With 14 diverse web stores selling a wide range of merchandise from jogging strollers to watches, Niche Retail LLC already knows the value of having a good customer service program.
But as the web retailer, which had 2004 e-commerce sales of $10.2 million, looks to grow sales to at least $15 million this year and fend off a growing number of new competitors, it's making several new enhancements to its online customer service program. The goals: better trained reps and responding to all unanswered e-mail within 10 minutes, compared with about 20 minutes today.
Today, the retailer’s internal customer service center receives between 200 and 300 phone calls and about 300 e-mails per day, says Tyler Smith, president and co-founder of Niche Retail. The company also conducts up to 100 daily live chat sessions, Smith says.
But to better serve its customers Niche Retail recently upgraded its customer service program with new integrated technology with LivePerson Inc. and is expanding its customer service hours. Currently, Niche Retail’s customer contact hours, which are the same for all of its various e-commerce sites, are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The center is closed on Saturday. Over the next several weeks Niche Retail will extend its week day hours to 10 p.m. and on Sunday to 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.
Better technology will also help Niche Retail more efficiently route incoming calls, e-mails and live chat requests to the most educated service rep and respond in less time. “The new technology means we will have a better knowledge base to send customer service queries to the best available contact center employee,” Smith says. “We try and route requests to the reps who are most informed on a particular web site.”
To encourage the development of more knowledgeable employees, Niche Retail offers financial incentives that increase a rep’s compensation if they make the effort to learn more about the products and merchandise specifics offered across the company’s different web sites. “Most of the live chat and e-mail queries we receive are from customers wanting help with selecting a particular product, about how products work and about particular specifications,” Smith says. “They want advice from very informed employees.”
Niche Retail, which averages about a 5% conversion rate across its various web stores, is advertising its new customer service features both on its on sites and in search engine market campaigns. “We are emphasizing customer service and how customers can contact us, particularly by live chat,” Smith says. “When we began selling online almost five years ago it was easier to spot and launch niche retail sites. Now the market for specialty products is getting more saturated and offering better customer service is one way we can stand out from our competitors.”
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