10. Why customer experience is king online
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Fiachra Ó Marcaigh, Director, AMAS
More and more areas of personal and business purchasing are going YBMNTBO (you’d be mad not to buy online, pronounced “ubi-ment-bo”).
The reasons include lower prices, wider choice, easier comparison and (sorry shopping centres) not having to endure the Irish traffic and retail experiences. But is the online customer experience any better?
eCommerce has a reputation for customer service problems. Of course, not all online vendors have poor customer service, but many do.
Below gives a few personal examples. There are many more. In some cases, the problem is mainly poor usability, based on lack of customer-focused design. In others, it looks like deliberately customer-hateful business practice.
Disparity
Of course, there is bad customer service offline too. (Have you met the phone company that is very difficult to contact by phone or letter, if not impossible?) And some eCommerce vendors provide excellent customer service.
The fact remains, however, that the huge disparity between the best and worst customer service online is likely to inhibit eCommerce growth.
The nature of online transactions and the sense of powerlessness of a buyer who cannot contact a vendor mean that excellent customer service is more important online than offline.
Angry
There is another reason, of course. An angry customer can have a loud voice online.
Consumer protection laws for distance and online purchases are useful, but they are not enough. eCommerce companies can gain advantage through better customer service and customer experience generally.
The eCommerce companies that truly understand and act on this have a strong advantage. When good service and good prices consistently come together, people will shop online. YBMNTBO!
Fiachra Ó Marcaigh leads strategy, research and usability assignments for AMAS.
Service Woes
- Part of an order doesn’t arrive. Complaint calls are answered in India by staff who don’t know about the special offer involved and have little authority to put things right
- A service offers to track your order, but the tracking page is broken and you have no way to know when to expect it
- Sites tick the box for marketing material, add unwanted insurance to your order, or make it impossible to know what shipping you will pay before you check out
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