- E-Commerce
- Checkout Options for Your Online Store
- A Look at Your Online Customer Service
- How to Prevent Abandoned Shopping Carts
- General
- Wholesale Gift And Novelty Items Always A Boom
- Cash Flow Protection Strategies For Your Wholesale Business
- 4 Great Ways to Boost Sales
- Marketing
- Traffic Generating Tips for the Online Wholesaler
- Marketing Plan For Your Wholesale Business
- Try Customized Marketing For Your Wholesale Business
- Search Engine Optimization - SEO
- The Basic Rules of Search Engine Optimization
- Basic SEO Tips for Online Wholesalers
A Look at Your Online Customer Service
Published: 10/02/2009
In order for your web store to be as profitable as possible, you need to take care of your customers. Having a nicely designed site that is easy on the eyes and easy to navigate is great, as is having amazing prices, sales, discounts, and more, but if your customer service isn't up to par, then you will not see the returns you want.
The quality of your online customer service is a HUGE deal to consumers of any stripe, and often makes all the difference. For an example, just take a look at shoe retailer Zappos.com, whose prices are very often NOT the lowest to be found. Even with higher prices, though, Zappos enjoys huge success and a high rate of repeat customers coming through. Why? Because their customer service is absolutely exceptional. They've gone so far as to send flowers to a woman who couldn't return her shoes within the specified time limit because her mother had passed away (and let her return the shoes anyway on top of it!)
Naturally, you likely cannot afford to do such things for all of your customers – and no one expects you to, really, because Zappos really went above and beyond with that one – but offering friendly, flexible and helpful customer service to your customers and potential customers alike will ensure that you boost your sales and that people come back again and again.
It is not difficult to ramp up your customer service and make it better. Simple changes can do a world of good. For example, clearly post contact information on your website, and provide several different ways for people to contact you. Email, phone number, even street address or fax. And when people DO contact you, answer them as quickly as you can – within 24 hours is best. Be as accommodating as you can without hurting your business in the process. The old adage “the customer is always right” may not be actually TRUE, but if you are flexible, customers will definitely see you in a much more positive light.
One of the biggest hurdles to jump in online commerce is getting your potential customers to trust you enough to buy from you. They can't see your face or hear your voice as they would be able to do in a bricks and mortar store, so offering great customer service on top of a well-designed website with good prices will give you the edge you need in order to gain that trust and, in turn, gain profits.
