Customer Service

You have a business presence online and you have product(s) to sell. Now you are going to encounter some customer questions. Just like you would have questions from your off line business. These questions can range from simple to complex. They can involve returns to shipping questions. No matter what type of questions your customers have, you need to respond to them.

What is the best way to manage customer service issues when you have an online business? That depends upon how responsive you want to be.

You can set up an online live chat (audio or text). You can have a telephone number to handle all service issues. You have have a help desk or just use email (special email address for service issues only). So how important are these service issues to your business? And what are the service expectations of your customers?

You need to first set the service expectations for your customers. They need to know how and when to contact you. You need to set those limits and have them displayed prominently on your web site for your customers to see and use.

I recommend that you don't use email alone. It can lead to a lot of spam. I prefer a help desk. The help desk plus hours of operation and response time can go a long way to satisfying your customers concerns. If you had a knowledge base (FAQ) to the help desk, common questions can be answered immediately. Plus you can outsource the help desk if you desire.

No matter what you do, be sure to set reasonable service expectations and then stick to them.

Until the next time,

Craig Childs
Online Bricks