Accessible customer service solutions outrank high tech alternatives, survey finds

Wednesday, August 1, 2018 - 14:51 by Mike Price

A study published by Engine last week found that almost two thirds of consumers in the UK would rather see retailers who offer safe shopping online make their support services simpler to use, rather than solely focusing on embracing the latest technologies.

15 per cent of those questioned said that they believe it is important for e-commerce sites to adopt cutting edge platforms, such as AI and voice-activated assistant services. However, the vast majority think it would make more sense for retailers to optimise their existing customer service options.

68 per cent said that the quality of the experience and the support provided to them by the retailer was far more important in determining whether they would recommend using a site than whether the products were cheap. Once again, this suggests that while price is obviously a factor in convincing more people to carry out safe shopping online, it is far from being the most important aspect.

Retailers were ranked according to the quality of their service as interpreted by the 1000 British consumers who participated in the survey. The frontrunner for 2018 was Amazon, reaffirming the idea that the US e-commerce giant has hit upon a winning formula across the board in terms of customer service, price and convenience.

Unless other firms up their game and follow the example set by Amazon, they will not be able to reap the rewards and win over customers in the digital age.

Security and privacy are also high on the agenda when it comes to determining the success of any online shopping platform. So in terms of investment, it may be better for retailers to focus on these areas, rather than focusing upon technological solutions at the expense of customer service issues that exist today.