| Ten customer service tips for online businesses. How | | | | beyond measure and a genuine liking for people. If you |
| to keep customers happy and turn them into | | | | do your own customer service for your small business, |
| evangelists for your company. | | | | you need to determine if you have those qualities. If |
| Other than the current buzz words, customer service | | | | not, you might want to outsource your customer |
| has changed very little since commerce first began. If | | | | service to someone who does! |
| you want a customer to buy from you again, and to | | | | 6. Ask customers what they want! Often their request |
| recommend your product or service to others, | | | | will be more reasonable than whatever it was you |
| complaints or problems must be handled properly. | | | | were going to do to make it right. And it will be the |
| "A satisfied customer will tell five people about their | | | | solution they want, not the solution you think they want! |
| experience, a dissatisified customer will tell | | | | 7. Acknowledge their pain and make it right! In my |
| twenty-five!" | | | | experience, customers rarely demand something more |
| Customer Service on the Internet | | | | than what they originally expected. So don't start |
| The Internet is an impersonal place to shop. Because | | | | offering all kinds of freebies to try and make them feel |
| of this, the online customer feels little loyalty to you or | | | | better. What they really want is for you to |
| your company. Many online shoppers won't restrain | | | | acknowledge their pain and make it right. Making it right |
| their anger and upset either. They feel safe behind | | | | usually means getting what they expected in the first |
| their anonymous email address. Therefore, in | | | | place. And it doesn't have to be accompanied by a |
| responding to a complaint, you must quickly establish | | | | free gift. Don't substitute "bribing" the customer for |
| rapport with your customer. To do this, your phone | | | | genuinely caring about their pain. You can't buy their |
| skills and email etiquette must be exceptional. You | | | | loyalty, but you can earn it. |
| won't likely get a second chance to make the right | | | | 8. Avoid over compensating for your company's |
| impression. | | | | mistake. Gushing with apologetic words and offering |
| Here are some tips to put you on the right track: | | | | them the sky because of a small shipping error can |
| 1. Don't give stock responses when customers are not | | | | leave your customer doubting your professionalism. |
| asking stock questions! Take care to answer every | | | | And if you've given them the sky for such a small |
| question or concern that a customer poses in an email. | | | | mistake, what the heck will you do when you really |
| There's nothing worse than getting back an email from | | | | mess up? |
| a business owner or their customer service | | | | 9. If possible, give customers a choice as to the |
| representative that doesn't address the concerns you | | | | solution to their problem. They'll view their experience |
| stated in your email, gives canned responses to what | | | | with less pain that way. If they couldn't download your |
| you asked, or makes you feel like a nuisance...or a | | | | ebook because of some technical difficulty, they might |
| dummy! | | | | want a full refund, they might want the chance to |
| 2. End the call or email on a high note for the customer. | | | | download the ebook again, or they might prefer that |
| They'll remember your last words best. In other words, | | | | you email them the ebook. |
| don't end the conversation by saying, "And I'm really | | | | 10. If you do it carefully, you can use some customer |
| sorry you didn't receive your widget when promised." | | | | service situations to upsell customers. "Martha, did you |
| Say, "Martha, your widget is on my desk right now. I'll | | | | notice on our Web site that you can get a second |
| be packaging it right after this call and I will take it to | | | | widget at half price? If I ship them today, both widgets |
| the post office myself." Now stop talking! Don't be | | | | will arrive in plenty of time for Christmas. Gift-wrapping |
| tempted to apologize again and remind them of the | | | | is included, by the way." Now stop talking and let |
| problem. Leave customers with the good taste of a | | | | Martha sell herself on your offer. This is not the time |
| resolution in their mouths. | | | | for a hard sales pitch! |
| 3. In emails, use "exaggerated courtesy." Since the | | | | How does good customer service increase your |
| person can't see your expression or hear your tone of | | | | revenue? Every customer service encounter gives |
| voice, your words must do everything for you. Read | | | | you another chance to: |
| emails at least three times before hitting the send | | | | - improve customer loyalty |
| button. | | | | - correct problems in your buying cycle |
| 4. Remove or reword phrases in your email that could | | | | - upsell customers. |
| be considered rude, such as, "As I said on the phone,...." | | | | By retaining customer loyalty you now have the |
| (Ouch, that's a reprimand! We expect the sentence to | | | | chance to sell this customer something else, and you |
| end like this, "As I said on the phone, Stupid!") | | | | can rest assured they'll say positive things about your |
| 5. Consider outsourcing your customer service. I was a | | | | company. Remember, a satisfied customer will tell five |
| customer service professional for fifteen years in the | | | | people, but a dissatisified customer will tell twenty-five |
| high-tech industry. As a hiring manager I looked for two | | | | people! |
| customer service "virtues" in candidates: patience | | | | |