ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Customer Service, the Internets Primary Neglected Business Concern
Customer service is everything to a business. Just look at big, successful retail chains: They let you return perfectly good merchandise just because you changed your mind. Is that insane? Yes, pretty much, but it's also good customer service, and it's a good investment, and the "secret" of success, for a lot of big companies. Let's turn to the Internet. I find that the vast majority of companies selling things on the Net can't be contacted at all. Not presale, postsale, or anywhere in between. The only time they talk to you is if you get really angry and start complaining. Everyone else is apparently seen by customer service, but ignored. Even if you're using an autoresponder to handle 99% of your customers automatically, the least you can do is try to personalize the messages based on whatever meager information they've given you. While I'm at it, what's wrong with allowing people to contact you on the phone if they're getting frustrated? Does this increase or decrease the chances that a person will develop a vendetta against you and your company? I think the answer is obvious. Most Internet companies simply do not offer personalized service. It might sound like a contradiction, but I believe in both automation and service. Some people want to call someone on the phone before they sign up for anything online. Customers beware: The biggest, most respectable companies on the Internet are even harder to talk to than your phone company. Small scam-based companies are extremely likely to have a toll-free number. Sole proprietors like me don't want to get phone calls all the time, so I don't show you my phone number. Of course I have a phone number that you can call, but you have to commit a little bit of effort to get it. First, send me an email with your question or complaint, and explain why it would be easier to talk to me on the phone about it. Give me your number and I'll call you. If you're afraid to give me your number, ask me for mine and I'll probably give it to you, if you don't sound like a crazy person. You can also talk to me on AOL Instant Messenger, which is a free download with only a little bit of adware/spyware. (I hate AOL in general, but AIM is less of a spam magnet than ICQ.) Just get my contact info from the little "contact" link on this page. I mentioned that you can make autoresponder messages personal; In fact, personal enough that some people think you're sitting there typing them in and hitting the "send" button. This can only be done by acquiring extra information from the customer. The type of information depends on what your mailing list is about. In the case of my mailing list, this information mainly involves Internet, business, and general computer experience. If you're currently on my mailing list and don't remember giving me this information, perhaps I obtained it subtly or just haven't asked you for it yet. I know it might sound scammy, but this truly is the best way to take care of the needs of the customer with the limited amount of time available to a small Internet business. Let's think about it from another angle. My phone company is making tons of money from me, and It takes me an hour to get on the phone with them. They have a nice Web site to take care of most of my concerns, so they don't have to hire as many customer service reps. This is a win/win for everyone, except that this same phone company fires so many reps that my phone experience returns to normal, i.e. unacceptable. Compare this to someone like me. I work alone, and I don't have a long queue of phone calls at any given moment. I get a lot of emails, most of which are spam, but I know how to handle that. When I get an email from someone who is actually interested in Online Honesty, I'm pretty excited, and I make it my #1 priority to solve whatever problem this person has, even if they're not remotely interested in buying anything from me. I might be on vacation or something, so I might not be reachable by phone for a week. I can, however, read my email several times a day no matter where I am. It's a matter of respect. I try to respect people, no matter who they are (sometimes unsuccessfully, but I try). If they just want advice, I'll do it for free. Give people respect, and they respect you in return. You don't have to buy anything from me. Just tell your friends, if they're looking to do business online, that I seem like an honest person and I know certain things about business and the Internet. That's all I ask. I recently heard the term "karmic marketing". I guess that's what I've been trying to do: Make people happy first, then worry about money later. This is possibly the safest kind of marketing in terms of legality, though probably not the best way to make fast money. This is the kind of tradeoff we all have to make. Mike Jolley is a longtime programmer and writer who recently turned to Internet marketing and publishing full time. Find lots of related articles at OnlineHonesty.com.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Cheap To Keep You've heard it all before when it comes to stats about customer retention. Acquiring a customer costs five to 10 times more than retaining one. Repeat customers spend, on average, 67 percent more. After 10 purchases a customer has referred as many as seven other people. Customers - Hold Onto the Ones Youve Got You probably spend a great deal of your time looking for new customers or clients. However, are you sure your doing enough to hold onto the ones you've got. To Complain and Win! - My Personal Recipe Prime directive: Make sure your claim is reasonable! Otherwise, forget it. How to Transform Your Voicemail into an Effective Medium of Communication "Hi this is Randy. Leave me a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks and have a great day." Handling Difficult Customers - 8 Strategies In any business our customers are one of our most important assets. Unfortunately there are days when not all customers want to be friendly or pleasant. On days like this, try these effective tips to help you handle those difficult customers. If Everyone Thinks They Give Good Service, Why Do We As Customers Think Its Poor! First of all let's look at what customer service is all about. DONT Give Your Customers What They Want! One of the mantras we hear repeatedly in business is "The customer is always right." I'm here to tell you that if you want to build a thriving business you need to forget that saying, and take note of Payne's Law #1 "The customer is always right- some of the time." I'll explain why in a minute. Tips for Curing Bad Customer Service Bad customer service is everywhere these days - unmanned front desks, surly servers, clueless staff, employees talking on the phone, and managers who refuse to acknowledge a customer. It's no longer an exception ... poor service has become the norm. Dont Eliminate The Middle Man - Add One Today, there are situations when we actually add a "middle person" instead of eliminating one for increased service efficiency. If it's cost-effective and demand is high, then proper market positioning will make it a worthwhile endeavor. For example, my sister just informed me of a food delivery service in New Mexico that will let you choose one out of many different food outlets (all types of ethnic/fast food)- and then guarantees delivery within a specific time period. This not only gives the customer assurance of reliability, but more choices for dining take ?out style. Customer Service - A Sweet Essence First let us specifically define customer service. It is the performance of a duty or responsibility due to a customer as a result of selling them a product or service. Customer Feedback: Everyone has an Opinion - USE IT! Have you ever been in a department store and known exactly what you were looking for but couldn't locate any staff to help you find it? Think of your website as your very own department store, and your contact numbers, email addresses, and FAQ's navigational buttons as your staff. Without these handy interaction tools, your purchaser will get frustrated and E-shop somewhere else. Learning from Your Employees and Customers Complaints Listening to complaints, whether they're reasonable or not, is a part of every manager's job. Sometimes complaints can be overwhelming. However, by taking them in stride with an open mind, we can learn much from our employees' and customers' feelings about the workplace. Top Ten Strategies for Delivering 5-Star Customer Service Customer satisfaction is valuable, but customer loyalty is priceless. In today's competitive world of business, it is becoming more and more important to deliver customer service that is unbeatable. These ten creative strategies can support you in turning your customers into walking billboards for your business. How to Win the Hearts of Your Customers and Friends Those of us doing business over the internet have to become especially adept at our listening and speaking skills since we don't have the luxury of talking with our customers face to face. It's especially important to give those on the phone extra attention - listening to their voice, because that is the only thing you have to go on, to sense their emotion. You can't observe their body language or their eyes like you can in person. They have the same limitations in listening to us. A great method to use when talking on the phone to come across as being really interested is to raise your eyebrows and smile as you talk. It will give you voice a lift. Try it on one your friends. It really works. It makes you sound very cheerful, etc. The thing is, they can't see you either, so you have to work a bit harder to let them know that you're really with them. They can't see you smile, so they have to hear the warmth of your heart through your voice. If you practice, it'll start to come naturally to you. Cultivating the Trust Factor In today's highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain a significant market advantage based on your professional skills alone. Developing a trusting relationship with your clients is key to your success. No matter what business you are in, the most powerful value-added you can contribute in any business relationship is the trust factor. Handling Angry Clients What do you do when your client gets mad at you? How do you handle this? An angry client can be one of the biggest time and energy drains on a sales person. Dont Be Afraid To Give Problem Customers The Boot Q: In a recent column you made the point that the customer is always right, which I agree with. However, in the same column you also said that it is sometimes necessary give problem customers the boot. If the customer is always right, at what point do you think they become so problematic that you should stop doing business with them? -- Gary M. How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch! Welcome to the inaugural issue of Human Tech Tips -- Tip #1. How do we take your customer service and kick it up a notch? Why Communication Skills Dont Work In Customer Service Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know someone is going to object. 11 Ways to Get What You Want - Be a Clever Customer! We all want great service, whether we are buying our weekly groceries from a store, or want a billing hitch resolved at our local utilities provider. Whether it's getting our car fixed, or a great meal in a restaurant. So we can holler and complain about how poor customer service and satisfaction has become - or we can do something about it ourselves, when we have those one-to-one opportunities with a real person.
|
|
|
|
|
