shape, color, availability, or functionality.
ii. Product compatibility
Customers asking whether the product is compatible with another product.
iii. Order making and processing
Customers may have encountered errors while ordering online and they are contacting support and asking assistance to process the order.
Customers wanting to:
-verify correct product pricing
-ask if discounts/concessions are given for bulk orders, students, seniors, PWD
-ask if the promo period still runs, or if a product is under promo
-ask about free samples
-voucher or discount code not working
iv. Payment method
Customers needing help with making payment or asking about the mode of payment.
Point of Sale (POS)
(https://erply.com/pos-system/)
The point of Sale (POS) system is the spot where the customers make the payment for goods or services that are offered by the company. It enables the business transaction between the client/customer and the company to be completed.
Different businesses need various POS systems depending on which industry businesses are in. Most industries that need POS are retail and hospitality.
For example, restaurants, retail businesses, and grocery stores all have their specialties and that is why they need a POS system that meets their specific needs. A food store requires a scale at the point of sale and a cafe needs to have an opportunity to customize menus in case of special offers.
Best opportunity to upsell.
For Business Owners
POS (In-store) or Check Out (Online Stores) is the best opportunity to upsell. Anticipate customers’ needs and offer additional products before they make the actual payment.
v. Account creation and registration or update account information
Customers contacting support and needing help with:
-account creation to purchase a product or sign up for a subscription
-log in error (forgot username/password)
-changing email, last name, shipping address
2. Billing
i. Update billing information
There are changes in customers’ credit card information (credit number, expiration date) and they need help in updating their data.
ii. Unknown charge or overcharge
Customers asking about an overcharged/unknown amount or a penalty fee in their account.
3. Refund/Return and exchange
i. Shipping and handling
Customers contacting to ask about the order’s estimated time of arrival (ETA) or complaining about late delivery as provided by ETA.
ii. Return and exchange
Customers wishing to return a received item due to the following reasons and making a follow-up on the item ordered.
-damage
-expired product
-wrong item shipped
-unsatisfactory quality
iii. Return and refund
Customers wishing to return a received item due to the following reasons and wanting a full return.
-damage
-expired product
-wrong item shipped
-unsatisfactory quality
III. Dealing With Inquiries, Refund/Return, and Exchange
Dealing with retail/e-commerce concerns is straightforward. It is a pure customer service concern.
A. General Inquiry and Billing
Best Practices:
-apologize for the inconvenience, if applicable
-own the issue and take responsibility
-capture the issue and get to the real cause of the problem
-check your resources
-ask help if needed
-Inquiry: be prompt in giving out complete information to the customer
Change information: give a turnaround time
-be proactive and go the extra mile
B. Refund/Return and exchange
Best Practices:
-apologize for the inconvenience, if applicable
-own the issue and take responsibility
-capture the issue and get to the real cause of the problem
-check your resources
-ask help if needed
Return and exchange
In-store return:
-swap the item right away
-offer a substitute product, if the item is no longer available
-If the customer declined, give out an estimated time of availability
-ask for the contact details of the customer
Keep a record of the complaint and mark the exchange date in your calendar.
Online return:
-give the ETA of the item ordered
-offer an alternative product, if the item is no longer available.
-if the customer declined, give out an estimated time of availability
-ask for the contact details of the customer
-give instructions on what to do with the incorrect item (where and how to send it back).
Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) – is a numbered authorization provided by a mail-order merchant to permit the return of a product.
Take extra caution if the customer paid for express shipping.
Return and refund
Processing refunds should be a last resort. Save as many cancellation concerns as much as possible.
In-store and Online return:
-initially offer an alternative product. Do your best to save sales.
-if the customer declines, as a last resort, process a refund.
-give out the turnaround time for the refund
-give instructions on what to do with the item
In all these scenarios, the immediate response is crucial. Be as accommodating as you can so your customers feel that they are valued.
IV. Top Skills Needed for Retail/E-commerce Customer Service
1. Communication Skills
i. Apologize, empathize and take accountability
- Apologize for the inconvenience caused.
- Empathy is the ability to understand where a customer is coming from, or the ability to understand and share in their feelings. By showing empathy, an agent can create a sense of being a part of a team working together to solve a problem, rather than acting as adversaries working against each other.
- Customers are not stats, but human beings.
- Take responsibility for whatever issues come across and have customers feel a positive experience.
- Does not matter who is at fault, take ownership of the issue and help resolve it.
ii. Use positive language
- Try not to be harsh in your responses which can be difficult when dealing with a few disrespectful comments or feedback. Use positive words so as not to trigger already frustrated or angry customers.
- Show professionalism by the words you used when talking to customers.
iii. Active listening
- Listen carefully and accurately understand what customers are asking. Confused customers are often frustrated and unaware of the precise issue or correct terminology to describe the problem, so a CSR must hear what they’re describing and interpret the meaning as needed.
- Don’t assume and don’t interrupt when customers are explaining the reason for their call. Allow customers to vent out their frustration.
- Ask relevant probing questions and repeat key facts as to how it was understood by the agent.
2. Patience/Self-Control
- Customers who reach out to support are often confused and frustrated. As a result, CSR is being shouted at, insulted, and rudely rushed for a resolution.
- Clients and customers might ask several questions or ask you to repeat instructions several times.
- Be extra patient with those who are elderly and people who are not computer-savvy.
Best Practices:
- Stay calm. Keep your cool and do not take things personally. This will help diffuse tense situations with angry or frustrated customers. Being patient keeps the conversation on track, remains personable, and provides a positive experience.
- It’s not enough to close out interactions with customers as quickly as possible. Take time to truly figure out what they truly need.
3. Product Knowledge
- In-depth product knowledge does more than enable service agents to troubleshoot customer problems. It allows CSR to help customers get the most out of the product/service.
- CSR must be able to give accurate and up-to-date information about your product/service, give explanations in full detail of how the product works.
- When they do face a question they can’t answer, make sure that customer service professionals know whom to turn to when they need additional information. Know when to escalate or where to transfer the call/chat.
- Effect: Likely to annoy customers or get them even more frustrated and angry. Customers might think that CSR is ineffective and does not know what CSR is doing.
Portfolio
Task 1: Compose an email reply to the given scenario.
Scenario:
You are one of the Customer Service Support of Shoe Maiden.
Christian was browsing online and got impressed with what Shoe Maiden offers. The membership fee is auto-renew and only costs $49.99 a month. Becoming a member gives you the privilege of using that membership fee to shop any item for $49.99 including shipping and handling.
Any member not ready to shop for the next months can opt to skip for the month. The “Skip the month” feature converts membership fee to store credit to let you shop in the future! Another great feature is to cancel membership anytime.
Christian signed up for Shoe Maiden online and ordered a pair of shoes for her wife. A couple of months after ordering, he noticed that there were two more charges of $49.99.
He does not know where these other two charges are coming from so he sent an email to support to inquire about them. He wants a full refund on these charges. How will you respond to his email and how are you going to explain the charges on his account?
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