Customer Service Information

How to Provide Instant Customer Service


Customer service is an essential component of any business. Clearly, if you work alone your business thrives on good customer service. But what if you run much of your business online? How do you provide excellent customer service 24 hours a day seven days a week? Here's an idea which is working for me.

One of the challenges of an online business is having constantly available support - especially if you are a small business or a self-employed, lone worker. People want instant answers. They expect replies to emails in the same working day. Many people seem to want even more rapid replies.

However, most technical support and customer support call centre staff will tell you that something like eight out of every ten calls are about the same concerns. If you run your own online business, you'll probably discover too that many of the customer service requests you get are generally about the same difficulties people are having.

I looked at the calls and emails I was getting about my online information products and realised that there were eight common questions which I received from customers who had purchased an ebook from me. Naturally, in trying to provide good customer service I contacted each individual and dealt with their concerns. Each time I was able to ensure that I retained their custom. But the problem was it was taking me time.

So, here's what I did. I set up an email which contains the answers to all eight questions. Then I created a new email address which is included in all my sales receipts. I ask people who have any questions or concerns about their purchase to send their question to that special email address. Of course, the special email address is an autoresponder. What happens is that as soon as someone has sent in their question, they get an immediate reply. Because the reply contains answers to almost all the support questions I get, it is usually instant customer satisfaction. Plus it means I don't have to spend time on the query.

The autoresponder repeats the subject of the customer's email within the text, making it look more personal. Also, because I get a copy of their incoming email I can see whether their question is answered within the autoresponder message. Usually it is. I can then send an email asking if they need more details or if their question has been answered. But I don't have to do this straight away. That's because the autoresponder has provided a good level of customer service.

So, using an autoresponder can provide high levels of customer service, helping you maintain customer loyalty.

If you want to see my autoresponder in action, just send an email to: support@grahamjones.biz

Graham Jones is a psychologist who has specialized in the way we use the Internet. He is an expert on information products and runs Infoselling.com where you can get a FREE report on how to sell your own infoproducts.

http://www.infoselling.com


MORE RESOURCES:

How to Mix the Right Technology and People to get Quality Customer ...
eWeek,  NY - Jul 23, 2008
For Internet retailers, having friendly, knowledgeable customer service agents available to customers 24/7 can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. ...
Contact Centers Gain Flexibility to Meet Customer Needs Through ... MarketWatch
Study Identifies Industries with Strong Perfoming Contact Centers TMCnet
Communications and Financial Services Companies Lead Other ... CNNMoney.com
TMCnet
all 24 news articles


Customer Service/ Sales Rep
Seattle Times, United States - 7 hours ago
In today's world, a beautiful smile is important. It is often one of the first things you notice in meeting someone. A whiter and brighter smile makes ...


Customer Service Specialist
Seattle Times, United States - 17 hours ago
At HealthServicesNW we value the strong relationships we have built with our clients, and the Customer Service Agent is the employee responsible for ...


Google Rated 'Unsatisfactory' To Poor Customer Service!
Search Newz, KY - 10 hours ago
According to a post at Search Engine Land, the recent Better Business Bureaus (BBB) reliability report states that Google has been rated as 'unsatisfactory' ...


Customer Service Craze
KREX News Channel 5, CO - 5 hours ago
However, some say it may be just the opposite when it comes to customer service. According to the owner of the La Quinta Inn in Fruita, computers have ...


Home-Based Customer Service Agents Save Average of $24000 per Year ...
MarketWatch - Jul 23, 2008
ALEXANDRIA, VA, Jul 23, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Sending customer service agents home through homeshoring can result in individual savings of ...
Virtual Call Center Company Jumps on "Green" Bandwagon TMCnet
all 6 news articles


Bausch & Lomb puts new CIO in charge of customer service
ZDNet - Jul 23, 2008
Eye care company Bausch & Lomb has given its CIO the customer service reins. On Wednesday, the company named Alan Farnsworth, senior vice president of ...


Court Staff Receiving Customer Service Training
Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service, Jamaica - 15 hours ago
The over 700 court staff island-wide who interact with the public daily have begun to benefit from a series of customer service training workshops being ...


Poll: What Do You Think of Comcast Customer Service?
About - Cities & Towns, NY - 8 hours ago
... "Comments" below to share your own horror story or to praise Comcast if you're a fan of their service. Poll: What Do You Think of Comcast Customer Service?


Bausch & Lomb Names Alan Farnsworth as Senior Vice President of ...
MarketWatch - Jul 23, 2008
In this newly created position, Mr. Farnsworth provides leadership for the company's global delivery of customer service processes, as well as for the ...

Customer-Service - Google News

home | site map
© 2006