The hard truth is that customers drive the business for any Online store!  However, when we talk about Customer care, the approach of many online companies is far from being customer ‘centric’ .  Customer service centers are expected to resolve customer complaints; however, some queries – that really need attention – are left with no resolution.

Online stores in India need to understand that it’s the ‘customer experience’ that matters, not the ‘process.’ Companies must try and provide a response as early as possible as it will raise their customer satisfaction index.

With technological progress in the recent times, digital tools have evolved from  once hyped- ‘Customer relationship Management’ (CRM) softwares to the hot commodity-Mobile applications. However these tools are not been harnessed to their maximum potential by many organisations to serve customers better.  Why can’t companies work on resolving customer problems in real time instead of simply recording them over emails or IVRs? They can use chat engines, customized applications, Social media marketing and knowledge management portals to help customers with their issues in the best possible manner.

One of the reasons why some consumers are unhappy with the customer helpdesk model , could linked to the autonomy that customer care executive holds. This individual has limited liberty and capability to resolve customer issues without the help of a supervisor. Sometimes customer care confuses the customer by asking too many questions and wasting the precious time of an already irate customer, leaving him or her with no resolution. Naturally,  such bad memories stay long enough to lose customers for life.

One of the fundamentals of service industry is the customer support and after sale service. Why does ‘Apple Inc.’ enjoy a loyal set of customers? It’s  not just the product – it is a customer satisfaction index that they have achieved over the last few years. This is the reason why customers are ready to shell, extra bucks for the same configuration of product from another company.

Let’s talk about E-Commerce stores in India. If you want to experience the variation on customer service levels,  try buying a product on ‘Amazon India’ and then buy a similar product on ‘eBay India.’ Right from the moment you recieve the payment confirmation, you will start noticing minor nuances in the unique buying experience that Amazon offers. Compare it with ebay and you will find that the portal lags behind in the customer care domain.

Most online companies have their policies and guidelines in place; still they are not able to communicate their customer centric focus. When they find out that the customer is experiencing an issue with thier portal – instead of making things easier and empathising with the customer and offering a solution, customer care execetive follows the ‘policies’ and unanimatedly shares the escalation matrix.

This leaves customers with a bitter taste even after the problem is solved. For example, yepme.com is one of the upcoming apparel stores that sell online in India. They provide amazing offers via online stores in India with ‘Flash’ sales; where customer can’t resist purchasing the wares at discounted prices. But, this is where the problem starts. Sometimes shipment is delayed, and sometime customers gets a message stating that the stock is over… or sometimes products are replaced cuaing much trouble and after many failed attempts by the customer to follow the process of the return ‘policy’.

Naturally, such practices do not help sell Online in India in the long run. Companies need to bring together their Services/branding/marketing team and customer support team to make them understand the real value of customer care. This is the only way eCommerce Stores in India will find the breakthrough!

To learn more about the changing dynamics of the online marketing domain, read http://shopnix.in/blog/ecommerce-startup-challenges-in-india/#.VA6i-WLQ6So