You’re doing everything you can to build the best relationship possible with your customers, from utilizing the best customer service team to answer customer questions and top-notch product fulfillment services to get orders out right away – that’s great!
But maybe you still get a number of complaints about your returns process. There’s got to be something you can do to make your merchandise returns even smoother, for you and your customers. Before you throw your hands up in the air in frustration, give these three streamlining, people-pleasing techniques a try to improve your merchandise returns:
Have a Detailed Returns Policy. Some businesses treat their websites like treasure hunts, hiding all the important information in hopes that no one will ever find it. Having a visible returns policy won’t increase merchandise returns, but it will make your customers better informed. When everybody’s on the same page, the returns process can be amazingly smooth.
Cover the Shipping Costs. Sure, it’s going to cost you a few bucks, but when you cover the shipping costs, you get to pick who ships your merchandise back. If you ship out via UPS, for example, you probably want to ship in the same way to keep the logistics as simple as possible. When you’re in control of the shipping, you can ensure that you get the item back and can process a refund or credit faster.
Extend Return Times. Just like hiding your return policy, giving your customers a very short window in which to make their returns can backfire on you more often than not. A longer return window ensures that your customers have had time to read over your return instructions and carefully pack their items. More time on the customer side can encourage process uniformity, making the unpacking and checking part of merchandise returns faster.
There’s a lot more to running an eCommerce business than selling things to people — in fact, you may spend more time dealing with customers who aren’t thrilled than the ones that are. Constant improvement is the name of the game, and there’s no place more important than when it comes to returns. With these techniques, you can create a returns process that is smoother for all parties involved – which will, in turn, drive customer satisfaction even higher.
