Tahoe Web Service

 Do you treat people with whom you do business with correct? Tahoe Web Service thought we would come up with a few things that might help you out when it comes to customer service when launching your business online. Many times people forget about customer service when dealing with sales online. The online sales world is so automated we forget that one is dealing with real people. Does your customer service create fans or does it send people into the lost world of online sales, never to be heard from again, minus the back feed back they may leave you via Ebay, Etsy, or some list about a company to not do business with?

What is the real price one pays as an online business owner for customer service? The real price is word of mouth advertising. If your customers likes the way you handle things, he or she will tell maybe 20 other people. However, if he or she feels they were treated poorly or better yet in an unfair way, they will tell thousands of people.

To help you with your online customer service, here are a few tips you might want to consider.

1.      Let’s walk in your customers shoes for a second. Would you want to be treated the way you might be treating your customers? If the things you are doing to your customers is upsetting you and keeping you up at night, that is your instinct shouting at you that what your are doing is not correct.

2. Make it simple to do business with you. We all have seen the never ending TOS (terms of service) pages on websites. Keep yours straight to the point and worded in ways that customers do not need to be a Harvard law professor to read. I have found out that customers just want to take a quick look at a TOS to see the rules on shipping and returns all the other information I have found they bypass (of course I’m not saying to not include all the other mumbo jumbo). Just make the most important regulations stand out and have them right at the start.

3. Make It Easy to Contact You.  Do not make your customers only form of contact with you done via email or contact forms. Many times business emails are captured into a spam filter, thus your customer is going to send you a message and chances are your reply is going to get stuck in their spam filter, leaving your customer wondering “hey they never got back to me”. You are going to want to list your phone numbers, address and any other form of contact you can think of. Customers feel safe when they know they can contact you at any time in re-guards to their orders.

You can try a few of these things listed below.

-         Set up a FAQ page on your website. Include some questions that you think your customers might ask you.

-         Try listing your AIM, Yahoo, or MSN Messenger for a way customers can contact you as well. I have been running across several websites over the past few months that are listing these services. You can even list the hours you may be on these messenger services.

-         List your phone numbers. I know you may not want to list your home phone number or your cell phone number (hey we do like to keep some things private) so either install a second business line via your local phone company or you can use a virtual phone. You can find tons of 800 numbers that offer voicemail and or find me follow me transfers, these are great for customers as when they call you! These services will ring a few phone numbers that you have listed and send you the caller’s information, giving you the option of either speaking with your customers or sending them to voicemail. You can try a few of these businesses that I have used in the past. One Box  or J2 Global.

-         Try Ventrilo. We offer Ventrilo (VoIP) that will allow you to speak with your customer’s right over the computer like a phone. This is an easy to use feature; however it will require a small download (free of charge) for your customers. This service is also great if you would like to conduct business meetings or would just like to chat with friends or family.

4. Ask your customer what they would like done. If you and your customer can not reach a happy resolution to the problem! Then ask them what they think will be a good resolution. Be prepared to hear that they would like a full refund, want you to bend over backwards, etc. Do this and do not forget what I said above!! They will tell many people what great customer service you have, you have just entered word of mouth advertising and that is the best. This will end things on a positive note.

With the above said. We hope this may help you out some with your new business. Of course it is your business and you can choose on your own how you should do customer service! However do not forget you can either have tons of repeat business or you can make just one sale and move onto the next customer.