Post-Holiday Customer Service: Delivering Exceptional Return Experiences

As the holiday season comes to an end, you might think the rush is over. Well, that’s not exactly true. For customer service teams, the post-holiday period can be quite stressful due to the influx of support tickets from customers.

Did you know that around 30% of all products ordered online get returned? Yes, that’s right. And if that’s not enough, 80% of consumers say returns are the most important factor when considering the overall order experience. Making returns and exchanges hassle-free isn't just a perk anymore – it's a competitive edge.

In this blog post, I’ll share some of the best tips to help your customer service team during the post-holiday rush. These tips will make sure your team delivers exceptional return experiences. So, let's dive right in!

Provide quick and hassle-free returns

Around 88% of customers say that a company's overall experience is just as important as the products or services they offer. This means that interactions with your brand after buying — including support interactions — matter just as much.

Sure, it's great to have customers buy from you once, but it's even better if they keep coming back for more. One of the situations in which you can truly make a difference is when you are handling return orders. I know, I know. Taking back your sold products is obviously not the most fun job. But, it is an opportunity to stand out from your competitors.

Let me show you how to make the most of this opportunity and make your customers happy.

Use QR codes to navigate your customer to the right content

Shopping online is convenient, but it comes with some risks. Customers can't physically see products before buying, which might lead to issues with their purchases.

Having a clear return and refund policy is crucial to make customers feel safer. It’s reassuring to know that if they encounter any problems with their orders, they can easily return the products and get a refund.

To prevent problems in the first place, it's essential to inform customers about the return conditions upfront. One way to do this is by using QR codes.

For example, you can include a QR code in the delivery packages you send to your customers. When they scan it, they will be directed to the return policy on your website. This way, customers know what to expect and feel more confident about their online purchases.

We created an example for you below. When you scan this QR code, it will take you to the help centre article about the return policy.

Here we answered frequently asked questions about the returns, such as:

• How do I return my order?
• What is your return policy?
• What is your return address?
• Do I have to pay for the return shipping myself?
• When do I get my refund for the returned item/order?

Setting customer expectations about the return and refund conditions can significantly reduce customer service inquiries. When customers know what to expect, they are less likely to contact the customer service team for updates. That will significantly reduce the workload of your team.

Give your customers the option to easily contact you

During the peak of return orders, managing a high volume of inquiries can be quite challenging. To keep your head above water and efficiently handle the increased workload, you can use a “Click to Chat on WhatsApp” link on your website.

There are three ways to let your customers contact you via WhatsApp as a chat on your website.

• Click to chat
• QR code
• Trengo multichannel widget

Click to chat

The click-to-chat feature lets customers click an URL in order to directly start a chat with another person or business via WhatsApp. You don’t need to save any phone numbers in your phone to do this. With the link, you simply open a chat and start typing. This works for the smartphone app as well as for WhatsApp Web.

With this feature, you could add a WhatsApp link to the website and hyperlink a sentence such as ‘WhatsApp us!’ to WhatsApp. You could also type out your phone number and hyperlink it.

To make a click-to-chat link, you need to edit this link: https://wa.me/[WhatsAppNumber]. Replace ‘WhatsAppNumber’ with the phone number you would like to use.

QR code

Another option is to create a QR code to start a conversation. All you have to do is to create the code and place it on your website or printed marketing materials for customers to easily start a chat.

To create such a QR code, you must first create a click-to-chat link. This link can then be turned into a QR code via websites such as QR Code Generator or QR Code Monkey.

Want to know how using a QR code feels for a customer? Try out starting a conversation with our own Trengo WhatsApp account via this QR code:

Trengo multichannel widget

So far, we’ve discussed two options. But neither of them is a true WhatsApp integration with your website.

The best way to add a WhatsApp chat icon on your website is by using a multichannel chat widget, such as the one part of Trengo's WhatsApp Business solution. Because via this solution, and the widget, your customers can contact you via a WhatsApp button on your website. Let's dive into the benefits of WhatsApp for your customer service team.

Automate and manage your customer’s expectations

Automating tasks leads to a better customer experience by reducing response times for customers and saving time for your team. Most customers have the same questions after the holidays (return conditions, address, shipping cost, etc.). Rather than manually answering repetitive questions, you can rely on WhatsApp Business automation to handle them effortlessly.

Flowbots are a great way to handle FAQs, saving valuable time for your customer service team. The flowbot will ask your customers multiple-choice questions to understand what they’re looking for. These questions will narrow down the search, and then provide the requested info right there and then. If they need further help, the flowbot can forward them to the right support agent as well. Check out the example below:

📚 Read more: Bomenbezorgd sends WhatsApp auto-reply messages outside of office hours or during their busiest times.

Keep your response time low

Customers hate waiting on hold. Especially when they have an issue. Your team should respond as quickly as possible to customer inquiries. That’s where quick replies come in.

Quick replies are pre-written responses to frequently asked questions. Once you have added quick replies to your Trengo inbox, you can use them to respond to your customers. This tool is designed to improve your response time, save you from repeatedly typing the same answers, and enable your team to maintain a consistent tone of voice.

⭐️Pro tip: Your first response time plays a vital role in determining the levels of customer satisfaction. Trengo’s customer service dashboard lets you gather insights and analytics that shed light on response and resolution times, ongoing conversation volume, topics being discussed, and more.

Win customers during the post-holiday rush

You want to make sure your customer service remains top-notch even after the holidays. By offering smooth and hassle-free return experiences, you can prevent customers from turning to your competitors, and keep them coming back to your brand.

With Trengo, win back valuable time to deliver top-notch service throughout the entire customer journey.

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