In Online Customer Service, Less is Much Much More

jon smith, “in the bank” November 6, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

It’s no wonder that bad customer service offline is driving people to shop online.

For example, I went to the bank the other day. I’m a loyal customer at this bank, but my visit there made me realize that my bank does way, way too much customer service.

Let me clarify.

When I go to the bank, it’s always during my lunch hour. I intend to spend as few seconds as possible in the bank, and yet the bank’s efforts at customer service all keep me there longer. The chatty teller does not make my stay better; he makes it longer. And on this particular visit, the greeter asked me if I’d like a bottle of water or a cup of coffee—apparently unaware that I have no plans to stay at the bank long enough that I will require a beverage.

The best customer service that can be provided online, then, is to grease the buyer’s experience so that they can make their transaction as quickly as possible. In eCommerce, it’s likely that buyers have used sources other than your site to make their buying decision—and after that your checkout process only has the power to dissuade users from buying, not to persuade them to buy. The less you get in their way, the better.

Consider this elegant solution to my bank problem—one bank has introduced a system where you can deposit a check right from your couch by taking a photo of it with your phone.

As business owners and eCommerce professionals, we should get out of our customers’ way. Here are a few things that have helped businesses using Amazon Webstore:

• Make sure customers know their way back. If customers research a product somewhere else, make sure they know where to find you to buy it. That may be through a memorable brand experience while visiting your site, top rankings in search engines, or a timely email campaign.
• Keep your site simple and clear. Don’t clutter things up. You may offer content to educate visitors on your products and your brand, but don’t let it get in the way. Make sure that buying is always one obvious click away.
• Give buyers multiple checkout options. Let customers use a branded checkout, like Checkout by Amazon, to make their purchase. You’ll gain credibility by associating with a big brand, and the technology is reliable.

What have you done to simplify your buying process and make it easier for customers? Have you seen success because of it? Leave your experiences in the comments below.

And for me? I’m changing to a bank that doesn’t make me leave my couch.