In a PwC report, 73% of all consumers pointed to customer experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions. Yet only 49% of U.S. consumers say companies provide good customer service today. This negative perception was only aggravated during COVID.

As consumer preference shifted from bricks to clicks, ecommerce businesses were presented with volumes of customers they’ve yet to experience and soon struggled to keep pace with demands. The resulting influx of customer support requests left ecommerce seeking simple, personalized support solutions they could implement quickly to make their customers feel heard. These solutions would be what allowed them to tap into the new unrealized potential of an expanded online market. 

Retailers have recognized that in crowded digital markets, with noisy competing voices and copycat product offerings, creating personalized ways for consumers to discover and engage with your brand is key. Yet, while we know tailored experiences drive lasting customer relationships, we often fail to acknowledge how difficult they can be to replicate at scale. That’s why many online retailers are now looking to automated customer experience (ACX) solutions to deliver on both personalization and volume. These chatbot solutions leverage emerging technologies like machine learning and AI to provide differentiated, conversational support that's transforming ecommerce today.

Automate first. Use your humans wisely. 

Your customer support agents’ time is extremely valuable and best spent on inquiries that require a human touch to add value. Implementing an automated customer experience solution for your ecommerce site sets the stage for a long-term competitive edge. With seamless handoffs to live chat and email ticketing, Ada’s no code chatbot integrates with the customer support tools you’re already using to get you up and running within 30 days. 

Our ACX experts have developed a proven  framework  to ensure your chatbot delivers swift cost savings, improved CSAT scores, and new revenue. 

To get you started on your customer experience journey, Ada ACX Consultant, Kayla Thomson, shares her top 5 ACX best practices for ecommerce below:

Understand your customer

We hear it all the time. 

However obvious as it may sound, ensuring you have a clear picture of who your customer is will allow you to make the best informed decisions throughout your ACX journey. The purpose of your chatbot is to improve your customer experience. For your chatbot to succeed, it’s critical to empathize with the customer journey as you build out your conversational AI experience. You’ll make smarter decisions all around, from where your chatbot will live on your ecommerce site to the kinds of questions it can answer. 

Creating a mismatch between what your customers need and what you deliver is an easy path to losing customers. By failing to invest time to know your customer, you run the risk of creating an ACX solution that actually detracts from your customer experience. 

Create a chatbot persona

Successful branding helps retailers be discovered in crowded markets, convey product quality, and create value-adds that make customers want to return. In our new digital reality, strong branding is essential for online retailers to stand out. Why then wouldn’t you want your branding to extend to your customer support experience?

Creating a chatbot persona is a powerful way to do just that.

The persona can be as simple or detailed as you’d like, but we recommend highlighting a few key phrases and adjectives that embody your chatbot’s voice. Further, giving your bot a name and photo will help customers personify the new channel. In all, keeping your persona consistent with your brand’s voice creates an authentic, trusted resource customers know they can come back to to access support.

Personalize the bot to fit

Ada’s Personalization Toolkit allows you to create tailored conversation flows for each individual customer by leveraging account-specific details. Your chatbot can go beyond simple FAQ functions and meet customers' desire for personalized interactions. By integrating with your backend systems Ada can even go so far as to know customer purchasing habits and preferences. Ecommerce businesses can now increase engagement, customer self-service, and create upsell opportunities that they know their customers actually want. 

APIs and authentication on Ada’s platform means your consumers can also self-serve and resolve complex inquiries, solely through bot interaction. What does this mean for the high-volume holiday season? Enabling customers to self-serve through your personalized chatbot, allowing you to scale without compromising on your brand’s support experience.  

Pick your chatbot champion

Select a member of your team who knows the ins and outs of your customer service policies and can be an advocate for your customers. This dedicated person will not only be in charge of building and maintaining the chatbot, but will be your customers’ greatest champion!

Prioritizing someone with high customer empathy rather than extensive technical experience makes for the best support experiences for your customers. Ada provides a no-code solution, giving your customer support team the agency to manage the chatbot without using additional resources from your IT team.

Partner with the pros

Partner with an experienced vendor in your industry who can continue to support you in high volume times and beyond. At Ada, our ACX team doesn’t disappear once the chatbot is launched. We work with our clients to plan and achieve yearly business goals, while developing the best support channel possible in their sector. We don’t just develop chatbots, but consult our clients to consistently iterate and improve on their ACX strategy, and design best-in-class customer support that will increase your overall CSAT faster than your competitors.

What will your customers’ experience be this holiday season? 

Get ready to unlock success for retail’s busiest time of the year.

Reach out to us to discover why industry leaders like Shopify, Upwork and Scotts have chosen Automated Customer Experience with Ada.