With an overwhelming volume of articles and information about COVID-19, it can be hard to figure out which is relevant to your company and how it should impact your strategy to move forward. At present, the eCommerce industry has bloomed to 24 million online stores (Source: magneticians.com), and their level of customer service helps differentiate between brands. Usage of intelligent customer analytics and cross-channel communication platforms will likely increase in the post-COVID world. As a result, the role of the eCommerce call center will increase by many times.

In this write-up, we will discuss the impact COVID-19 still has on the eCommerce sector. We will also find out what changes in strategy needed to be introduced? What are the solutions offered by BPO services providers that help steer your business in the right direction?  

How COVID19 disrupted the demand and supply chain?

Sudden surges in online orders, slagging supply chains, an abrupt change in spending patterns, store closures, and more – all these impacted the eCommerce sector. The coronavirus might dawdle on for years, but efficient eCommerce and hybrid order fulfillment models will help online retailers propel forward.   

The nationwide efforts to keep the virus in control have changed the consumer’s daily habits, consumption patterns, ways of operations. The efforts were also in place to improve the home economy and enhance website or app functions.      

Across the world, the post-pandemic phase has witnessed major shifts in business operations. eCommerce sellers have started outsourcing answering services, order taking and processing, inventory management, sales support, payment and billing, collection services, and inbound call center functions. Outsourcing is a contingency action plan that prepares organizations for such crises in the future.  


How to cope up with shifting consumer buying patterns?

The nature of online shopping is such that it will evolve no matter what. Technology and consumers’ preparedness to share information has drastically influenced buyers’ behavior in recent years. Customers have started preventing ‘showrooming’ and are inclined to e-stores, even for a car purchase. Prevalence of available info empowers interested car buyers with car reviews and ratings, recalls, maintenance schedules, and resale values before they actually step foot onto the car showroom on the day of purchase.  

Consumer shopping patterns heavily influence the eCommerce customer service industry retail industry, and the year 2020 has proven that in spades. The digital shift in customer service, alongside shopping, is in progress and likely to make better use of automation and artificial intelligence in 2021.

Ways to keep pace with changing customer buying behavior:

·         Surveying customer expectations

Partner up with an eCommerce call center if you lack resources to survey your customers and understand their perspectives. It is a continuous process, and many eCommerce giants conduct consumer surveys daily. This will help your sales team to address and adapt accordingly. The representatives create ongoing dialogues to read the pulse of customers and the change in demands.   

  • Evaluating procedures and metrics
    Point out which process, KPI, and metric are crucial for you to evaluate and respond to changes in customer behavior efficiently. The amount of face time sales agents spends with customers today versus a few years ago is nearly forty percent less. Had your company been using the same process as years ago, your uncertainties would have been more and you wouldn’t have found out whether the methods used for customer engagement working or not.
  • Using latest technology
    Ecommerce automation is becoming vital for success in today’s market scenarios. You can use email marketing automation tools, automatically detect and reward loyal customers, automation to create a support ticket, auto customer segmentation, automate inventory management, and even automate

order fulfillment and delivery. As per the forecast, eCommerce orders will skyrocket in demand over time. Automation is the smart way to cater to such demands.

Paying attention to eCommerce, analysts are anticipating continued growth over the coming years, which will mainly be driven by the adoption of online shopping and linking more and more new commerce touchpoints such as:

  • Voice support
  • Chatbots
  • Social media
  • Smart devices, etc.        

Why hiring an eCommerce call center is a necessity now?

eCommerce call center represents the brand image and responsible for customer satisfaction. Partnering with a third-party provides brands the flexibility to upscale or expand their business. Reaching out to new customers in different locations in different languages becomes a cakewalk with BPO services. Outbound and inbound call center reps have immense know-how of the eCommerce business domain and practical problem-solving skills. Multichannel support via chat, text, and social media will take center stage as they provide a go-to medium for customers to connect to a brand while browsing.    

Why count on third-party experience? 

Needless to say, you have a shortage of staff and also have to handle disruption in the supply chain. Although things are heading towards good, it will still take time to normalize. In such a situation, it will be useful if you rely on a third party to outsource some of your services, like back-office, accounting and e-commerce customer service.

A professional contact center or any BPO services partner has the experience to deal with customers and varying customer complaints. They have skilled agents to understand your nature of the business, what you sell and what alterations you have made in light of COVID-19 for customers. When customers get in touch with the company, the right message is directed at the right time in the right way. It also increases your chance of cross-selling.

How can eCommerce customer service agents help?

  • You get a flexible workforce with excellent product knowledge
  • Get a web-based Customer Relationship Management platform for online retail services
  • Chances of cross-selling will increase and return, refund rates will decrease
  • Improve customer confidence and engagement
  • Decrease customer service expenses for eCommerce business by shared call center services
  • Get access to an expert team with excellent domain knowledge
  • Reduce refunds and increase the chances of cross-selling
  • Boost customer confidence and loyalty
  • Lower the cost of customer service operation with shared inbound call center services

Wrapping up

Ecommerce is essentially a sector intended to improve lives. From website user-friendliness to prompt customer care, eCommerce brands leverage multiple ways to keep customers happy and keep them coming. The post-COVID era has compelled online businessmen to rethink their strategy and keep the workforce compact by outsourcing non-core operations.

Running after every gimmick and fad is not the way to survive post-pandemic. The opportunities to converse with customers are diminishing with increasing self-service platforms. Outsourcing partners provide flawless customer service and help eCommerce companies peep into the future, identify goals and experiment with trends. An eCommerce call center takes a proactive posture that promotes customer engagement in even the hardest of situations.