Packages sometimes get lost. Products don’t always live up to expectations. Consumers forget they made a purchase. In other words, disputes happen. That’s why it is so important for merchants to devote as much attention to customer service as they do to designing their products and website. Merchants who emphasize customer relationship management will promote the brand and build lasting customer loyalty at every touchpoint.
How to Use CRM to Prevent Disputes and Build Customer Loyalty
Intelligent CRM can prevent friendly fraud, build customer loyalty, and prevent chargebacks. Merchants should incorporate these CRM best practices to prevent chargebacks and improve customer experience:
- Order review. Always review the order carefully to ensure there are no errors or duplicates in the order system.
- Clear refund and return policy. Make sure your refund and return policy is easily available on the website and clearly stated on the confirmation email or paper receipt. Particularly for card not present merchants, a clear refund and return policy can encourage online shoppers to be confident in their purchase.
- Track the transaction. Keep complete records of the entire transaction and any communication with the customer. This can be useful when answering customer concerns and disputing chargebacks.
- Shipping options and policy. Provide customers as much information as possible about the estimated shipping and delivery date. Send an email when the product ships and provide a tracking number.
- Be flexible. There are times when a customer honestly makes a mistake with their order or does not understand the return and refund policy. Encourage customer service to be flexible and bend the rules when necessary, particularly for long-standing loyal customers.
- Clear product descriptions. Prevent friendly fraud disputes and customer dissatisfaction with accurate website descriptions of products and services. Include photos and, if possible, customer reviews of the product or service.
- Be proactive. Monitor social media and respond quickly to any questions about products, services, company policies, etc. The more supported the customer feels – the better.
- Be available. Clearly display customer service contact information and, if possible, use a chat window to encourage customer communication. Respond to emails quickly and inform the customer when their order may be delayed.
- Confirm the order. Send the customer a confirmation email before shipping the product and charging their credit card. Ask the customer to confirm that they made the purchase.
- Follow up. Contact the customer after delivery confirmation to obtain feedback on their purchase. Give the customer an opportunity to ask questions.
- Support the customer service team. Provide customer service with the tools they need to do a thorough and efficient job, because often they are the only contact customers have with your company.
Good CRM goes a long way to foster and promote customer loyalty. It’s very hard to recover from the viral nature of a negative review or social media comment due to poor customer service. Protect your present and future sales, and prevent transaction disputes by implementing best CRM practices.