The Company
The rate of growth and power of online retail sales is astounding! Online retail sales climbed to $263 billion in 2013 and is forecasted to be $414 billion by 2018. Wow! Imagine the revenue that a top online retailer generates per year. It would be easy to fall into the trap of “we neither care about your loyalty nor need your repeat business” customer service mentality. Well, it’s “nay to that malarkey” according to one of the planet’s ecommerce giants. Let’s break it down!
The Situation
This month we focus on one savvy consumer’s experience with an ecommerce retailer’s local coupon deal. We have all been there – we see an amazing local coupon that we will definitely use and don’t want to pass up. So, we click “purchase” with glee!
Our online consumer purchased a house cleaning service coupon because he knew that he would use it when moving the following week. He was ecstatic to have this dirty job off his list and went to book immediately. Unfortunately, there was no availability during the time of his move. The move was the sole purpose for purchasing the online deal. He was fearful that he was stuck. He called the ecommerce retailer’s customer service line with faint hope that something could be done.
What Went Right?
Short answer: Everything!
- A live person answered the phone in under a minute
- An immediate refund was credited to his account
- No pressure to buy anything else
- No upselling
- Straight forward, awesome customer service
- Like a tall glass of water – ahhhhhh
Why can’t it always be that easy? It certainly should be! From quick simple service*, a forever-loyal customer was born. As a brand advocate, he lives to tell his story over and over again.
*service[sur-vis] n. an act of helpful activity; help; aid
What Went Wrong?
Short answer: Nothing!
Love it when that happens. It’s a lesson that is easy to digest and duplicate. Happy online couponing!
Stay tuned for the next installment in our Customer Experience series where we break it down and dish out our thoughts on how to improve the Customer Experience.
