Make sure to track the speed of your responses when you start your support messaging program. You can put your messaging app information in the same spots, and make sure to say you accept support requests via DM in your social media bios so customers know they can shoot you a message.
Start every messaging interaction with an autoresponder. This tactic lets your customer know that you received their request, and it gives your human agents a small buffer of time to finish up their current encounter before starting the new one.
You can also include a link to your help center in case they want to look for their answer on their own. You can even set up dual priority queues for all priority-tagged tickets: One for priority tickets that are about to go past the first response time in your SLA and another for all other priority tickets.
Then prioritize the former, followed by the latter, followed by other tickets, to keep your first response time and resolution time down while giving attention to important tickets.
Grouping similar tickets together boosts efficiency. If you are responding to customer service messages on a platform like Gorgias that supports Macro templates, you need to take advantage of this time-saving feature.
You need to create a specific set of Macros for messaging purposes, using the principles we mentioned earlier: short, friendly, personalized, etc. That means you need to use variables like [Customer first name] or [Last order number] to personalize messages.
If you set up your Macros strategically for DM and SMS messaging, many can be reused for live chat, as well. To prioritize building Macros that will have the highest impact, create Macro templates to respond to the most common questions that have come through your helpdesk.
You can also ask your team which responses they end up writing out the most and add those templates too. Once you create and launch these Macros, you can automatically add Tags to Macros for reporting to see which Macros are being used the most. This will help you understand where you have gaps or unhelpful Macros and can make tweaks to improve your agent workflow and customer experience.
If your customer service platform supports automation, as Gorgias does through our Automation Add-on , you can deflect up to a third of repetitive, tedious tickets instantly, with no human interaction.
Much of this automation can be applied to customer service messaging, as well. However, as you know, most tickets your support team receives are repetitive and low-impact, like questions about order status WISMO or your refund policy.
We recommend setting up automatic responses for these tickets, so customers get instant answers and agents have more time to respond to tickets that actually need a human touch.
Look through your reporting dashboards to see the tickets that are taking up the most time on your support team, and prioritize those requests for automation with Rules, where appropriate. WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger, and SMS support images, and luckily so does Gorgias.
This is a more engaging way to interact with customers, and it also allows you to exchange relevant images like broken parts, malfunctioning equipment, and screenshots for more helpful instructions. If you want to go this route, maintain a catalog of fun, topical images that your support team can use in their customer conversations, and give them the freedom to collect their own images to insert.
SMS and other personalized one-to-one support channels can get a little complicated because not everyone wants to interact on the same messaging application. But you may need to be ready to handle other support channels that use similar short, text-based communication.
Certain channels may be a better fit for your unique customer base — for example, Instagram attracts a younger audience than Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp is more common outside the US. Likewise, you may have other specialized messaging channels or messaging platforms that you need to support.
As a rule of thumb, you need to be where most of your customers are, which varies across businesses and industries.
But to reach the desired level of customer engagement, most businesses need to be reachable via most, if not all, the major applications and support channels. By keeping all of your customer conversations in one feed, you can handle more channels more strategically, through triage and routing to dedicated agents for specific tasks.
For example, you could have one agent who just handles messaging and route all messages to that person for a quicker response. This allows for a wide range of strategic and proactive support interactions.
SMS marketing is a useful tool for your ecommerce store, but it becomes even more powerful when you integrate your SMS marketing tool into Gorgias.
Send out SMS blasts and have support agents on hand to handle any questions you get in response, to help nudge those customers closer to a sale. With certain integrations — Klaviyo , for example — you can even use Gorgias attributes to segment and build campaigns.
Use this function for win-back campaigns, or to send a special offer to customers who posted low CSAT scores. Text messages are an effective method for collecting feedback from existing customers, too.
Once customers opt in to SMS communication, you can use this point of contact to launch quick surveys that provide valuable feedback. Response rate is always an issue with email surveys, and other channels see higher response rates. Using a multichannel approach will supply you with more responses and help you make more data-driven decisions with the results.
Note: In a customer service tool like Gorgias, you would use one of our integrations with Klaviyo or Attentive to send the survey to entire segmented lists of customers or prospects, all at once. Ready to start implementing an SMS customer service strategy but not sure what to say?
