Ecommerce retailers can set themselves apart and gain loyalty with excellent customer service. But remember that today’s customers have much easier access to competitors, ratings, and reviews these days, so you need to respond more quickly and effectively than ever before. So we’ve compiled a list of our favorite customer-centric blogs that focus on tips, strategies, and success stories for kick-butt customer care. Check them out:
1. Salesforce: As the pioneers in cloud-based CRM, the Salesforce blog is a must-read for any online retailer. Their customer service section includes case studies, product highlights, innovations, and useful advice for B2C and B2B merchants.
2. ZenDesk: These guys have been around for a while and are one of the leaders in the cloud-based customer service software. With reports, infographics, and interviews with experts, it’s an excellent resource for any retailer.
3. Desk: Desk was recently acquired by Salesforce, and they do share some content and product updates. But what sets Desk apart is the focus on social media and how to use it for better customer service and engagement.
4. Get Satisfaction: Get Satisfaction discusses customer conversations and feedback at length and gives you tips on how to use feedback and surveys to grow your business. But what I love most about this blog is the light-hearted tone, as well as the funny cartoons and infographics.
5. Vertical Response: Though they provide email and direct marketing software, they also have an online survey tool that can easily integrate into your email marketing campaigns. Their customer service blog posts teach you how to utilize the data mined from any kind of survey and how to use email marketing to grow sales.
6. Kate Legget on Forrester: If you’re looking for trends, industry data, and complex statistics, this Forrester blog has you covered.
7. CRM Daily: CRM Daily provides the latest news and insights from the big and small players in the industry. Add this to your feeds to learn about new products and tools and stay up-to-date on what’s happening in customer relationship management.
8. Customer Service Investigator (CSI): Yes, they abbreviate themselves as CSI (like the TV show) and have in-depth articles highlighting what brands are getting customer care right and how you can adopt their strategies for your own organization. A goldmine if you are looking for strategies and best practices!
9. Kampyle Blog: Kampyle also focuses on customer feedback and engagement, with tips on integrating customer feedback and support for an improved experience.
10. Freshdesk: The Freshdesk team is pretty young and focuses on customer service and social media. Check them out for their candid writing style and product tips.
11. Parature: With a healthy mix of CRM, social media, and customer experience-related posts, plus a host of absorbing infographics, this website has something for every business.
12. The Engaging Brand: Run by Anna Framery, this blog focuses on the social aspects of branding and customer service. Anna’s podcasts and graphics are also a significant draw.
13. Interaction Thinking: This blog has interesting posts related to data capture, branding, and customer service.
14. Service Untitled: Another independent blog, Service Untitled approaches the topic from a pragmatic point of view in an easy-to-understand manner. They also write from both ends of the spectrum, so there’s something here for both the retailer and the consumer.
15. Consumerist: Although this blog isn’t centered around best practices or customer service per se, it’s perhaps one of the best sources on the internet to read about real stories from consumers as they shop. From emerging trends and new products to stories about how brands rip you off, it gives retailers a glimpse into what’s going on and what consumers like and dislike.