TikTok Shop has taken the eCommerce world by storm, transforming the way we browse, buy, and interact with brands. In 2024, the platform expects its US sales to rise tenfold, to $17.5B. Simply put, sellers can’t afford to miss out on such a lucrative marketplace. But, as the platform continues to grow, businesses face unique challenges in providing outstanding customer service to the shoppers using it.
In this article, we’ll dive into strategies—including the best ways to leverage video, the TikTok community and analytics—that can help you deliver excellent TikTok Shop customer service. That way, you can keep all those customers coming back for more.
Understanding the TikTok landscape
Before we jump into specific strategies for TikTok Shop customer service, let’s take a look at the nature of TikTok as a platform. Known for its short-form videos and lightning-fast content consumption, TikTok has captured the attention of Gen Z and Millennials like no other social media platform. According to Statista, TikTok boasted over 1B active monthly users worldwide in 2023, with users spending an average of 95 minutes per day on the app.
This high engagement rate presents both opportunities and challenges for businesses operating on TikTok Shop. On one hand, you have a massive, captive audience. On the other, you’re competing for attention where users are accustomed to rapid-fire content and instant gratification. More on that later.
The rise of TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop has seen exponential growth since its launch. A report from the Financial Times shows that TikTok Shop’s gross merchandise value (GMV) in Southeast Asia alone grew 6X in the first half of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. This surge in popularity is mirrored worldwide and means businesses need to be prepared to handle a high volume of customer enquiries and issues.
Challenges in TikTok Shop customer service
While TikTok Shop offers exciting opportunities, it also presents unique challenges, as we’ve said. As well as the concerns about an increased volume of queries we touched on earlier, it’s essential to prepare your support staff with information on these expectations to make sure you maintain your high standards:
Speed of response
TikTok users expect quick responses. A Khoros study found that 76% of consumers expect a response within 24 hours on social media platforms. On TikTok, sellers have to answer >80% of queries in the last 30 calendar days within 24 hours, or face “enforcement action”, per their seller guidelines.
With a solution like eDesk you can keep track of SLAs across not only on eDesk, but on every sales channel—with exceptional accuracy. That way, you won’t miss any pre-sales enquiries or penalties on marketplaces like TikTok Shop with strict SLA rules.
Language and tone
Striking the right balance between professionalism and the casual, fun tone of TikTok can be tricky. While your customer service team doesn’t necessarily need to be fluent in TikTok’s “lowkey salvo” slang, it’s important they understand the nuances of the platform.
Visual communication
With TikTok’s emphasis on visual content, customer service reps may need to become comfortable on camera or adept at creating engaging visuals. According to a survey conducted by Acquire.io, 79% of customers choose live video chat because it offers the fastest response to their questions over other channels.
Thankfully, video is already becoming a more common-place medium for providing support. The use of video rose 16% between 2019 and 2022. Many of your agents may even already be familiar with its nuances, especially if they’re in the Gen Z cohort themselves, but it’s important to empower those who mightn’t be so adept. If you need a kickstart, you can draw inspiration from our coverage on inspiring customer service videos.
TikTok Shop strategies for customer success
Now that we’ve covered the landscape and challenges, let’s explore some practical strategies to deliver quality customer service on TikTok Shop:
1. Embrace video tutorials
According to a study by Wyzowl, 69% of people prefer to learn about a product or service through a short video. TikTok’s a great match for the format, so it can be helpful to create a series of short, engaging video tutorials addressing common questions or issues.
These can be pinned to your profile for easy access and answer customer questions before they even get a chance to reach out to agents. You can even repurpose existing video collateral. For the TikTok’s Shop audience’s preferences, consider cutting any longer videos into bite-sized versions.
2. Leverage user-generated content
According to a report by Stackla, 79% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions. To make the most of that, encourage satisfied customers to create videos showcasing your products or sharing their positive experiences. This not only provides social proof, but also helps address potential customer concerns.
3. Train your team on TikTok culture
Your customer service team should be well-versed in TikTok Shop best practices and how sellers communicate on the platform. This cultural fluency will help them connect with customers more effectively. Most importantly, agents should be familiar with the nuances of the platform itself.
This glossary provides a helpful overview of TikTok terminology they should be acquainted with to understand the full context of the platform they’re dealing with.
