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Customer Service: Your Advantage
...... for human
interaction. Have you ever sent a question to a site's customer service center, and
received the answer to the wrong question' More than likely, this was the result of
automated CRM software that was unable to properly interpret your question and
send the correct response.
This is where your advantage as a small company comes into play. While you may
not enjoy the volume of these sites, you can create a higher percentage of repeat
visitors/buyers with superior CS. Generally, when you hear people talk about
improving CS, you hear things like: "make yourself available" and "give good
contact information." This is true, but it goes beyond that. What people really want
is speed. People want their questions answered now. People want their CS issue
resolved in a hurry. Providing a phone number is a must, but chances are, people
don't want to go off-line and call you for the answers to their questions unless it is a
last resort. In the e-world, people want an i-response: Immediate, internet
response.
Of course, you can't be everywhere at once. Managing a small business or website
is already a full-time job. But making CS a focal point of your website can pay
immense dividends for your traffic and or profit. Think of it this way, if you can
respond to a customer's question within 24 hours, you are beating about 50% of
the large e-companies already. If you can respond within 12 hours, I would
estimate that you would be beating somewhere around 80%. If you can respond
within 6 hours, you are providing customer service that most e-commerce giants
only dream about.
A quick list of ways to improve your customer service:
1. Speed: We all know as customers, that few things are more valuable to us than
time. Standing in line is no fun at the supermarket, and waiting for a response from
a CS center is no fun either.
2. Contact information: Make it easy to find. Make it an address that you or an
employee checks on a regular basis. Don't make the customer work to find you.
3. Live chat: Offer your customers the opportunity to use instant messaging
software to contact you. MSN Messenger and ICQ are two widely used formats
that work on almost all platforms, and it's 100% free.
4. F.A.Q and search options: Make them thorough. Not all sites need F.A.Q
(frequently asked questions) pages, but if your site does, then make it thorough and
easy to understand. If your site has an search box, be sure that it gives adequate
results. Test it out. It's surprising how many high-profile websites have inadequate
in-site search functions.
5. Customer is always right: We all know that this is bull, but, the old adage still
stands the test of time. Whether or not the customer is "right," our job as CS
managers is to put out fires. Quick, pleasant responses to even the most irate
customers will almost always cool the situation. In fact, an efficient CS agent can
turn even the most irate customer into a loyal customer
Take the work out of it for your visitors. Encourage them to ask questions and
reward them with quick, friendly responses. Your customers and visitors are the
most important asset you have. Make them feel that way.
About the Author Bryan Marye, IMR
http://www.imr-central.com
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