Customer Relations
Great E-Customer Service
As a player on the world business platform it is
becoming imperative that we learn some ecustomer service.
E-commerce is no longer a distant dream for
us in Africa and the sooner we embrace it the
faster we will spread our business wings.
The E-customer is as good as the
customer visiting your business premises and
must be handled with as much care, as if he/
she were sitting in your office. These days,
given the tightening market for new customers
and the shift to generating more sales from
repeat buyers, online retailers are thinking long
and hard about improving their customer service levels. Some are equipping their ecommerce sites with interactive self-service
tools that enable customers to update profiles,
track packages and view past transactions
Paramount to any customer-oriented
business is reduction of customer complaints
and improving customer convenience. For
online retailing this is no different as you need
to empower shoppers to answer their own service-related questions, get real-time access to
order information or update their personal information when it’s convenient. Consistency
in service is also key. If a call or e-mail goes
unanswered or a service representative can’t
help a shopper track a package, customers will
vote with their online shopping cards and take
their business elsewhere.
Before developing your online customer service plan, it helps to understand the
differences between online and offline customer support, the advantages and disadvantages of an online customer service program,
the importance of keeping up with customer
expectations, and the elements that every
online customer service plan should include.
If you're wondering why customers
aren't coming back to your e-business, maybe
you should take a long, hard look at your customer service. A happy customer will tell one
or two people; an unhappy one will tell 10! So
it pays to keep your customers happy-especially when doing business online.
Online, an angry customer might not
just tell 10 people; they might also write a
wordy rant on their blog, post comments on
other people's blogs, write a negative review of
your site on a shopping website, or criticize
you on forums and message boards. Or all of
the above.
And worse, once something's been
written about you online, it's very difficult to get
it removed. This means that any prospective
customer who decides to do a search on your
business name could come across it.
Think how much losing even just 10
sales would cost you, and compare it to the extra
sales you'll gain from making your customers
happy.
Good customer service might cost a bit of
time and money, bad customer service
online could cost you dozens of prospective customers
Strong customer service is a business essential.
Providing it isn’t as difficult if you and your employees achieve these 10 basic rules:
Commit to quality service. Everyone in the
company needs to be devoted to creating a
positive experience for the customer. Always
try to go above and beyond customer expectations. Provide assurance of security of personal
information transmitted over the Web
Know your products. Convey an articulate
and in-depth knowledge of products and services to win customer trust and confidence.
Know your company’s products, services, and
return policies inside and out. Try to anticipate
the types of questions that customers will ask.
Update and amend your FAQ page frequently.
Know your customers. Try to learn everything
you can
Treat people with courtesy and respect.
Remember that every time that you, your employees, and your colleagues make contact
with a customer — whether it’s by email,
phone, written correspondence, or a face-toface meeting — the interaction leaves an impression with that customer. Use conciliatory
phrases — "Sorry to keep you waiting,"
"Thanks for your order," "You’re welcome," and
"It’s been a pleasure helping you" — to demonstrate not only your commitment to customer
satisfaction but your dedication to courtesy.
Never argue with a customer. You know very
well that the customer isn’t always right. However, it is important that you do not focus on
the missteps of a particular situation; instead,
concentrate on how to fix it. Research shows
that 7 out of 10 customers will do business with
a company again if that business resolves a
complaint in their favor.
Don’t leave customers in limbo. Repairs,
callbacks, and emails need to be handled with
a sense of urgency. Customers want immediate resolution, and if you can give it to them,
you will probably win their repeat business.
Research shows that the instance of repeat
business goes up to 95 percent when complaints are resolved on the spot.
Always provide what you promise. Fail to do
this and you’ll lose both credibility and customers. If you guarantee a quote within 24 hours,
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get the quote out in a day or less. If
and when you neglect to make good
on your promise, apologize to the
customer and offer some type of
compensation, such as a discount or
free delivery. Overall, only make
promises that you are confident that
you and your business can keep.
Assume that your customers tell
the truth. Even though it may appear that customers lie to manipulate a situation to their advantage, it
is to your advantage to give them
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