It's amazing how many people still don't get it.
Most businesses still don't understand that the customer really is King (or Queen :-)
Let me give you an example.
My wife recently ordered over $120 worth of stuff from a leading mail order company through their website. Did she get any email confirmation that the order had gone through?
Nope. No email confirmation, and not even a short thank you note sent after a couple of days.
That was over 1 month ago. The goods still haven't arrived (as of the time I write this). So she zips off an email to customer service to find out what's going on. Any reply? Yes, but...
...it took 4 whole business days for them to get back to her!
That is really poor customer service. Now's she's talking about wanting a refund, whether or not the goods finally arrive (I'm trying to talk her out of it :-).
Here's another example.
Recently, I ordered a piece of software from a little known US company. Although I had not heard of them before, they were the only ones I could find with a product matching what I needed. And they have a pretty cool, professional looking website. And they take credit card orders. So OK, I thought I'd try them out.
They promised they'd send me an email with the unlock serial number after my credit card number had cleared. So I checked my email. Anything there? Zip. Nada. Nothing.
Eight hours later...
...still nothing. Folks, this is a software company! Don't they even know how to use autoresponders? With an autoresponder, you can easily be "open" and running 24 hours a day, non-stop, every day of the year.
If you don't know about autoresponders, here's a quick tutorial. An autoresponder is basically a little bit of software that sits on your web hosting server (or ISP account). It allows you to assign automatic replies (which you prepare beforehand) to email addresses of your choice.
So with an autoresponder, it's a cinch to send out thank you and order confirmation notes instantly every time a customer orders via your website. You just set up your order form to email the order details to your autoresponder (any techie can do this for you using cgi scripting). A customer orders, and zap! Your autoresponder sends out a thank you note instantly.
That's customer service. That will build customer confidence, keep customers happy, and most importantly, keep them buying from you *again and again*. The real money is always in repeat sales. You may be lucky to get the first order. But if you don't follow up with fast, professional customer service (and of course deliver a great product), there goes your repeat business.
The lesson to be learnt from all this goes beyond just the usual "how to use autoresponders" that so many people already talk about. The REAL lesson is this:
How focused are you really on customer care? Have you anticipated every need and concern of your customers, both existing and potential ones? Is it really a part of your business philosophy that "The Customer Is King"?
Use this quick list to aid you in your review of your business:
- 1. Navigation on your website - Is it easy to get around? Can visitors easily find important information?
- 2. Order process - Is it smooth and easy? Is there anything that might make the customer worry at any point? Review your procedure for sending out confirmation emails.
- 3. After sales service - What is your policy on returns and does it favor the customer? What is your response time to emails? Can you reduce it further? Do you follow up with the customer to make sure everything is OK?
The technology is there (like autoresponders, cgi scripting, order tracking, regular timed follow-ups etc). So there's NO EXCUSE if you are not doing everything possible to look after the needs of your customers.
Take a lesson from one of the biggest mail order companies in the US (that still doesn't get it!). Make the customer the focus of everything you do and your cash register will be kaching-ing so fast, you'll never know what hit you!
Click Here to Email Bob Smith