Part of the E-Commerce User Experience Series

This report offers techniques for presenting straightforward customer service information so that customers can help themselves. Assisting customers quickly find information themselves is better, and less expensive, than them contacting the company. Shoppers expect to find relevant information at the right time and place. Don’t let locating information about shipping and returns deter people from completing transactions during checkout.

This 130-page report contains 47 design recommendations based on our usability research. Discussions and 118 screenshot illustrations supplement the findings.

Benefits

• Checklist of 47 guidelines for obtaining and maintaining relationships with customers
• Techniques for presenting customer service information online to reduce customer service calls
• Common usability mistakes to avoid when providing customer care content

Topics

• Good customer service practices
• Contacting the company and multiple methods of contact
• Finding customer service information
• Critical customer service details
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Returns
• Live help
• Shopping assistance

Download report excerpt (2MB PDF)

Research Method

The information in this report is based on two separate rounds of e-commerce studies, including:

• One-on-one usability testing
• Diary-based longitudinal study
• Eyetracking

In total, 108 people tested 206 e-commerce websites. The studies took place in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and China (Hong Kong).