How to Handle E-Commerce Customer Complaints and Provide Solutions
It’s a known fact that the e-commerce industry has completely transformed the way people shop.
Of course, people still frequent physical retail stores, whether it be going to the mall or to various shopping centers, but even when people shop in-store, there’s a high chance that they’ve checked the store out online to see if it has a particular item or product they’re looking for.
That’s the beauty of online shopping. It’s made shopping more convenient. And by convenient, that means making more products available to customers.
With online shopping, customers now have the convenience of not having to leave their homes to get what they want; they have the convenience of getting what they want while they’re out and about; And they have the convenience of being able to shop whenever they want, no matter the time of day or night…
The only issue with all the conveniences that online shopping has provided customers is that it’s opened a flood gate of new problems for customers to complain about.
Physical Store Complaints vs Online Store Complaints
This isn’t a competition on what store type gets the best complaints… this is a comparison of how much the complaints differ. There are issues that physical stores dealt with that online stores don’t, and vice versa.
The thing about physical store complaints that make them so different from online store complaints is that physical store complaints are easier to fix and find a resolution to than online store complaints.
For example, a customer might complain about having to wait in the long lines at various physical stores or can’t find parking close enough to the store they want to go to.
There are two resolutions to that problem and it’s going to be left to the customer. They’re just going to have to show up earlier than they have been to avoid the long lines. Will it frustrate the customer?
Yes. But it lets them know that, that particular store is very popular and if they want the products that store has to offer, they’re going to have to get their sooner to avoid the lines.
If the customer doesn’t have the time to show up earlier than they have been, they’re going to avoid the store altogether and shop for that particular product online. That’s the other solution.
When physical stores can’t or don’t give customers what they want, they turn to online shopping. That unsatisfied customer will then look for something to complain about with the online store… simply out of anger and frustration.
Nonetheless, as the owner of an e-commerce store, it’s your responsibility to keep the customer happy and the only way to do that is to know what the common complaints are of online shoppers and find solutions to their issues.
Take a look at some of the most common complaints of online shoppers and the resolutions to their problems.
Common Complaints of Online Shoppers
Complaint 1: Frustrations With Customer Service
This is one area that physical stores have the upper hand. Unlike physical stores, online stores don’t have the luxury of having staff members to greet customers at the door to help them with any issues or questions they may have right then.
With online shopping, a customer might have a question about a particular product or want some additional information on it before making the purchase.
If they can’t get an immediate response or have to wait for business hours, they may leave your site and find a site that has the same product but with better customer service.
Your Solution:
Outsource. Outsourcing is one of the biggest elements to improve your business. By outsourcing for a support answering service after hours, this will at least give your customer peace of mind in knowing that their issue was heard and will the taken care of.
Also, make sure to include a well-detailed FAQs page to answer common questions of customers. A chatbot is helpful as well.
Complaint 2: Security Breaches
Unfortunately, security breaches are one of those things that happen with online businesses, no matter how many measures and efforts you take to prevent it… those hackers just have a knack for getting in where they don’t belong sometimes.
Now, although security breaches aren’t completely avoidable, they’re also not things that should be happening frequently and when they are, you can’t blame a customer for being upset about it.
What lots of business owners fail to realize is that security breaches are a serious thing and can ruin not only their business but the lives of their customers too.
A study by Varonis found that 64% of Americans never check to see if they were affected by a data breach but when they finally do or get a notification that they’re information might have been compromised, they’re given the opportunity to sue the company that had the data breach.
That very reason is why you need to make sure you, at the minimum, ensure your business with general liability insurance in case a customer tries to sue… this will at least cover legal fees.
Your Solution:
Make sure your site is operating off the most updated software and have a risk management assessment performed on your website. This risk management assessment is going to correct any hole found in the security of your website.
Complaint 3: Checkout Process is Too Difficult
When a customer shops online, all they want to do is put their items in their shopping cart, pay for it, and wait for their items to be delivered… there shouldn’t be any hassle with the checkout process.
If you think about it, the checkout process is the whole appeal of online shopping… it’s supposed to be easier than physical stores.
Your Solution:
Refine the checkout process as much as possible. Make the required information short and sweet, without asking for any unnecessary information. Give customers the option to save their information in case they want to shop your store in the future
