E-retailers are constantly searching for new ways to improve their customer service engagements and encourage repetitive buying habits. Response systems and live chat modules are being implemented onto websites to ensure prompter customer service interactions. For retailers like Home Depot, Social Q & A tools provided by Bazaarvoice Inc. (Connections) have helped to increase website conversions and create a more insightful shopping experience.
Amy Dusto of Internet Retailer explains:
Connections appears as a box that links to a pop-out Q&A window within the customer reviews section of a product detail page. Beneath a display of General Electric water dispenser on HomeDepot.com, for example, the Connections box says there are 19 questions and 36 answers about it. The questions range from basics such as to what temperature the water heats, to more involved questions such as how the dispenser works and where to buy replacement parts. While many responses come from other customers, a General Electric representative also responded to each question, usually including a more specific answer and referencing the exact part number in the query. Home Depot says it answers most questions within 24 hours.
So far, Home Depot has about 130 vendors signed up to answer customer questions through Connections, Mueller says, and it continues to add more. “Bazaarvoice gives us an easy way to leverage our suppliers to provide the information that our customers need as they research and make purchases,” says Hal Lawton, president of HomeDepot.com. “By enabling a direct relationship between the brand and the consumer, Bazaarvoice Connections allows us to reduce returns and increase sales, while furthering our value to the customer and their shopping experience.”
To learn more about how Home Depot is utilizing the Connections Q & A tool click here.