Sage & Clare, Supre, Midas offer Australia’s best customer service experience

Midas, Supre, and Sage & Clare have ranked the highest for Customer Service Experience in the Online CX Index, Australia’s first and only online retailer performance platform powered by real data.

The Online CX Index, a partnership between Inside Retail and Humii, covered the customer service experience in December on metrics such as the availability of self-service support options, quality of on-site FAQs, live chat, email support, support responsiveness, resolution times, and overall quality.

“A well-executed customer service experience can be the difference between a frustrated shopper and a loyal customer,” said Mareile Osthus, Humii’s co-founder and CEO.

“Unfortunately, many online customer service experiences still fall short, with vague FAQ sections, long response times, or unhelpful resolutions that leave shoppers feeling unheard and unsupported.”

Midas: Leads in FAQ page

Midas, Osthus notes, has a well-structured FAQ page that lets shoppers easily find the information they need.

Moreover, the company’s live chat offers a smooth and efficient experience and in cases the bot can’t assist, a live agent seamlessly takes over. Its live chat resolution is about 15 per cent faster than the average for the footwear segment while its email support provides resolutions 16 hours faster or 60 per cent better than the cluster average.

Midas also offers flexibility as customers can SMS its customer service team.

“Midas truly sets a benchmark for outstanding customer service, combining efficiency, accessibility, and innovation,” said Osthus.

Supre: Stands out for ease of help centre navigation

Supre has an easy-to-navigate help centre with a search function to access answers quickly. It also has dedicated landing pages for returns and delivery information.

Its live chat response time outpaces the young fashion segment average by 10 per cent while also excelling in expectation management by displaying the queue number so customers will know when it’s their turn.

Moreover, its email response time outperforms the industry average by 60 per cent.

“Supre’s commitment to efficiency, clarity, and user-friendly support sets a strong benchmark in the young fashion category,” said Osthus.

However, Osthus pointed out that customers found it hard to locate the FAQ immediately as they are labelled ‘Help’.

Sage & Clare: Goes up and beyond with product care, styling assistance

Sage & Clare is living proof that customer service goes beyond answering questions, as its product care advice and styling assistance sets it apart from other brands.

The company’s live chat also provides transparency, making it clear if customers are talking with a bot or a live agent.

Most shoppers also find the FAQ section exceptionally detailed and informative so they find little need to use the live chat feature.

While its response and resolution times are on par with the average for the homeware category, shoppers appreciate that Sage & Clare delivers email replies within four hours – eight hours faster than the segment average.

In addition, customers can attach images to the contact page for quicker issue resolution.

“Sage & Clare’s thoughtful approach to customer service and attention to detail make it a standout in the homewares segment,” said Osthus.

Three ‘must-haves’ for online retailers

Osthus said that there is a significant gap between a well-designed FAQ page and a poorly executed one, with shoppers often abandoning the experience if they need to scroll excessively or see a lack of clear structure.

Moreover, shoppers would want to know when they can expect a response and whether they are speaking with a bot or a live agent.

She noted that several companies claim to provide live chat but the function is more of a ‘leave a message’ system.

“Additionally, requiring shoppers to provide an email before they even have a chance to ask a question often leads to drop-offs,” said Osthus.

Osthus further emphasised the crucial role of transparency and expectation management, as well as the need to send confirmation emails stating that companies have received their customers’ emails.

“Brands that make it easy to access additional information through FAQs – such as sustainability details – stand out,” said Osthus.

“Everything a potential shopper needs to know should be easily accessible, centralised, and designed to support a seamless experience.”

Inside Retail global head of news Robert Stockdill said of all the qualities that stand out among the top-rating retailers, transparency was among the most important.

“The rankings show that consumers need to feel comfortable communicating with retailers – when they are seeking more information about products or services – and especially if something has gone wrong,” he said. “So it is important to most of us to know if we are talking to a human or an automated chatbot.”

He furthered that fast, effective and useful communication helps a retailer stand out in the crowded world of online retailing.

“Great, personalised, satisfying communication can really make the difference between an engaged, professional brand and just another seller among the masses. If you can perfect the interactions with your customers you can optimise your sales and your market share.”

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