We all hear so much about customer service, and the importance of it. However, in reality just how important of a role does it play in running a successful business, whether your store is a brick and mortar or online? All this talk about customer service isn’t for nothing — it’s serious stuff.
The bottom line is it is one of the most important aspects in running a business that will grow and be successful. You can have every other aspect of the business in tip top shape; your inventory, your site usability, selection, price etc., but if you do not stand behind your products and support your customers throughout their purchasing process and beyond, you will not be nearly as successful as you can be.
What is good customer service?
So what exactly does good customer service mean? One online nursing scrub company which prides itself in offering superior customer service puts it this way: “Our customer’s satisfaction is our number one priority. We will go out of our way to ensure that our customers find the product that suits their needs, and make our exchange and return process easy and smooth.” They find that although initially they may invest more time helping the customer, it is all worth it when that customer comes back to purchase by them again.
At this time, when the world has gone digital and technology is advancing at breakneck speed, keeping our customers happy is all that more important. People have become spoiled, and expect to receive exactly what they want, when they ask for it. This is a generation that truly expects instant gratification.
How to Create a Seamless Online Support Experience?
Your website should be easy to navigate and clear, giving your customers an amazing UI. By offering the following you will be on your way to achieving a happy growing customer base.
1. FAQ Page
By having an extensive FAQ page that will easily answer customer’s questions you will be offering great customer service right there on your site. This page will save you time and money, and will keep your customers happy shoppers; something we all strive to achieve. This will also minimize the need for a full team of customer service agents to answer simple questions.
2. Online Chat
Offering an online chatting option is also an excellent way to answer your customer’s queries, making for a great shopping experience. If you can offer a 24 hour chat that would be optimal since customer really do shop at all hours, and we want to be there for them when they need us. There are many chat software options out there including the highly popular LiveChat Company. Alternatively, if you prefer human-to-human interaction, you can hire a virtual receptionist service, such as those provided by www.virtualreception.com.au.
3. Email
Lastly, good old fashion email is something you shouldn’t underestimate as being outdated since there are those who still prefer this method of communication. Every site should have their “Email Us” icon easily visible and accessible on the site, whether on the “Contact Us” page or somewhere else. It’s also very important to respond to emails in a timely fashion and not leave customers hanging. Many companies send out an auto reply email stating that they will get back them within 24 hours which firstly, lets the customer know that they received their email, and secondly, provides a timeframe of when they can expect to receive a response.
Final Thoughts
Of course you will always have that angry customer that despite all your best efforts nothing will make them happy (besides getting the item at no cost!), but generally treating your customers well and showing them that you truly want to help them will go a long way in keeping your customers happy, and keep them coming back.
