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Dealing with customers is an
important part of doing business online. Whether
it’s done by email or by phone, dealing with
customers in a courteous and professional manner
is essential for Internet business success.
In fact, the only way to keep your customers
happy and retain customer loyalty is to do your
best to deal with your customers in a kind and
friendly manner and keep them satisfied at all
times to the best of your ability.
Dealing with customers by email is one thing,
and that in itself it simple to do. Simply
answer their questions, get to the point, and
respond right away. But when it comes to dealing
with customers over the phone then things begin
to change. |
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Greeting the customer by phone:
If you’re going to add a phone number to your
website then customers are going to call you.
And it’s very important to greet them in a
courteous and professional manner while giving
them your undivided attention at all times.
First impressions are everything and begins to
set the stage for the sale as well. For example:
You: Thank you for calling ABC Solutions, this
is George speaking how may I help you?
Then it’s important to remain quiet and listen
carefully without interrupting the customer
until they’re done speaking.
If the customer is enquiring about a particular
product then be sure to have that product page
open on your website. You can use the product
page as a reference in order to answer any of
the customers’ questions.
If they want to know more about the product then
you can begin to point out all of the product
features so that the customer can become aware
of the fact that you are familiar with the
product and the product line as well. And if you
built your business based upon a niche market
then you should already have a basic knowledge
and understanding of the products on your
website.
You should also have one or two of your
distributors’ websites open as well in order to
be able to check for stock and availability at
all times. However, when you’re dealing with
multiple distributors then you shouldn’t have
any problems finding the products you need, when
you need them.
After the customer has asked all of their
questions and you have responded with complete
and adequate answers then you can proceed to ask
for the sale.
You: Would you like to place your order today?
If the customer says no then listen closely
while they explain their reason(s) not to buy
and then address those issues in a calm and
knowledgeable manner. And if it’s ok to do so
then ask for the sale again.
If the customer says yes, then you can proceed
to ask the customer for their “ship-to’ address
followed by their billing information as well.
You can take the order on paper and then later
enter the buyers’ information into your
websites’ shopping cart or you can place the
order on your website shopping cart right there
and then while the customer is on the phone.
Then give the customer the complete total cost
of the sale with shipping including and repeat
their ship-to address as well. Give them the
order number and ask them if there’s anything
else that you can help them with. If not, then
thank them for their order and wish them a great
day!
The customers experience with you should be
brief and pleasant and they should feel assured
that all their needs have been met. And most
importantly, be sure to be honest with the
customer at all times, without exception as
honesty is the most important aspect of doing
business online and offline as well. |
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Dealing with
uncooperative customers
Although highly unlikely, there may come a time
when you might have to deal with an angry or
uncooperative customer. And there are a few
reasons why a customer can become upset as well.
For example:
-receiving the wrong product
-product arrived late
-product arrived damaged
-never receiving the product
Whatever the reason may be, it is important to
deal with the customer in a calm and
professional manner in order to get the matter
resolved as quickly as possible. And there are a
few skills that can help you to accomplish this
as well.
Self control: It’s easy to be kind and courteous
when a customer is kind and courteous to you and
is also making a purchase from your business.
Yet it takes a great deal of self control to
deal with an angry and non-cooperative customer
and defuse the situation in a calm and peaceful
manner.
And some of the most important skills to learn
and remember when dealing with customers are
just that - to be kind and courteous at all
times. And an easy way to practice this is to
always remember that no matter what the customer
says or how angry they get, they can not harm
you in any way shape or form; other than with
their words of course. But this is business, so
always remember not to take anything personal.
Furthermore, if the customer has purchased a
product from you then it’s in your best interest
to remain calm at all times and to calm the
customer down in order to keep the sale and
avoid a refund.
Most problems and misunderstandings can be fixed
right over the phone. However, sometimes a
customer can simply be unreasonable and feel
that they have to yell in order to get their
point across. But if you can manage to respond
in a kind and gentle manner then you can calm
the customer down and fix the problem at hand or
at least do your best to make it right. |
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Another important skill to
learn and remember as well is to be quiet and to
listen to the customer at all times. Let the
customer speak until they’re done speaking
without any interruptions on your part and then
answer their question(s) as quickly and as
precisely as possible.
If there was a problem with the order and the
problem was an error on your part then apologize
and do everything you can to fix the problem,
even if you have to take a loss in the matter.
For example, if you have to pay to have the
customer ship the product back to you or to the
distributors’ location then do it. And then
replace or re-order the new product right away.
If the problem occurred due to an error on
behalf of the distributors’ then you will still
have to take the blame on behalf of the
distributor, even though it wasn’t your fault.
Sure, you can tell the customer that someone
messed up in distribution but you will still
have to apologize, take the blame (or partial
blame) and rectify the problem.
And if the problem occurred due to the customers
fault then kindly show them their error and then
do everything you can to correct the problem and
make it right - even if it was the customers
fault.
However, some times it’s best to try to take the
blame or at least partial blame on yourself in
order to defuse the situation. Place the
customer on hold while you quickly figure out a
solution. Then present your solution to the
customer to make sure they’re in agreement with
what you have to offer and then proceed
accordingly. Apologize one last time, wish them
a wonderful day and then execute the solution
right away.
One of the best aspects of this or any type of
internet business is that you don’t have to deal
with the customer in person or face to face.
You’ll be dealing with them via email, live chat
and/or by phone, (if you decide to add a phone
number to your website).
However, the likelihood of any real problems
arising in your day to day business operations
is highly unlikely.
As long as you make sure that you ship the right
product to the right customer and on time as
well then there’s no reason why you should have
any problems arise in your business.
And as long as you conduct your business in an
honest, ethical and professional manner then
everything should go well as planned. The
customer is happy, your business has made a
profit, and it’s a win-win situation for all. |
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<-Back - Main Page -
Next-> |
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| >
How to Minimize Interaction with Customers |
| >
How to Deal with Customers via Email |
| >
How to Take and Place Orders |
| >
Paying for Products with Your Customers’ Money |
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