We get it: Staying concise yet friendly is tough, and so is conveying all the needed information in such a short space. Adapt as many of these as you need to fit the contours of your business, and bring them into your customer service platform of choice. In Gorgias, you could auto-populate these responses through our Macros.
Thanks for texting {Brand Name}. An agent is reviewing your question now. The introduction message is the point where your autoresponder or chatbot passes off the reins to a human agent.
Use a template like this one to break the ice just with a little less repetitive stress injury :. Hello, {Customer First Name} {Customer Last Name}! Thanks for messaging us. What can I help you with today? There are two frequent scenarios where an hours-of-operations text makes sense.
In those cases, use this template:. Hello, {Customer First Name}! Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 a. Best, {Your Name}. Our live chat helpdesk is open {list hours}.
By the way, if around-the-clock coverage is a goal of yours, you might be interested in introducing contact forms into your live chat widget. Use this template when a customer asks for their order status.
You can create variations of this one for delays or other order status updates, and even customize it further to include tracking information.
Hey {Customer First Name}, great news: Your order has shipped! It will arrive on {delivery date}. Let me know if I can help you with anything else! Customers with recurring subscriptions sometimes forget the frequency they sign up for or when their next payment will be.
Use this template if customers frequently ask your brand when their next payment is:. Your next payment of {amount} is coming up.
Your card on file will be charged {due date}. Reply here or call {phone number}. Text channels may not be the best avenue for inviting bill payments or collecting credit card information. It could also lead to more cancellations, which makes it a balancing act, though customer clarity is important to have.
Always track the impact of changes to your process and be mindful of how new touchpoints could affect it. At the end of an SMS conversation, there may be times when you can surprise and delight customers by sending over an exclusive deal.
Click to redeem: {short URL}. Notice the template specifies that the interaction will finish up asynchronously via email. Hey {Customer First Name}! Pro tip: You can tie discounts and future order credits into this template, but make sure your entire team is aligned on your official policy as you update the Macros to match it.
You may also want to have different tiers of intervention and offerings depending on the severity of the issue. The customer check-in is another asynchronous message that occurs outside of an active conversation.
Perhaps the customer walked away from a previous encounter or seems to be stuck on the customer journey based on other CRM data. Just checking in to make sure everything is working well for you.
If you take that approach, here are some opportunities that open up:. Flash sale, this weekend only! Shop now: {insert URL}. Medical offices and other organizations that schedule appointments or meetings can bolster attendance and reduce no-shows by providing yet another reminder — one that reaches patients and customers directly via phone.
If your SMS system supports it, you can invite an auto-reply to confirm or cancel an appointment, too. Use this template:. Your appointment is scheduled for tomorrow at {appointment time}.
See you then! Reply Y to confirm, N to cancel. Order confirmation messages simply confirm that your business has received and is processing a customer order. Still, you can set them up as personalized messages and enable replying so that, if something happens to be wrong, the customer knows how to reach out.
Reply here. Your recent order {order number} is now available for pickup at {location}. Stop by to grab it anytime today before {closing time}! This message asks your customers to respond to a survey or poll.
Try a script like this:. Membership renewals, like payments, ought to be set up as automatic occurrences. Hi, {Customer First Name} {Customer Last Name}! Your annual membership renewal is coming up on {date}.
Your card on file will be charged on that day. At Gorgias, we believe any industry can find value in conversational support , though some industries and brands will get more bang for their buck with these channels.
For ecommerce brands that deliver physical products, conversational support is a no-brainer. No need to open up a laptop and log into a support portal or compose an email. First, consider your primary audience. If you sell to millennials and Gen Z, conversational customer service deserves serious consideration.
These two generations grew up texting. One of the biggest hurdles to implementing conversational support is getting the systems, hardware, and staff in place to respond to SMS texts and messaging app requests at scale.
Fortunately, your helpdesk and SMS marketing software may integrate to give you a centralized way to spark conversations if customers reach out via text or respond to SMS campaigns.
With Gorgias and Klaviyo , for example, customer responses to SMS marketing campaigns get assigned directly to an agent for fast response times.
Plus, while email conversations often span multiple days which is frustrating for customers with simple requests, requests on messaging channels usually get resolved before customers lose interest or patience. If you notice that your brand currently sees lots of unresolved email threads or phone calls, you might need to offer customers a more convenient and flexible channel to talk to your team.
