The importance of excellent eCommerce customer service during sales peaks

The UK economic climate remains challenging. But the holiday season sales peak still represents a fantastic opportunity for eCommerce retailers to capture increased demand and delight customers.

More than three-quarters of Black Friday spend is expected to be online in 2023. 

And offering exceptional eCommerce customer service is crucial to capitalising on the upcoming rush throughout November-January.

This is especially relevant for eCommerce retailers that are having to scrap for every sale against a backdrop of reduced consumer spending combined with heightened customer expectations.

Bargain-conscious consumers are demanding eye-catching deals and hassle-free experiences. However, delivering on all fronts is not easy. Particularly for retailers offering complex products to customers that value a high-touch service.

This is where your contact centre and customer experience teams come into their own. But where should you turn to ensure your business is prepared to deal with sales peaks?

Outsourcing contact centre operations remains a popular option

Enhancing the customer experience (CX) is one of the most effective ways to drive sales and inspire brand loyalty. Ultimately, your CX impacts the entire buyer journey, from customer acquisition to retention.

However, not all eCommerce retailers are set-up to provide multi-channel customer care. Or they may lack the sufficient order and returns management expertise required during seasonal peaks.

This is why many have turned to specialist contact centre outsourcers to help them navigate times of variable demand.

Outsourcing all or parts of the customer experience is not a recent trend and the UK has a mature outsourced contact centre market. According to a 2023 report by the Contact Centre Management Association, “contact centre outsourcing in the UK has been steadily increasing over the past decade and the BPO sector now employs around 175,000 people.”

Data from the The UK Contact Centre Outsourcing Report also highlights how the retail sector ranks as the fourth biggest employer of the UK’s 155,000 contact centre workforce.

Every eCommerce retailer will have its own business reasons to opt for outsourced contact solutions. But they’ll share the same end goal to provide exceptional experiences throughout each interaction.

5 benefits of choosing an outsourced eCommerce customer service partner

Partnering with a dedicated or seasonal contact centre team is a smart move for handling sales peaks without compromising on customer experience.

Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Cost savings and efficiencies created by using a third-party vs maintaining an in-house team. Or in some cases an outsourcer’s team will simply provide overflow call handling to supplement your existing team during sales peaks. 
2. Flexible expertise that can be dialled up and down depending on peaks in demand.  
3. Increased levels of customer service across multiple channels, including phone, email and Live Chat.
4. Access to a highly trained team that is fully immersed within your organisation. 
5. Enhanced technology and bespoke systems that optimise the customer journey. 

What to expect from an outsourced contact centre partner

Delivering exceptional service is a given of outsourced contact centre providers. However, there are also some unexpected benefits you may not be aware of.

Here’s what you should look out for when choosing an eCommerce customer service partner:

• Your brand and voice – bottled. Your customers should feel like they’re dealing with you personally. The best contact centre providers act as brand ambassadors and create experiences whereby customers don’t even realise they’re dealing with a third-party. 
• Human and empathetic advisors. Latest research states that 80% of customers still prefer telephone conversations over any other communication method. Therefore, having trained advisors that demonstrate high levels of care and empathy is non-negotiable. 
• Service that goes beyond answering calls. A multi-skilled contact centre team will help manage website queries, provide self-service information such as FAQs, and offer additional tools that help customers find out the answers to their pressing questions.
• An ongoing commitment to excellence. Continuous learning and upskilling ensures that elite outsourcers retain happy and fulfilled employees who’ll last the distance with your business. 
• Proactive customer communications. Outsourced eCommerce customer service can encompass teasing out offers and building hype around promotions. 
• Exceptional aftercare. Your customer relationship doesn’t stop once you’ve made a sale. Your partner should be providing post-sale support for product queries, warranties and returns, via multiple channels. 
• Review and feedback management. Proactive contact centre advisors will work on your behalf to boost customer advocacy. This is typically done by requesting reviews, responding to feedback and managing any complaints.  
• Enhanced technological capability. Access to the latest technology and integrations is vital for order tracking, parcel visibility and enhancing the customer experience.

Whistl’s Contact Solutions team specialises in supporting UK eCommerce retailers that sell complex products or deal with demanding customers.

Based in multiple UK-wide locations, with an average agent tenure of 10+ years, our contact centre teams provide personalised and human conversations across all channels. No bots and no “automated humans” blindly reading scripts. Simply real people and real results.

Want to delight your customers during sales peaks?

Reach out to a member of our Contact Solutions team to have a conversation about your requirements. We can even offer you a free, no obligation customer service audit to help you identify any gaps in your current provision.