Small Business Design Resources

3 Things to Learn from Amazon Customer Service

Recently I placed an order with Amazon.com and have used a Visa gift card. Because I couldn’t find another way to use the gift card, I added the card on file as one of my credit cards. I made a purchase that was over the gift card limit and I couldn’t find a way to add a secondary card to my order. So, of course when the order was processes there was an issue. Contacting customer service was simple, but what really grabbed me is the way they crafted their email and how they’ve handled the issue.

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What every ecommerce store can learn from Amazon.com customer service

1. Acknowledge the problem – From the start Shiela, the representative expressed her apology and referenced the order# to make sure where discussing the same order.

2. Outline the steps and results – Shiela continues on the positive note outlining the steps that she performed and the results that she received. Reassuring me along the way that the order has been processed.

3. Set expectations to eliminate any room for concerns – She then sets the expectation about the delivery date with a personal note that makes me feel that I’m taken care of.

What I like the most about this email is that it’s personable and feels real, which makes for a happy and a return customer.

Thank you Shiela, great work!

Help Your Customers Trust Your Ecommerce Website

Even though more and more people turn to online shopping rather than going to a physical store, many still don’t trust ecommerce websites that are not well known. If you sell products on your website, you want to reassure new visitors that you will provide great customer service and deliver their products as you promised. To build that customer trust right from the start, you need to install the Google Trusted Stores badge on your website.

Here’s how it works:

• You add a special Google Trusted Stores code to your website.
• Google will monitor your website performance in terms of shipping and customer service for about a month (28 days).
• If you “pass the test” then the Google Trusted Stores badge will start to appear on your website.

Your customers will then be able to view a letter grade rating performance of your website’s customer service and shipping.