This is a perfect use case for SMS and other messaging channels. By adding conversational support via Facebook Messenger and Instagram and Twitter DMs, you can maximize your presence on those platforms and provide an omnichannel customer experience for both existing and prospective customers.
We often discuss the importance of customer feedback to monitor brand perception and constantly improve the product and customer experience. But as most brands know, getting feedback via email can be a challenge because of low survey open rates and lack of follow-up from customers.
Business texting lets you ask your customer base for feedback on a channel they are less likely to ignore. Consider sending CSAT , NPS surveys , and other requests for customer feedback on this channel to raise your response rate for more accurate customer support metrics.
SMS customer service is an avenue that customers are growing to expect. But managing yet another communication channel — much less one that demands real-time responses — takes careful planning. Implementing a messaging strategy requires using tools built for that purpose.
Some customer service messaging platforms offer SMS support natively, while others integrate a third-party SMS integration tool to add this functionality. As you consider the available options, make sure the one you choose offers the features you need.
Some tools are full-fledged SMS marketing solutions. Others focus specifically on SMS as a support channel. With this kind of helpdesk platform, SMS tickets can be handled in the same feed as your other tickets and benefit from the same workflows and automation.
Here are some other features your customer service tool needs to have to handle SMS ticket effectively:. As we mentioned earlier, SMS marketing lets brands connect with consumers in a personalized and measurable way, just like with customer service. Each one integrates with Gorgias, along with most of the rest of your tech stack.
Each tool offers a slightly different feature set. Revisit the list of features we compiled earlier in this article to help determine which are the most important to you, then vet these four tools against your customized list. Integrating any of these SMS marketing tools with Gorgias is a great way to unify your marketing and support efforts to improve the overall customer experience.
For example, if customers respond to an SMS marketing blast from a tool integrated with Gorgias, the response gets brought into the helpdesk. The agent can see the initial marketing message and the customers response, so they can answer any follow-up questions.
It's like an alley-oop from your marketing to your support team. Also, these integrations help your marketing team be more aware of active support conversations to avoid tone deaf marketing. For example, by integrating Gorgias and your SMS marketing tool, you can pause marketing campaigns on customers awaiting a response from support.
Nobody wants to get marketing messages if they're waiting on a delayed order, or troubleshooting their last purchase. Customer service messaging across a wide range of message-based platforms can be a powerful addition to your customer service channels.
Of these, the SMS channel is one of the most powerful options for businesses that want to reach customers directly where they are. The scripts and tools provided in this guide should put you well on your way toward a successful SMS support rollout. But make sure that at the core of your customer service operation, you have a platform robust enough to handle everything you need to do — and whatever functionality you might add in the future.
For more examples and tactics to launch a successful rollout of SMS support, check out our playbook of Berkey Filters , an online store that released SMS support to great adoption. Gorgias is the customer support and helpdesk platform built for ecommerce businesses like yours.
See how Gorgias supercharges customer support and helpdesk via SMS. Alternatively, check out more information about our integrations with:.
The competition to provide customer satisfaction in ecommerce today is fierce. Now, shoppers demand free shipping on every order and expect lightning-fast order processing and fulfillment. Below, explore the benefits of tracking customer orders and why you should consider implementing an order tracking tool for your business.
Customers have been trained by huge ecommerce vendors like Amazon and tracking to track their online orders from the order processing stage to the moment a delivery person from FedEx, UPS, or USPS drops it at their doorstep — with photo evidence.
This has set high expectations. Offering real-time tracking data for purchases benefits both your customer and your business in four distinct ways. Once customers place an online order, waiting for it to arrive can be both exciting and stressful. Plus, as a business, you can follow along to ensure that orders are getting where they need to go.
A survey by OptimoRoute found that If a signature is required, they might have to work from home to accept the package.
In these instances, status updates are crucial. The customer experience you provide on your ecommerce platform is essential to business growth. Providing shoppers with tracking information, email notifications, and delivery dates can create a positive association with your brand, build a better customer experience, and drive loyalty and retention.
And forcing customers to dig or compose an email just to know the status of their order is a high-effort experience. New customers appreciate seamless experiences and are more likely to make repeat purchases from businesses that offer them.
