Running an e-commerce business is nothing short of daunting, no matter its size. You could be a small or mid-sized setup but running the business as well as the online store is thoroughly time-consuming.
In addition to updating and adding new products, you need to provide customer support, update prices, and tackle shipping, promotion and the works. This is why it is better to employ a team of virtual assistants rather than one. Your team could bring multiple skills for your business, a team captain to delegate and organize tasks and so on.
Here are some of the top e-commerce tasks to outsource to your virtual assistant team:
A successful e-commerce business is one whose virtual shelves remain well stocked and the inventory is up to date. Virtual assistants can do both for you by working with your suppliers, taking care of the stock transportation to your warehouse or wherever you need to send it, sending invoices to your accounts payable and etc.
Having a virtual assistant skilled in inventory management is a huge bonus for your business. He/she keeps track of your stock levels, updates your business website to notify how much stock is on-hand and in the warehouse and notifies you when you need to replenish certain products.
Returns and exchanges are a popular feature of the e-commerce business. You constantly have to return/exchange products when customers desire it. It is quite a tedious task and virtual assistants can do it best. They communicate with your customers via emails or direct contact and suppliers as well. Then they see through the successful process of refunding, exchanging and returning products.
Managing an e-commerce takes some dedication and plenty of time to run it consistently. Virtual assistants with the appropriate qualifications ensure the best shopping experiences for your customers while minimizing chances for errors. They ensure your website has all the trapping for a seamless shopping time for your customers.
Order processing includes taking care of the shipment and invoicing after making the order entry. Virtual assistants can compile your company’s orders, process them, forward the customer invoices to the company’s shipping vendors or shipping companies along with the other administrative tasks.
The success of your e-commerce business depends primarily on satisfying your customers and keeping them happy. For this time consuming job, you need someone who can address customer queries through live chat, phone calls and even social media.
Virtual assistants make prompt responses to your customers and are the push for the ones who are just on the verge of clicking the buy option. Virtual assistants can also diffuse irate and dissatisfied customers, handle lost shipments and much more.
Moreover, virtual assistants are the guide light for your customers through the sale process while they’re shopping on your website. They have the power to increase your conversion rates with their human support during the live shopping experience. Smart virtual assistants can also spot opportunities for upselling and cross selling.
In a blog-driven world, e-commerce marketing experts believe that content rules. You cannot underestimate the ability of fine content to turn passing visitors into loyal, life-long customers. Virtual assistants can put together powerful content, complete with SEO and publish them on your website to generate solid traffic.
From visitors to potential buyers, the bridge that helps them complete this journey of well-written content. As a business owner, it is to your advantage to understand the worth of investing into blog writing as one of your marketing tools for the e-commerce business.
Life is all about e-commerce shopping these days and it seems as if the trend is here to stay for long. Needles to emphasize this is a thriving business but it can prosper even more when you delegate administrative and other important tasks to a team of virtual assistants. While they ensure they run the wheels of your business smoothly, you as an owner can invest all your time into expanding and building the business.
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