When shoppers see the Buy with Prime badge on your ecommerce site, they can feel confident that they’ll get the familiar Prime shopping experience that they know and trust from Amazon.com. It means a streamlined checkout, secure payment processing through their Amazon account, and free 1-2 day shipping—but it doesn’t stop there. Prime members know they also get the same post-order experience that they expect from Prime, including easy, free returns on eligible items and a best-in-class customer service experience.
For Buy with Prime, customer service uses a three-pronged approach that: empowers customers to get help in the way that works best for them, lets customers and merchants tap into Amazon’s renowned customer service, and gives merchants control of their customer relationships. For brands that work so hard to build trust with their customers and provide a personalized experience, we know it’s important to have that direct contact with customers and own your relationships.
“We aim to make it simple for every Buy with Prime merchant to delight their customers through world-class customer care,” says Amit Nandy, Sr. Manager and Product Lead for Buy with Prime Assist. “We achieve that by letting merchants choose how they want to handle customer service for their Buy with Prime orders: a DIY model where Buy with Prime customers can self-serve or reach the merchant’s customer service team for human assistance, or a ‘do it for me’ model where Amazon handles customer service on behalf of the merchant.”
How does customer service for Buy with Prime work?
If a customer has questions or needs help after completing a Buy with Prime order, there are three ways that they can get support: self-service resources that help them find answers to common post-order questions, real-time help from a live customer service representative, and the ability to contact you directly with questions about your brand or products.
1. Customer self-service resources
The first stop is a self-service option that customers can reach through the “Get support” button that appears on all Buy with Prime post-order pages, including the order details, order tracking, returns, return review, and return confirmation pages. For instance, after completing a purchase using Buy with Prime, the customer receives a confirmation email that links to an order details page. When a customer chooses the “Get support” button on the page, a dynamic list appears with content topics that are contextually relevant based on the customer’s order status.
The dynamic list draws from a robust collection of topics that the Buy with Prime customer service team curated from learnings from Amazon.com. Selecting one of the displayed options takes the customer to a resolution page with details about why they might be experiencing the issue and guidance for resolving it.
Through the self-service workflow, customers can find answers to common post-order questions, such as tracking an order, starting a return, or filing an A-to-z Guarantee claim, without having to contact the merchant. However, customers always have the option to connect with a live customer service representative using Buy with Prime Assist or contact you if they don’t find their answers in the help content. On the resolution page, customers can click “Start chat” to initiate a live chat session or “Send message” to email you directly.
2. Live chat using Buy with Prime Assist
If the customer needs help right away or prefers to reach a live customer service representative, they can get 24/7 real-time support using a chat feature. They can initiate a chat through their Buy with Prime order confirmation email or through their Amazon account on the Buy with Prime Orders page. From either location, they select the topic related to their query, and then choose “Start chat.” They are connected to a live customer service rep, who can help them with most issues or questions that your customers have after they place an order using Buy with Prime. The customer can share details and add attachments within the chat feature.
If Buy with Prime customers have questions about your brand or products, they are directed to your customer service email. Similarly, if a shopper on your site has a question before checking out using Buy with Prime, they must contact you directly with questions or for help.
For example, if a shopper has questions about the features of an iPad case that you sell, they are directed to you. If they’ve already purchased that case from your site using Buy with Prime and want to know when they can expect delivery, the customer service rep has you covered.
Even though a trained Amazon customer service rep is managing the live chat support on your behalf, the customer has a seamless experience that keeps the feel of your brand and doesn’t navigate them off your site. You also retain the direct relationships with your customers, and can request customer service data from merchant support about customer inquiries. With access to Buy with Prime customer and order data—combined with access to customer service data—you can make more informed, strategic decisions for your business.
3. Customer service directly from merchants
The third support method is requesting help directly from you or your customer service team. There are two ways Buy with Prime customers can contact you. The first is directly on your site, typically through a “Contact us” link that directs them to your business’s email form to fill out, phone number to call, or site chat feature.
The second way customers can contact you is through the “Send message” button on the resolution page in the self-service resources (that first stop on their path to customer service). Selecting “Send message” directs customers to fill out a “Contact us” form that sends a message to the email address that you have listed for Buy with Prime customer service. After submitting the form, the customer receives a confirmation email that initiates an email thread where they can reply to communicate with you directly. This is also the path customers follow if you choose to opt out of Buy with Prime Assist.
By default, your customer service address is the email address of the owner role in the merchant console (the email you used to sign up for Buy with Prime), or you can set up an alternate email address on the “Customer service settings” page in merchant console. If you use a third-party customer service provider for your ecommerce site, you can add that email address in merchant console to route your customer queries to that provider.
Once a customer submits the form, you’re in the driver’s seat—able to manage the relationship and answer any questions directly, the way you want to. This is particularly important for questions about your brand and products, allowing you to accurately represent your brand and maintain your brand voice. Although you remain in control, we provide resources to help you provide the best customer service for Buy with Prime orders.
What customer service resources do I have access to?
Even though you retain control of customer relationships, we don’t leave you hanging. “We want to equip you with answers and resources for customers’ questions and issues, so you can provide the best shopping and customer service experiences for your customers,” Amit says. The following are three helpful resources.
1. Merchant console pages
The most valuable resources for providing exceptional customer service for Buy with Prime purchases on your site are actually pages within merchant console. Although Buy with Prime Assist handles order-related questions, you can go to the Orders, Returns, and Customers pages in the merchant console to see customers’ orders, returns, and lifetime value. You can see which products a customer ordered (or returned) and give them personalized support if they come to you with questions about your products.
2. Knowledge center
The knowledge center has a growing collection of help articles that you can use to answer customer questions or to help them with a variety of issues. Use the search function to search for topics including returns and refunds, shipment tracking, and more. The customer service solutions article provides helpful information about how Buy with Prime Assist provides order-related customer service and how to set up an alternate customer service email.
3. Customer service handbook
This handbook covers common customer questions that aren’t addressed in the customer self-service resources and, most importantly, includes suggested answers and resolution steps for you to help your customers with these questions. We also share some example blurbs for certain topics that you or your customer service team can use in communications with customers. If you’re a current Buy with Prime merchant, reach out to your sales rep to get access to the handbook.
Best-in-class customer service
With the three-pronged approach to customer service for Buy with Prime, you can feel confident that your customers will get the help that they need, whether through self-service discovery, real-time live chat, or an email inquiry to you. Meanwhile you get to retain control of those relationships. When your customers receive a positive customer service experience and you’re able to nurture relationships after an order, it can mean the difference between a one-time customer and a long-time customer.
“We know it’s important to merchants to use post-order contacts with customers to build relationships to help drive retention and repeat purchases,” Amit says. “That’s why Buy with Prime merchants not only own their customer information, like order and contact details, but also own the customer service experience when customers contact them with questions about their brand or products.”
Get more information about how to help customers who use Buy with Prime to purchase products from your ecommerce site in this on-demand webinar.
Learn more about Buy with Prime.