3 Ecommerce Companies Rocking Their Customer Service Never mind Amazon and Zappos, other firms are realizing that stellar customer service makes the sale.
By Pratik Dholakiya •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Customer service has always been a deal breaker or deal maker for most businesses. No matter how cool your products are or how many deals you offer, your customer service representatives will determine the sale at the final stage.
It wouldn't be too far off the mark to say that customer service affects the success, reputation, and popularity of your company. These three companies recognize the importance of customer service, especially being in the e-commerce sector, where there can be no face-to-face human interaction. They provide great service and have raving reviews to show for it.
So without further ado, let's see which companies are dethroning Amazon and Zappos from their customer service leadership.
Related: 7 Tactics That Show You're Getting Customer Service Right
Swanson.
Swanson Health Products was founded in 1969 as a mail-order business and has grown to be one of the most popular global commerce companies. They sell vitamins and health supplements online. The Swanson lines boast indigenous and exotic health products, which are not only of high quality but also competitively priced.
Just last year, the company was ranked among the top 25 companies with the best customer service. The title was awarded by StellaService after comparing several online and brick-and-mortar companies based on the following factors: in-store service, phone service, email service, chatting, shipping, and return policies.
Swanson values your time. Response times are six to 12 hours on email and one-and-a-half to two minutes on phone calls. But they boast a year-long return policy for most items. The result: they are in business for nearly half a century and still going strong where other businesses in the same segment failed.
Related: 4 Ways To Diagnose Your Customer Journey
Firmoo.
Firmoo is slowly but surely finding its way into people's hearts. The online optic store is breaking the Luxottica eyeglass monopoly with several customers rooting for the new underdog. While Firmoo offers great quality glasses at the most reasonable prices, the best part about their business is they have an awesome, responsive customer service team.
They are popular on Facebook too, with over 570,000 fans! They have some pretty good reviews on Trustpilot and ResellerRatings. They have 106 reviews on Trustpilot with an average rating of 7.2 and 31 reviews on ResellerRatings with an average rating of 9.09, almost all praising their customer service, but let's hear it straight from the horse's mouth:
Customer Service -- best out of the four online glasses sites I ordered from. When someone can make you feel like you're the ONLY customer they have at the moment, that's personalized service. I asked questions via FB messages, and on two occasions, it was pretty much a live chat with a rep who provided REAL fixes, without the "generic" answers mass online companies tend to give.
I also discovered several blog posts, videos and reviews raving about Firmoo, which led me to their blogging policy. They have a very transparent blogger network which offers free eyewear for reviews. They have explicitly asked for honest reviews on this page, so bloggers are free to write about bad encounters, if any. However, after reading some 30 or so reviews and the comments from readers, I could easily see why everyone is warming up to Firmoo's customer service.
Related: 5 Tips for Using Social Media as a Customer Service Tool
Moda Operandi.
While Swanson and Firmoo have a price benefit to influence and sway their customer ratings, Moda Operandi, an online luxury retail brand, has no such advantage. They provide high-end items that masses can't or won't buy. Despite that, they have over 500 reviews on TrustPilot with an average rating of 8.8 with many favorable reviews:
I ordered a pricey outfit on Moda Operandi. It arrived promptly, in excellent condition, and packaged in a high quality MO garment bag. When you are paying a lot of money for clothing, it is nice to see customer service go the extra mile to package things nicely. (Trustpilot)
Moda Operandi is wowing its customers by providing them personal stylists who can grab fresh designs off the runway. They have revived a bygone era by doing a version of trunk show online. They offer a post-runway-shopping experience direct to the customer's door.
It also provides concierge services by coupling their online store with concierge-like services in its London store. Not only that, they have fitted their store with Louis XVI–style chairs and midcentury furniture that makes customers feel privileged.
The combination of amazing online and offline services makes Moda Operandi one of the best customer services providers in the retail segment. Lauren Santo Domingo, the co-founder of the company believes not in selling to customers but in respecting their customers. "We help a woman buy once and buy correctly. We don't encourage impulse buys," he says. "We really respect her, take her seriously and understand her wardrobe."
It is great to see that more and more e-commerce businesses are following in the path of Amazon and Zappos! All these businesses demonstrate the value of exceeding their traditional duty and going above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service.
