Posts Tagged ‘customer support’

10 Do’s and Don’ts Of Customer Services

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Email etiquette is the key to help calm down anxious and impatient customers. People assume that once they press the “send” button that we will get everything sorted out in an instant!
Of course we all know that this is not an accurate representation of how things work. However, you should prepare yourself for the occasional hot tempered emails, regardless of whether their comments are unreasonable or not.

Five Do’s Of Good Customer Services

1. Thank them for contacting customer support in the opening sentence of your reply messages.

2. Ask for further clarification if you are unsure of their requirements. Suggest some extra details to answer their query more effectively.

3. Address the support question within 24 hours of receiving their message to avoid unnecessary confrontation and dissatisfaction.

4. Offer further support if they require it and provide a sincere thanks for their custom. Also confirm that their message has been received and when they should expect a response.

5. Be apologetic to their needs and offer complete support and reassurance. However if a customer is still unsatisfied with their order offer them a replacement or refund.

Five Don’ts Of Customer Services

1. Don’t use abrasive words in your email. Always remain calm, courteous and professional.

2. Don’t leave the problem unresolved or unanswered because you are offended by their tone or for any other reason whatsoever.

3. Don’t neglect your customers by repeatedly delaying your response times. This will lead to negative feedback for your company and will inevitably cost you sales and damage your company’s reputation.

4. Don’t allow a customer to bully you into doing something irrational or unethical just to please them.

5. Don’t lie to a customer about your product. Make sure your description and terms are clear and are easily accessible on your Sales Page, Thank You Page and receipts.

Summary

Provide valuable information about your commitment to providing high levels of support by supplying your dedicated email address, fax, telephone number and mailing address. Place your company’s customer services details on your
“Sales Letter Page” and the “Thank You Page” (after orders are paid for and completed). This helps to reassure the customer that they will be able to contact you for ongoing help and support throughout the order process and after sales.

Once you have established a customer services support details you must ensure that all enquires are handled quickly and efficiently. If the enquiry needs more time to look up an order then send a confirmation email to let customers know that you have received their message and will get back to them in good time.

Unreasonable delays in response times can irritate customers so it is important to address problems any questions within 24 hours to avoid negative feedback.

Nancy P Redford shows you how to Take Online Payments for any web site without a costly merchant account. Stay safe on the Internet by getting wise to Online Scams
and Shams. Plus get some of the best business tools and resources for your home-based business here at: http://www.miriadz.com

Effective Management Of Your Customer Services

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

With a third party merchant account you will have a dedicated 24/7 support team to handle your credit card payment on your behalf as part of your package.
You will also need to provide your own support for issues relating directly to your product.

It is good practice to draw up a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page to list answers to common questions. Provide a link to your FAQ page on your “Thank You Page” and all your support emails for your customer’s convenience. By doing so you will help to substantially reduce the number of duplicate question you will have to answer by email.

You could use install inexpensive software to automate your FAQ web page and customer support tickets which will also reduce the number of emails you will have to answer individually.

Keep your customers happy and develop trust and a good reputation by serving their needs as best as you can. Your customers are the life-blood of your business. If they feel they have been treated well throughout the order process they are more likely to buy from you again and recommend your site to others. This is where you will build your back-end sales and generate more profits for you and your business.

Hire Extra Support Staff
Depending on the volume of your daily enquiries you have the option to hire people to reply to support questions on your behalf. Search online for “Freelance Virtual Assistants”. This can be very cost effective and will free your time to get on with other areas of your business.

Another alternative is to install a “Virtual Customer Support” with automated responses and a more professional way to answer customer enquiries. This will also eliminate unsolicited emails from your email inbox because a real person has to click through to initiate a response ticket for each enquiry.

Remember happy customers will recommend you to their friends and colleagues. Providing your business with positive feedback and developing a good reputation and returning custom.

Nancy P Redford shows you how to Take Online Payments for any web site without a costly merchant account. Stay safe on the Internet by getting wise to Online Scams
and Shams. Plus get some of the best business tools and resources for your home-based business here at: http://www.miriadz.com