Use Customer Service To Increase Sales

Customer service is an important part of operating any business, online or offline.

How you treat your customer could be the difference in whether or not a consumer decides to patronize your business again in the future. It’s a well known fact that repeat customers are the bread and butter of a lot of businesses.

A good offline example of this would be a mom and pop diner. You know the type of place I’m talking about - you walk in and the waitress knows your name and automatically knows that you take your coffee with cream and sugar. You know that when you eat there you can expect a decent meal at a fair price and the proprietors are happy that you stopped by. The level of product and service is enough to make you want to eat there again and again.

Customer relationships in online business are a little different, but still follow the same basic principles.

Trusted customer relationships are probably even more important when conducting business online because you don’t really get a chance to meet your customer face to face and introduce yourself. The only interaction you’re likely to have with your buyer is by way of a telephone call, an Email and/or delivering your product or service, as described, in a timely and accurate fashion. These things will be determining factors in whether or not a customer will buy from you again.

If you offer prompt and courteous customer care and accurate order processing in a world where this has fallen to the wayside, the chances to sell more products are much greater. If a consumer knows that they can depend on you to deliver the products and services they need, you’re likely to be the first retailer they turn to one when they need to purchase again.

Along with excellent customer care, you might also offer additional incentives or bonuses to repeat customers.

Offline, many retailers offer loyalty cards that offer the end consumer discounts or other incentives to spend at their stores. Online, you might consider offering expedited shipping at no extra charge or a “buy one - get one” deal. In difficult economic times, these small tokens are worth a lot. Your customer might sing praises of your exemplary customer care and tell five or ten friends, family members or business associates, making even more sales opportunities for you.

The opportunity cost of treating a customer with disrespect or falling short on delivering what you advertise is never worth it and making a customer happy is worth money in the bank.