| Web-based merchants must establish a consistent | | | | - Ensure that your establishment has sufficient staff to |
| customer service policy to ensure that consumers can | | | | handle the incoming inquiries in a timely manner. |
| easily communicate their questions and concerns. | | | | Set standards for email inquiry response and monitor |
| Consider implementing the following best practices: | | | | your performance. |
| Provide an email inquiry option. | | | | Consider the following concrete steps: |
| Customers shopping online, just as their counterparts in | | | | - Set a standard time frame for responding to 100% of |
| physical stores, will have questions regarding a product, | | | | all email inquiries (for example 1 business day). You |
| service or a detail of your return or refund policies, for | | | | may consider using shorter time frames for responding |
| example. Providing an easy way for customers to | | | | to 75% or 90% of the inquiries. |
| contact you via email, followed up by a prompt | | | | - Monitor your customer service staff's performance |
| response, will help minimize customer disputes and | | | | to ensure that these standards are met and make |
| resulting chargebacks. The following best practices | | | | adjustments, if necessary. |
| should be followed: | | | | Make available on your website a toll-free telephone |
| - Make your email contact option prominent and easily | | | | number for customer service support. Specifically: |
| accessible on your website. | | | | - Provide links on your home page to a customer |
| - In order to more efficiently handle your customers' | | | | service toll-free number that customers can call. |
| inquiries, you should provide separate email contacts | | | | - Make sure that your customer service department is |
| for questions regarding your service/product | | | | adequately staffed to handle the incoming calls on a |
| information, customer support, back order and shipping | | | | timely basis. |
| information. | | | | Keep in mind that many customers that may have |
| Establish an email inquiry response policy. | | | | questions or concerns are not comfortable will email |
| Consider the following best practices: | | | | correspondence. They will prefer contacting you by |
| - Use an auto-responder email program to | | | | phone. Even though it is a more expensive way of |
| acknowledge receipt of email inquiries and provide | | | | communicating, telephone customer service will help |
| information on the expected time frame for submitting | | | | you minimize customer disputes and chargebacks. |
| a response. | | | | |