Internet Marketing Today

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This is Part 1 of a 2 part Series
Good customer service is critical for your online success. If you provide a good customer experience, people will come back to your site the next time they are looking for something. If you don’t take time to provide good service, they will not only go somewhere else, but they are also more likely to tell others to avoid your site. Follow these 10 tips for good customer service for your web business, and you will find that you get more repeat business.

Provide Value

This sounds obvious, but many people fail to follow it. Make sure you take the time to give your customers a valuable experience. Share everything you know about your niche. Hold nothing back. If you are providing a product, give away unannounced bonuses. Whether it is an article on your page, the product you are promoting, or an email you send to your list, make sure it is valuable to your visitors.
One of the best examples I have seen of this is Mark Ling at Affilorama. He gives away more information free than most marketing programs sell you.  When you buy his products, he usually gives away bonuses that he never mentioned in his sales copy or interviews. They are always great information products that you can use to advance your business. He spends a lot of time focusing on providing good customer service online.

Honesty

Lying to your customers will destroy your business. Be honest about what you do not know. You can do this and still build a good relationship with people. Instead of just saying you do not know, do some research and refer them to someone who does. Take time to build trust with your visitors. Admit when you make a mistake. People are usually forgiving if you take responsibility when you make a mistake. Take the time to provide a quality experience. When people know that they can trust you , they will have a good customer service experience, and they will return to see you again.

Listen

Listen to your customers. When they complain, it is because there is a problem. Letting your ego get in the way will destroy your business. Take time to listen to their problems. Make sure you completely understand the situation. If you need clarification, send them an email to ask for clarification.
Understand that you will not make everyone happy. Don’t confuse listening to your customers with always doing what the customers want. Sometimes you have to do what is best for your business. However, take time to listen to what your visitors say. You may decide that they are right and change your approach to the situation.

Respond Quickly

When you get a complaint, or make a mistake, respond quickly. Do not put off doing something about a potential problem. Procrastinating this can be disastrous for your business.

A great example of this occurred a couple of weeks ago. Jack Humphrey from the Friday Traffic Report sent out an email with a terrible headline that offended many people on his list. He allowed one of his staff members to do the email and did not read it first. Within minutes of the response he got, he sent out an apology to his entire list.
He accepted responsibility for the problem, and was able to salvage some of his dignity very quickly. If he had put it off, he easily could have lost over half his list. Because of his fast response, he was able to salvage a lot more than he could have by ignoring the problem. His fast response turned a potential disaster for his business into a good customer service experience.

Research

Take time to research your topic. Make sure you are providing good tips or advice. Research your niche to make sure you understand what your visitors need. Good customer service online requires you to understand the wants of your market. Remember just because they need something does not mean they want it. You have to give more of what people want if you want to succeed.

Research means more than just learning the keywords. Fully understand the topic you are writing about within your niche. Make sure you can answer questions people have. Answer as many as you can in your initial article. However, be prepared to receive emails, or comments with questions that people have. Taking time to answer these will help your reputation as an authority on the topic. Check out this great post from Matt Carter about doing niche research

Take time to follow these tips on building creating a good customer service online experience for your readers. You should also check out Part 2 “5 Ways to Provide Customer Satisfaction Online Today.” You will find more great tips that you can use to create a good customer experience with your web business.

Check out these other great blogs on building customer service:

Every Second Counts: How Website Performance Impacts Shopper Behavior

Twitter, Customer Service, and Good Brand Management

What a Vegas Pimp Can Teach You About Sales

The Importance of Relationships in Affiliate Marketing