Creating a cycle of repeat business will help your business grow, so encouraging loyalty through an easy-to-use order tracking tool is a big advantage. Many ecommerce companies are looking for ways to alleviate customer service workloads and reduce time spent handling simple requests.
Instead of calling and emailing to check their order status — one of the most common questions customers ask any ecommerce business — tracking systems proactively send email notifications or provide access to a portal where customers can take a look at progress in real-time.
This solution streamlines the process and cuts down on call volumes. People often return items because they arrive late and the customer no longer wants or needs them. There are numerous advantages to using a customer order tracking system.
We recommend using a pre-built solution — and put our recommendations below — because maintaining a manual tracking system is time-consuming.
A custom-built tracking page may require more data entry than necessary with other solutions. Not only do manual processes open your system up to human error, but they also eat up productivity. For example, once you sync your tracking components up successfully, you'll need to create different templates that collect or communicate information to your customers.
Or, write a pre-written email that you can use to send out shipment notifications for each step of the order process. If they don't, information gets bottlenecked or not communicated at all. The result is that your customer isn't able to access their order status, which causes frustration and has them calling your customer support team.
One of the most common incoming questions teams get is Where is my order? And the best way to mitigate those messages is to implement an order tracking system that allows for self-service order tracking and automates shipping tracking notifications.
Here's how to do it:. This creates an overall better customer experience by providing transparency and reducing stress or frustration — customers see exactly where their orders are at any point in time.
These tools take order information like tracking numbers and shipment status and automate their delivery to a customer.
Many order tracking apps integrate with different ecommerce systems like Shopify , BigCommerce , Magento , 3DCart, or WooCommerce.
This is usually quick and easy, depending on the tool. Or, you can sign up for an AfterShip account, visit the apps section, search for Shopify, and add it that way.
Now that you have AfterShip set up, it will sync every three hours and pull shipping information from any new orders via a shopping cart, CSV file, or marketplace. You can also opt for AfterShip to send out automatic notifications via email or SMS at each milestone in the shipping process.
Create a seamless experience for your customers and support team by integrating your order tracking tool with your helpdesk. Sending thank you cards proves to be more meaningful than sticking to a template or sending bulk emails, and is a cost-effective way to provide a little something extra.
Loyal customers tend to spend more money, more often than new customers. They already trust your product or service and understand the value of it. Why not reward them for continuing to invest in your brand? You can use discount codes to run your loyalty programs too. Customers love finding discount codes in their inboxes.
Plus, it works wonders when you need to boost sales too! SWAG, schwag, or branded gifts - whatever you call it, these are pretty special gifts to get from companies.
It can be anything from a sticker to a water bottle or a t-shirt that features your company branding and makes your customer smile every time they see it.
High-quality t-shirts, water bottles, pen drives, and fashionable socks are often some of the most popular items offered by companies. To conserve costs, keep the best-branded gear for your highest value customers to give them a little extra appreciation. Perhaps a more expensive way to appreciate your high-value customers, but definitely a valuable experience that means a lot to your customers.
Not only will they feel special, but you can also talk to them in an intimate setting and learn more about what they need. Your power users love seeing new and upcoming features that can help them be more successful. They will feel flattered that you thought to involve them, and feel more invested in the success of your product.
Moving customers up to a higher tier with an upgrade is a great way to say thank you. This works for a variety of industries too. For example, companies can upgrade a customer to one-day shipping as a way to say thank you.
Got a few extra tickets kicking around for an industry event? Give them away to loyal customers to thank them for their business. People love pleasant surprises. For your company, this might take many forms, like a handwritten note, a gift card to Starbucks, or a free upgrade.
Regardless of how you do it, the important part is the surprise. Treat every customer as an individual by thanking them personally, with something that is unique to them.
Personalized gifts and gestures are a great way to tell the customer you care about them. Do you offer a product or service that can be personalized? Personalization can even be as simple as just taking the time to have a conversation with them about a shared interest when they email in for help. If you run a social media account, take the time to thank your fans and followers when you hit milestones.
Taking the time to say thank you to your biggest fans rewards them for being with you from the beginning.
Videos are gaining popularity as a common way to personalize interactions with customers. Customers know that you took the time to record something just for them, and that feels special.
