|
|
| Customer Service Tip | Skills | Information | Articles |
|
5 Golden Online/Offline Business Rules To LIVE Or DIE By
Whether online or off, if you plan on running or maintaining any type of credibility within your business, there are some guidelines that are safe to say any existing or potential customer expects if they are to do immediate or future business with you. As an online entrepreneur for over 3 years I have found that even though I don't have the pleasure of meeting face-to-face with my customers, ones perception of you and your business can be viewed as good or bad all depending on the way you handle questions or comments posted by people interested in your product. Here is a list of 5 MUST DO'S that any one customer will come to expect if they are to do business with you. (1) Be Prompt ? although it may be an exhausting task to keep up with all the general inquiries or questions about any one product that your visitors have, be sure to respond as soon as possible because the more time it takes for your reply, the more likely a prospect will go elsewhere to do business. A great way to resolve many questions without having to physically type a letter each and every time is to provide a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for a potential prospect to view for quick reference. Sometimes a potential customer may ask questions just to make sure there is a live person ready to assist if there is a need to do so. (2) Be Polite ? for the online business people, even though your not looking at the person who is requesting information, it is wise to act as if they are standing right in front of you. The way you word your messages can impact the way you make people feel. If someone was to send a letter stating that they really didn't like the product they purchased and would like a refund (and sometimes you can tell if they are upset), be sure to promptly honor that refund and just say your sorry that they were unhappy with the purchase. Being polite can lead to no hard feelings and even produce more sales from this person in the future because they are happy with the way you handled their problem. If sending a letter, it is good practice to start it with a "Hello" or "Greetings" followed by the customers name and end every letter with a "Thank You", "Sincerely", "Warm Wishes", or "Best Regards" followed by your name. (3) Be Helpful ? the reason why you are being contacted by an actual or potential customer is because they probably desire something and you'll need to provide a solution for their problem. After answering a customer question, it never hurts to ask them if there is anything else you can assist them with. By doing this it shows you are there for them and that you really want them to be happy with the services you provide. (4) Be Sincere ? when answering question people may have about your products or if your just sending a "thank you" letter, make it sound as if you really mean it (and you should). This will give people a sense of connection with you and will be less nervous to do business with you. (5) Be Honest ? of all the golden rules presented to you within this article, this by far may be the most determining factor whether or not your business thrives or suffers a grueling demise. By being honest about the product or service you offer and what they can expect from such a service, you'll show people you're a straightforward businessperson and someone who really does care about helping others. This will lead your customers not only to feel comfortable dealing with you now, but most likely in the future also. The Bottom Line Is...... The way you treat your customers can be more satisfying to them than the actual item your selling. And remember, with all the competition and choices available these days, you now have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Dan Preston has been in the ebook business for over 3 years and has enjoyed every moment of it. His website "The Online Book Store" offers a variety of ebooks big enough to answer almost anyone's how-to questions. http://online-book-store.net
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Is your Online Business Customer-Friendly? Customer service is increasingly seen as one of the most valuable uses for a commercial World Wide Web site. Your Web site is available on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis. So it is well worth exploring ways in which your customers can virtually "serve themselves," without the need for overtime staff, or lengthy voice mail procedures. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Win the Loyalty of Customers Dr. Michael LeBoeuf, in his cassette album entitled, Win Customers and Keep Them for Life presents twelve principles that will transform the workplace into a customer-driven, highly motivational team. Dr. LeBoeuf's program goes like this: Writing The Book On Great Customer Service Q: One of the big chain bookstores recently opened up near my small book store. Already I can see my business starting to decline. Is there anything I can do to compete with the bigger store or should I just accept the inevitable? -- Peter Q. Increase in Customer Sales = Increase in Customer Service One of the most popular questions asked in online business forums or even by my customers and subscribers is this : The 7 Principles of Business Integrity If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. -- Alan K. Simpson The Number 1 Rule for Businesses - Be Professional Have you ever walked into a store and things looked sloppy? Stores should have nice neat displays, right? Normally, yes, but sometimes they get a bit messy on busy days and we all understand how that can happen. The Logic of Emotion! Homebuyers are an interesting study. Watching people make their home buying decisions has brought me to the conclusion that every decision that every one of us makes is based in emotion. You heard me, it's all about the emotion. Before you deny what I am describing to you, let me begin with me. Dealing with Difficult People 1. Don't get Hooked !!! What Every Manager Should Know About How to Learn from the Complaints of Customers and Employees Listening to complaints, whether they're reasonable or not, is a part of every manager's job. Sometimes complaints can be overwhelming. However, when we take them in stride with an open mind, we can learn much from our employees' and customers' feelings about the workplace. After all, a complaint is nothing more that a person telling you that his (or her) needs have not been met. As dissatisfied customers, they are giving us a second chance to correct something that should have been done properly the first time around. (In some cases the customer might happen to be your employee.) Customer Conversion Mistakes That Will Cost You The following are common mistakes that Sales Managers and Owners make in the sales process which could be costing you thousands or even hundreds of thousands in lost revenue. Listening to Customers - 5 Tips In a strange juxtapositioning of articles, this month's UK 'Management Today' has three pieces, relating to the importance of listening to customers. Customer Service - A Sweet Essence First let us specifically define customer service. It is the performance of a duty or responsibility due to a customer as a result of selling them a product or service. Dont Eliminate The Middle Man - Add One Today, there are situations when we actually add a "middle person" instead of eliminating one for increased service efficiency. If it's cost-effective and demand is high, then proper market positioning will make it a worthwhile endeavor. For example, my sister just informed me of a food delivery service in New Mexico that will let you choose one out of many different food outlets (all types of ethnic/fast food)- and then guarantees delivery within a specific time period. This not only gives the customer assurance of reliability, but more choices for dining take ?out style. The Art of Giving Great Service Sales is tough to get right, and depends on retaining those customers, yet people do it badly and unprofessionally all the time. It's really not difficult to learn the art of good service, and if you get it perfect, you will see those rewards. 7 Bits Of Critical Information You Cant Afford NOT To Know About Your Customers If you think customer relationship management is just a piece of software, you're dead wrong. Customer relationship management is about understanding your customers. It's about really knowing them as individuals, knowing what they mean to your business, and most of all, knowing what you need to do to keep their business. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Prevent Customer Service Conflicts There are five techniques that have been proven to be effective in resolving, minimizing, and preventing conflicts. And by conflicts I am referring to any of the following that may take place between two or more people: misunderstanding, miscommunications, arguments, disagreements, mixed messages, fighting, etc. How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch! Welcome to the inaugural issue of Human Tech Tips -- Tip #1. How do we take your customer service and kick it up a notch? Dont Work with Jerks: How to Recognize a Difficult Client Early Five minutes into the call I knew this client was going to make my life miserable. The problem was, I already said "Yes." How to Easily Increase Your Profits Do you remember the last time you went into a shop and the person 'serving' raced over to you, greeted you with a lovely smile, heaps of enthusiasm and said, "Welcome to our store, what can I help you with today?" And then listened attentively to what you had to say? Add Value - And Kill Mediocrity in Customer Service There are two kinds of customer service we all experience occasionally, outstanding customer service, and bad customer service. What we experience most of the time is mediocre customer service.
|
|
|
| Home | Site Map | Salesmanship Ebook | Motivational Ebook | Job and Resume Posting| Affiliate program | |
กก |
| 2006 All Rights Reserved. by Mp.sg Term of use and service for the articles and information |