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Improve your e-commerce customer service: 8 tips
By Jeff WuorioYour small business may be on the Internet. But is it on the Internet all the way?
That means more than simply selling your products on your Web site. It means an e-commerce site with many of the customer service attributes that one would expect from a physical store.
Just starting out, or concerned that your e-commerce customer service isn't all that it can be? Here are eight ideas to help.
- Strive to make the customer experience memorable. When it comes to inventory size, comparing yours with other online behemoths is like matching China with the Duchy of Grand Fenwick—the disparity is rather overwhelming. You can't match range of product choice, but you can make the buying experience special.
"Customers might tend to look toward buying from larger companies because they may feel more secure about their purchase, about getting help if they need it, and not getting hassled if there's a problem," says Natalie Petouhoff, a business coach, author, and business professor at Pepperdine University who specializes in CRM and contact centers. "The real issue for small businesses is to set up a customer experience that establishes the company’s brand as trustworthy, responsive and caring." - Tailor your customer service strategy to your brand and business goals. Think about the sort of relationship you want to build with your customers. Do you want it to be warm and friendly, efficient and business-like, or even entertaining in some manner? Once you have that in mind, you can select the technology and other systems that support that online persona.
To illustrate: If you want to emphasize convenience, have a search function that lets visitors easily find what they want time and again. "You search a Web site for a product—you know they carry it—but you can’t remember where you saw it," Petouhoff says. "You search and the responses that come back have little relevancy. That's frustrating." - Keep it simple and easy to use. No matter your strategy for the customer experience, it's generally a good idea to stick with a straightforward design. Forgo flash effects and other bells and whistles for the sake of a clean and usable site. "Every link should be clearly labeled so that a visitor knows what to expect when they click on it," says Andrew Field, president and CEO of PrintingForLess.com, based in Livingston, Mont.
"Before launching, have a few people who have not seen it try it out," says Field, an award-winning entrepreneur who has been recognized nationally for his innovative use of the Internet. "Give them an assignment and then watch them without any coaching. See where they get lost or hung up." - Make it especially easy to get to your product information and shopping cart. An effective small-business Web site presents shoppers with easy access to an array of information, guidance, and support. Since larger competitors have size and resources on their side, make better function your ally.
"Remember that e-commerce is supposed to be easier than driving to a local store, so focus on making the whole process transparent," Field says. "Provide plenty of information about your products. Build a site that performs well, with fast page loads even on a moderately slow Internet connection." - Learn what works well for other sites. If you don't know what software and other technical systems will deliver the sort of customer feel and service you want, sample—and then sample some more. If you're working with a web designer, have her refer you to other clients’ sites, and ask for contact information for the decision maker on those sites, Petouhoff advises. "The best way to know if [a feature or a design] is going to work for you is ask others who have had success with it."
- Personalize your telephone support. Effective e-commerce doesn't live and die exclusively online. Business other than sole proprietorships should be aware of the importance of telephone-based customer service and support. Display your phone number on your site and develop operating policies that let your employees make the most of phone-based service.
"Place your phone number prominently on every page, and invite people to call you," Field says. "Then answer the phone promptly, with smart, well-trained customer support people who are empowered to do whatever it takes to meet the customers' needs." (See this related article about phone-based customer service no-nos.) - Follow through with fulfillment. Once an order comes through the technical pipeline, be sure the human element of your business keeps pace. Post a fulfillment policy on your Web site and adhere to it religiously. If occasional tangles occur, follow up with the customer personally to apologize and to reinforce their confidence in your capacity to deliver reliable service from start to finish. Once again, leverage the personal element that becomes all the more critical with smaller operations.
- Be up-front with your shipping fees. For obvious reasons, free or low-cost shipping is a favorite perk for online shoppers. But you may need to charge for shipping to make your business go. If so, don't conceal your shipping fees from customers by displaying it only after they've given you their credit card number or other payment information. Let customers know beforehand the shipping options you offer (ground versus air, and so on) and the fees you charge.
"Don't hide this info," urges Kelly Cutler, chief executive officer of Marcel Media, a Chicago-based Web advisory firm. "You will lose more customers by hiding it, than by explaining the different options and costs and letting them choose."
"Small-business owners need to be prepared to go the extra mile to ensure customers are satisfied, more so than larger businesses that don't have to rely on each individual customer," notes Jill Exler, founder of Jexbo.com, a Dearborn, Mich., online buyer and seller of self-published books. "You need to make sure small problems don't become big issues by taking care of things quickly and making sure the customer is happy with the outcome."