Use a video to say thank you for their recent purchase or to respond to a customer service question. Make sure to personalize it and speak directly to the customer for maximum effect.
Birthdays are a big opportunity to make someone feel special, so don't miss the chance to wish your customers a happy birthday. And they will likely be flattered that you remembered. You can even create your rewards program around your customers' birthdays.
If you're a business owner, you've got your own customer appreciation gift - free samples. Everyone loves getting free things, and they can test out new products before they commit to buying them. Help your customers grow their skills by offering networking connections. Elevating the careers of your customers is a nice way to give back to them.
There are so many different initiatives you can sponsor for your customers. Put aside a budget for sponsorship and some criteria for using it.
Do you only want to support your local community? What kind of interests will your company give to? Do you only want to sponsor existing customers? By having guidelines set up, it makes responding to sponsorship requests really straightforward.
Find ways to cross-promote and partner with your customers. Especially if you work with small business owners, anyway that you can help them grow their business is a lovely way to give back. If you can send some referrals their way, purchase their products to use in your office or in your workflow, they will appreciate your business!
Nothing says that you appreciate your customers more than asking them for their feedback, and then acting on them. Respecting the opinions of your customers shows how much you value their needs and their continued business. Invite clients to enjoy the sounds of local musicians, listen to readings from emerging authors, or visit a trendy local gallery to view a new collection.
Celebrate diverse voices by hosting an open-mic event, poetry night, or art show. Host artistic client appreciation events that appeal to your customer demographics. Exclusive shows that feature established artists often appeal to high-earners, whereas a community open-mic night may feel accessible to a wider audience.
Organize an event that will appeal to your client base and promotes your company values. Host one-of-a-kind classes and create unforgettable experiences for your clients. Offer unique, memorable courses that will leave a strong impression on clients. Give customers a chance to have an experience with your company or business leaders, creating a fond memory that they are sure to share with others long after the event is over.
Some of our favorite out-of-the-box lesson ideas for client appreciation events include:. Mix up your offerings so that your client appreciation event ideas appeal to patrons with different hobbies and interests. Provide clients with opportunities to explore art, food, nature, philosophy, the universe, and their own backyard.
Host a private movie screening for your next client appreciation event. One of our favorite budget-friendly client appreciation event ideas, private theater rentals are affordable and easy to book. With the ability to accommodate large groups, event organizers can easily turn the affair into a family-friendly function.
Show your appreciation for long-distance clients and remote partners with virtual client appreciation events. Schedule a group video session on a virtual meeting platform like Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts.
Make virtual events easy to access and connect to. Send virtual attendees email reminders one day and one hour before the event, providing a link to the virtual meeting room and any required login information. Before the event, send appreciation gift baskets or boxes to each client, ensuring they arrive before the virtual event kicks off.
Instruct clients to hold off on opening their gifts and participate in a live unboxing instead. Pack each gift with branded swag, scrumptious treats, gourmet coffee, event tickets, exclusive offer coupons, or even a bottle of wine for a virtual tasting session.
Kick off virtual events with an engaging speaker representing your business. Help attendees feel more comfortable by leading virtual event guests in a fun activity or group icebreaker.
Discuss the special offers and products included in client gifts, and offer your sincere thanks before signing out of the event. Appreciation events are about showing gratitude for what clients have given you, not asking them to give more. If an opportunity presents itself, however, and a client approaches you regarding a business-related topic or opportunity, you would be remiss to let the moment slip away.
Instead, find a few minutes to slip away from the main event to discuss the matter alone. The whole point of hosting client appreciation events is to make clients feel comfortable, valued, and appreciated.
Extending an invitation to friends and family is likely to make clients feel more comfortable at your event. Opening up client appreciation events to guests can transform them into entertaining outings, preventing them from feeling like business events.
Start by selecting your favorite client appreciation event ideas and identifying potential dates. Set a budget, book a venue, hire vendors, and invite clients. Hire or schedule enough event staff to meet client needs and provide additional customer service assistance if necessary.
Send clients an event reminder that includes the date, time, and event location. Promote event speakers, door prizes, major giveaways, and special guests in email reminders.
Launch a customer loyalty program Shout them out on social media Offer future-use coupons
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