Internet retail giant Amazon came out ahead in the latest ForeSee Experience Index with an overall rating of eighty-seven points. That marks a two-point increase in the rating of its customer satisfaction in the last year. The index rates the overall experience encountered by each customer who opts to do the ForeSee survey upon order completion. The triumph of Amazon over other major online retailers in the customer satisfaction arena is due to a few key factors, and understanding these elements can help give customer service experts an edge in today's hectic marketplace.
The first edge that Amazon enjoys when it comes to customer satisfaction is the ease of the purchasing process. Often, customers don't need to work directly with a sales agent or representative to purchase items at all. An extensive online presence, combined with mobile apps that provide equal convenience and also rate high on the Experience Index, allows customers to get what they need at any time of day with few to no hassles. Convenience is king in online customer support, and those who experience problems can easily reach a representative in one or two clicks on Amazon retail and mobile sites. Representatives should ensure that it's as convenient as possible to reach them and begin the resolution process.
Customer service representatives will likely already know that a personal touch can result in greater customer satisfaction, but Amazon takes this one step further. The retailer uses big data, such as the purchasing habits of customers across the site, and combines it with personal information that includes browsing history and the relation of prior searches. This enables it to suggest items that fit the needs of the customer as accurately as possible. As a customer service representative, it falls on you to ensure that the customer feels their needs are addressed and responded to as clearly and effectively as possible.
The third way that Amazon succeeds in delivering the best customer service is through establishing trust. Many purchasers rely on Amazon reviews already, but the company takes it one step further by requiring all third parties selling through the site to adhere to the same service guidelines that apply to purchases made through Amazon directly. Customer service representatives in a variety of fields need to ensure that their company, and their department in particular, delivers the best customer service by owning the entire customer satisfaction experience and not deflecting blame to suppliers or manufacturers.
These three lessons can help you as a customer satisfaction agent, as well as your employers, succeed in a fast-paced and ever-evolving market. Amazon currently enjoys top status according to the 2013 ForeSee Index, but the company must continue to stress convenience, personalization, and trust as the hallmarks of its buying experience.
(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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