CustomerServ Outsourcers Deliver Seamless Support for Rebate and Cashback Companies

The widespread popularity of cashback sites, digital coupons and online rebate programs is a testament to the millennial generation’s love of a good bargain. Today’s cashback sites and apps are attracting tech-savvy, savings-conscious consumers who value the convenience and variety of shopping online, and instant gratification when it comes to redeeming rewards.

For retailers, cashback programs have proven to be highly effective at driving new product sales. The promise of earning money on their purchases also motivates shoppers to try different brands, to buy more of a product and to buy it sooner than planned. According to a 2018 survey of online shoppers by Forrester Consulting, commissioned by savings destination site RetailMeNot:

• The majority of shoppers (77%) say that discounts can influence where they shop and can speed up the decision-making process (48%), even more so than good customer service and selection of products.
• Two-thirds of shoppers will either not shop without a discount or will look for discounts before they begin shopping.
• 71% of shoppers want one savings destination for all of their discounts or offers.
• More rebate providers are adopting mobile apps that enable shoppers to easily shop and redeem rewards on the go. Thirty-eight percent of shoppers reported using savings apps in 2018, a 28 percentage point increase since 2014.

While saving money holds great appeal for shoppers, their increased engagement in online rebate programs can be attributed to more options for receiving payment, a wider variety of merchants to choose from, and a more streamlined experience. The days of cumbersome mail-in rebate programs with lengthy redemption processes may soon be at an end as the majority (96%) of shoppers say they prefer simpler, quicker ways to save money.

Consumers who participate in online rebate programs are willing to share information about their interests, preferences, likes and dislikes to obtain more personalized offers. Yet companies still primarily rely on tracking shopping behavior and past purchase history to deliver targeted promotions and discounts, which consumers view as ineffective and invasive. According to Forrester, less than a quarter of shoppers feel that they receive highly personalized offers. Even so, competition within the rebates sector has increased exponentially since Ebates (now Rakuten) launched the first cashback site a decade ago. While rebate sites have significantly enhanced product selection and ease of payment for shoppers, the leading edge will go to those that can effectively apply data analytics to drive personalization and customer engagement.

Top Customer Service Challenges for the Rebates Industry

Delivering a quick, convenient and seamless experience for consumers is a point of differentiation in the intensely competitive rebate sector. As a result, more sites are emphasizing high-quality, easily accessible customer service and support.

Top customer service challenges for rebate and cashback companies include:

• Delivering seamless omnichannel support for shoppers. The customer journey is complex with multiple points of entry, including via social media posts, retailer websites, promotional emails, savings websites or mobile apps.
• Ability to quickly staff up for seasonal retail surges and spikes in sales activity due to promotional cycles.
• Providing 24/7 skilled customer service and support staff. Online shopping is an anytime, anywhere activity. When a problem occurs, shoppers want instant access to service staff.
• Effectively managing a complicated mix of rebates, discounts and promotions for a wide variety of products across multiple merchants. Ensuring that service staff have the most up-to-date pricing information can be challenging when cashback offers vary from day to day.
• Ensuring that service and support staff are fully trained and adhere to strict data security protocols, and that the company achieves PCI DSS compliance across systems and applications.
• Recruiting, training and retaining skilled customer service and support staff who can deliver a consistently superior customer experience.

CustomerServ’s Outsourced Contact Center Vendors Provide Industry-leading Customer Service

In a fast-growing, highly competitive market, the ability to deliver a superior customer experience is often the deciding factor on which site to shop. Whether it is questions about promotions, a discount error or a complaint about missing cashback, shoppers want a fast, accurate and knowledgeable response. CustomerServ’s outsourced call centers provide scalable customer service solutions for companies in the burgeoning rebate and cashback sector. Outsourced contact center services include:

• Customer service
• Sales
• Redemption and claims
• Retention services
• Membership and loyalty programs
• Live chat and email support
• Mobile app support
• SMS
• Web support
• Social media support
• Data entry and back office support
• Order processing and fulfillment
• US-based, nearshore and offshore support
• Site based and work-at-home agents
• PCI compliant call centers
• Bi-lingual and multi-lingual call centers