What to expect from Buy with Prime customer service

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 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’ll also get the same post-order experience 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 two-pronged approach that empowers customers to get help in the way that works best for them and gives merchants control of 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.
 

“Merchants might be providing a certain experience that’s unique to them that they want to maintain,” says Dhwanish Patel, Senior Product Manager at Buy with Prime. “Customer service from Buy with Prime means merchants can connect with customers directly to help them in a way that’s consistent with the customer service from their business.”
 

He shares a story of a business that ended up activating Buy with Prime on its entire catalog after hearing about the two-pronged approach to customer service. “When they learned that their customers would have access to self-service resources and be able to reach the company directly, they were very pleased,” Dhwanish explains. “It was particularly important for this merchant to have access to customers after a purchase—and we know this merchant isn’t alone in that.”
 

How does Buy with Prime customer service work?

If a customer has questions or needs help after completing a Buy with Prime order, there are two primary ways they can get support: self-service resources that help them find answers to common post-order questions, and the ability to contact you directly for customer service.
 

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 suppor 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 ability to contact you if they don’t find their answers in the help content,” Dhwanish says. On the resolution page, customers can click “Send message” to take the next step in getting help and engage your customer service team.
 

2. Customer service directly from merchants

The second 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 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 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.
 

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 all Buy with Prime customer queries to your third-party provider.
 

Once a customer submits the form, you’re in the driver’s seat—able to manage the relationship and handle the customer’s issue directly, the way you want to. 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 and the customer service experience, 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,” says Amit Nandy, Principal Product Manager at Buy with Prime. Here are three ways to access support. 
 

1. Merchant console pages 

The most valuable resources for providing exceptional Buy with Prime customer service are actually pages within merchant console. Most of the time, customers will contact you regarding orders and returns, so these console pages will have specific order and return information that might help you with customer queries. They give you a comprehensive view of your customers’ orders (and returns, if applicable) and include specific actions you can take to remedy queries.
 

The orders and returns pages have several columns with important details about each order and return, such as status and shipment details or return dates and reasons for return. You can also click into each specific order or return for more details. The search and filter functions at the top allow you to search by order ID or return merchandise authorization (RMA) ID and set filters. Each order and return has an “Actions” menu where you can view the order and return details pages, contact the customer, view the order invoice, view return instructions, or initiate a refund. Although you can initiate a refund, you can’t initiate a return—the customer has to do that.
 

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 has helpful information about Buy with Prime customer service and steps for setting up an alternate customer service email, for example.
 

3. Customer service handbook

This handbook covers common customer questions that aren’t addressed in the 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, contact your account rep to get access to the handbook.
 

Best-in class customer service

With the two-pronged approach to Buy with Prime customer service, you can feel confident that your customers will get the help they need and you 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,” Dhwanish 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 for help.”
 

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.