4. Use analytics to predict customer needs
TikTok provides robust analytics tools. Use this data to anticipate customer questions and prepare responses in advance. Pay attention to which types of content generate the most engagement, and tailor your customer service strategy accordingly.
The comprehensive performance breakdown provided by TikTok Shop is well-complemented by the customer support analytics available on eDesk.
NEW: TikTok x eDesk integration
eDesk’s analytics enhance customer insights, monitor performance, and enable data-driven decisions. This helps sellers identify sales and support trends, and improve overall efficiency to drive business growth.
5. Create a community
It’s important to foster a sense of community among your customers. Encourage them to help each other by sharing tips and experiences on TikTok. This can reduce the burden on your customer service team, all the while creating a more engaged customer base.
6. Offer multichannel support
While focusing on TikTok-native solutions, the other channels you sell on deserve the same quality of customer support. While it can be challenging to monitor and react promptly to queries from multiple customers across multiple touchpoints, you can leverage solutions like eDesk to synchronize support for all your sales channels into one place.
7. Personalize your responses
Use the information available on a customer’s TikTok profile to personalize your responses. This could be as simple as referencing a recent video they posted or acknowledging their location—if it’s public. This extra touch is another way to make customers feel valued and provide them with a memorable experience that’s likely to make them repeat customers.
eDesk also includes the full customer context to help support agents at eCommerce companies understand a customer’s history at a glance. That way, they can provide personalized experiences at scale. More on that here.
8. Set clear expectations
Communicate your customer service hours and expected response times clearly. This helps manage customer expectations and reduces frustration.
In fact, a study by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) found that wait times are among the top factors impacting customer satisfaction. Customers who have to wait longer than expected are 18% less satisfied with their overall experience.
To make the whole process more convenient and transparent, on eDesk you can create custom schedules and auto-responses that clearly communicate, everywhere you sell.
9. Embrace live streaming
TikTok’s live streaming feature is a great fit for real-time customer support. Host regular Q&A sessions where customers can ask questions and get immediate responses. Given the ever-evolving expectations around fast response times, few methods let you give as immediate answers as that.
10. Put together duets and stitches
These TikTok features let you directly respond to customer enquiries or feedback by creating a split-screen video, or incorporating part of their video in yours. It’s a creative way to provide personalized support and encourage customer delight. By dedicating individual attention to each customer, you can make them feel truly valued.
Real-world success stories
Next, let’s look at some brands setting the standard for customer service on TikTok Shop to see what you can emulate for your own business.
Walmart
The retail giant Walmart has embraced TikTok Shop with great success. Their approach includes creating entertaining product showcase videos and responding to customer queries with humor and personality.
“TikTok has allowed us to connect with our customers in new and exciting ways,” said William White, Walmart’s chief marketing officer, in an interview with Modern Retail. “It’s not just about selling products; it’s about building relationships and providing value through entertaining and informative content.”
Benefit Cosmetics
Since joining the TikTok Shop beta program in March 2023, Benefit has sold well over 87K
product units. This beauty brand has mastered the art of using TikTok’s features for customer service. They regularly host live streams where makeup artists demonstrate products and answer customer questions in real-time.
The future of TikTok Shop customer service
As TikTok Shop continues to evolve, we can expect to see new features and challenges emerge. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are likely to play a bigger role, potentially automating responses to simple queries and helping to categorize and prioritize customer issues.
Augmented reality (AR) is another technology to watch. TikTok has already introduced AR filters, and it’s not hard to imagine a future where customers can virtually try on products or troubleshoot issues using AR.
Voice commerce is also on the horizon. With TikTok’s focus on audio, we might soon see voice-activated shopping and customer service features.
The final word on TikTok Shop customer service
Providing quality customer service on TikTok Shop requires a blend of creativity, adaptability, and a deep understanding of the platform’s unique culture. By embracing video content, leveraging user-generated material, and staying in-tune with the platform’s fast-paced nature, businesses can create a customer service experience that not only resolves issues but also entertains and engages.
Remember, the key to success on TikTok Shop is authenticity. Don’t be afraid to show some personality in your customer interactions. After all, on a platform where trends can change in the blink of an eye, the most valuable currency is genuine human connection.
As you embark on your TikTok Shop customer service journey, keep experimenting, learning, and adapting. One way to elevate your approach is by connecting the dots between your support efforts on TikTok Shop and your other selling channels. To see how, start a 14-day free trial of eDesk:
