Customer Service Internet Style - 10 Tips To Improve Your Service

Quality customer service is the lifeblood of any business.



If you understand that it costs more to find a customer

than it does to keep one then you will appreciate the

importance of good, quality customer service.



Unfortunately, with the rapid rise of online businesses it

has become apparent that the focus has turned to

pleasing the search engines as opposed to pleasing the

customer.



I'm not disregarding the importance of good search engine

optimization but what good is it if you can't provide good

customer service? You may gave gained a visitor but did

you find a customer?



Your online business goals should be about out offering

quality information, speed, convenience and customer service.

Lose any one of those elements and you will lose potential

business. Your visitors want to find up-to-date information

fast, they want to immediately understand what your site is

offering them, they want fast solutions, easy navigation and

they want good service. You must be able to respond quickly

to questions, emails and put products in their hands fast.



Here are ten customer service tips that will impress any

customer and keep them coming back for more.



1. Build your site and services with your customer in mind.

Develop an "attitude" of good customer service by creating

a site that that has your visitor in mind.



To do this, be clear about what you're offering and what your

site is about. Great content doesn't mean much if your visitors

can't find it, so strive to organize your site with titles and headings

that are clear and descriptive with information that is logically

organized and structured. If you have a call to action such as

a newsletter sign-up or special contest, don't be afraid to instruct

your visitor to participate.



2. Keep the ordering process simple and straight forward.

Consider all possibilities of questions, problems and issues

that a customer might encounter. Eliminate all possibilities

of confusion.



3. Immediately following order placement, your customer should

receive a confirmation email thanking them for their order. When

the order has shipped, your customer should receive a second

e-mail stating that the product has shipped.



4. Exceed customer expectations.

If your policy states that orders are received with in 5-7 business

days, try to achieve deliveries in 3-4 business days. It's always

pleasurable to receive something sooner than you had anticipated,

not to mention your reputation will have just jumped ten-fold.



5. State your guarantees, shipping and refund policies clearly.

If you work in a retail business make it easy for your

customers to return items. Simple things like including return

labels within the packaging helps tremendously. Provide

shipping costs prior to checkout instead of surprising them

with shipping costs upon payment.



Always provide addresses and working phone numbers of

your business on every page of your site. The worst thing

a customer can experience is to place an online order, have

a problem, then call a phone number and get no response

or call back. A sure way to create frustration and develop

a bad reputation.



6. Utilize live-help capabilities.

Not everyone will utilize the services of live help, however just the

ability to have a conversation with a live representative goes a long

way to make the shopping experience more satisfying and help the

customer feel more secure.



Even though credit card security has come a long way over the

past few years, many people still feel more comfortable

providing credit card information to a live person instead of an

online form. Also, human interaction can increase profits as well

because a live person can effectively cross-sell and up-sell to

your customer.



7. Check on your customers after placing an order.

Thank them a second time for ordering. Solicit your services

should they have questions or problems. Also keep your customers

aware of new offerings via e-mail (but only with their permission).

You'll give them additional value without their having to return to

your site.



8. Provide a FAQ's section on your website.

Did you know that more than 80% of all customer questions

are usually answered by just 20% of a support knowledge base.

A frequently asked questions page on your website will

answer their questions before they ask them by allowing your

customers to be self-serving while saving you time and money.



9. Prove a simple search engine on your site. Most internet

users prefer using a site search engine as opposed to

browsing through pages and links to find what they need.

A convenience web surfers always appreciate.



10. Let your customers rate you and your site.

Ask your customers to complete a simple customer service

survey. Keep the survey quick and simple and allow for comments.

Take careful note of what your customers say and work to make

improvements accordingly.



In case you haven't heard it before, "Customers Make

Paydays Possible". Provide what they're looking for, keep

them happy and most importantly, learn from them.





About The Author:



Elizabet McGee will show you what it takes to buid a home internet business,

increase sales, and find trusted marketing tools. Sign up for her free newsletter

at:http://www.homenotion.com