Why Customer Experience Matters and
How Zero-touch Integration with ERP and CRM can Help

While the pandemic had a major impact on all businesses, eCommerce also started to see changes in customer behavior. Online shoppers have increased by 50% in the US & Europe as customers now prefer to shop from the comfort of their homes and are looking for contactless experiences, thus making zero-touch integration the need of the hour.

i95dev hosted a webinar focusing on enhancing customer experience in the current scenario with zero-touch ERP connectors. The webinar discussed pointers & use cases on the importance of omni-channel customer experience & ERP integration. While some of the questions from the audience were answered during the discussion, it was limited due to time constraints. Here , we are presenting the Q & As to further help you understand the lapses in your customer journey and enhance the experience.

Q) What are the eCommerce adaptations that retailers should take up to stay afloat in this pandemic situation?
Ans) “There are a lot of adaptations to be taken up. In the first place, you have to understand which kind of industry you are in. Are you a food and beverage company or a grocery supplier? Are you into essentials or consumer fast moving products? Once you have realised where you stand and what kind of demand you have, being an ecommerce provider, you have to analyse whether your system can handle that kind of demand. Therefore, the change is not just in relation to the product or sales strategy but it is also about bringing down the cost where profit suffers a great deal.

In this pandemic situation, even if the sales have shot up, the expenditure to manage those sales might be quite high and result in reduced profit. On the other hand, some people might generate bad stock due to less orders. There are others who are suffering because of inferior visibility of their online store while some have experienced issues where people are visiting their online stores but not placing orders. Thus, there is no one particular solution but the solution depends on the nature of the problem. You can connect with the experts of i95Dev offline and we will provide you with a solution for your unique problem.”

Q) What role does headless commerce play in terms of enhancing customer experience?
Ans) “Headless commerce architecture is a great concept and it notably enhances customer experience. The kind of speed and accuracy headless commerce offers is commendable. For companies who have to maintain different systems, say, one for commerce, one for content, headless commerce is a life saver. In times to come, headless commerce will improve and become better than what it is today. In addition, the introduction of Progressive Web Apps (PWA) in this model helps in reducing the development and maintenance cost of the applications. It is like an icon on your smartphone and you can start using it as good as an app”.

Q) How important is customer experience for B2B? How do we improve B2B customer experience?
Ans) “Customer experience is not just limited to B2B or B2C, it is across the board. In B2B, the company has certain terms and conditions with its B2B customers. Most of it is handled personally and that is why we face resistance from most B2B organisations who are reluctant to shift their business online. They state that the personal touch and the emotional connect will get compromised. However, these B2B companies are now being forced to go digital due to the changing times and trends.

For your better understanding, allow me to help you with an example. A truck engine manufacturer who was making a 100 million dollars by selling a certain number of its products approached us for shifting online. The company was completely satisfied with its turnover and had no intention of increasing sales. The reason for shifting online was to cut the cost of managing their customers. At the same time, the manufacturer didn’t want to spoil the relationship with its customers (retailers and distributors). Therefore, our job was to maintain, in fact, improve customer experience while reducing the cost to manage them. i95Dev created a system that helped the company enhance customer experience. The system made the interaction between the company and its customers more streamlined and seamless.

In addition, earlier, the company spent 3-5 million dollars in managing its B2B customers. After we implemented the system, the cost reduced to just 700,000 dollars. By the same token, in the last 3 years, i95Dev has been designing sophisticated systems for B2B eCommerce companies helping them grow manifolds and earn hefty profits.”

Q) What do I need to do to get my CX to match the new normal?
Ans) You might have had a great strategy in place for the best customer experience but the pandemic crisis has changed the world in no time.

To provide customers with the best experience in the new normal conditions, it is necessary to rebuild your customer journey map and create a fresh corresponding buyer personas.

Along with the customer journey and the buyer personas, it is also important to consider multiple customer touchpoints. Before the COVID-19 appeared, the two important touchpoints were the 2P’s those are People and Product.

However, now there is much more to it than just the product you offer or how your customer support reps help them out to solve any problem. The new touchpoints we are talking about are being emotionally involved in the products that you provide and how you provide. As we all know the heart of customer experience is empathy. Knowing that the customers are being keener in having healthier products or whatever the product may be but they think twice before receiving any delivery. And considering these touchpoints and revisiting your customer experience strategy is a necessity at the moment.

Like almost all the deliveries today are contactless, the temperatures of the delivery boys are checked before the delivery or if you hire an Uber , the cab is sanitized well before you get onto it, etc. The point here is to be innovative with your products and services and be proactive and not reactive! Because by the time you react, your competitor must have already practiced that.

Q) What are the most common issues faced by businesses to get their CX right and what are their solutions to overcome?
Ans) The most common issues faced by business is to offer better customer experience in general are:

• Lack of viable real-time information
• Disparate systems
• Managing multi-channel platforms efficiently

Digital Integration is the solution: By digitally in integrating the systems you allow your business process to be synchronized and communicate with each other flawlessly.

For example, A customer has recently changed the shipping address for the order and he connects with the customer support team to know the status or confirms the changed address. In this case, if the eCommerce platform is not integrated with the ERP system, where the actual order information is stored, it creates a problem and loses out on better customer experience. This does not give a better impression of the brand to the customer who is most likely to choose some other provider brand next time.

Digital integration is as important as having your own eCommerce website.

Digital integration helps you in having:
Multichannel management from a single location: No more time and effort wasted on managing different platforms separately.
Access to real-time data: No more lag in updated information.

Easy to implement changes: Changes are not anymore a headache.

Saves time and efforts: Reduces manual efforts and saves time as things happen within a wink of an eye.
Cost-effective and high ROI: When things are managed centrally it saves cost and that results in high ROI

Q) How to assure business continuity in the current situation with zero-touch integration?
Ans) Covid-19 has not only affected daily activities but also brought business operations to a stand-still. While the government guidelines & the scare of crowded stores had an impact on brick & mortar, eCommerce and zero-touch retail proved to be effective in fulfilling customer needs. The pandemic has surely accelerated the eCommerce transition.

According to Rakuten Intelligence, online grocery sales saw a 210.1% increase. Now, that brings us to the urgency of moving to zero-touch retail to meet current needs and ensure business continuity. While you can choose the level of digitization that suits your business & customers, it is time for zero-touch ERP integration.

Q) How to ensure seamless zero-touch integration for smooth functioning in real-time ?
Ans) Since zero-touch retail is here to stay, it is needless to say that a seamless integration process is much essential for smooth functioning. Zero-touch ERP connectors can help enhance customer experience and improve efficiency. Choosing the right integration partner certainly plays a very important role in seamless integration.

We at i95Dev have helped 180+ clients to get their business to eCommerce that has changed their brand value and gained profits like never before. We specialize in designing, developing, and maintaining B2B/B2C omni-channel eCommerce solutions across Retail, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Wholesale Trade, etc. powered by Magento.