| Customer Service Past The Initial Sale |
For every business, in any industry, customer service should be one of the highest priorities for improvement. Companies with good customer service put themselves in a better position to retain their current customers, make new sales, and generate repeat business. Companies with poor customer service set themselves up to lose their clientele and gain a negative reputation. Consider this situation: Let’s say that you buy something at an electronics store and you get it home and when you open the box, you realize that it is missing a part. You drive all the way back to the store and they tell you there is nothing they can do. They tell you that it is not their problem, but the manufacturer’s. So, you take your item back home and call the product’s toll free customer service number. After going through a million automated menus, you finally press 0 to speak to a live customer service representative. After waiting on hold for approximately an hour, the line on the other end starts ringing and you are elated thinking that finally you will speak to a live person. However, after ringing six times, a recorded message comes on and indicates that the office hours are from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. You look at your watch and realize that it is 4:35 and the office is now closed. How does this situation make you feel? Will you be likely to purchase a product from this company again?
The rule that good customer service is critical to the survival of any business still applies even in the online adult industry. However, many Webmasters and online adult companies seem to forget that such a thing as customer service even exists. If you are looking to buy a product or service, and even if you are not, your email box will be constantly full, your ICQ will be beeping off the hook, and your voice mail will be packed with offers. However, once you make that purchase, the constant barrage of communication somehow comes to an end. For instance, let’s say that you buy some content from someone that has been harassing you through email and ICQ for months. You purchase some content and when you go to use it, the files are not the ones that you ordered. You contact the person whom you bought them from to find out what the problem is and you cannot seem to get a hold of them. You send countless emails, numerous voice messages, and you sit and wait patiently for them to respond to your ICQ messages. After about a week with no response, you decide to post a nasty warning about this individual on a very popular adult Webmaster board. Does this sound like a familiar scenario to you?
We see this type of customer service breakdown quite often in this particular industry. One of the reasons is because most Webmasters are a one-man business. They do not have people manning phones waiting to respond to customers’ problems. Most Webmasters that work on their own find it very difficult to be available seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Another reason is that many people in this industry cannot see the importance of maintaining customer relationships. Their vision just cannot see past the initial sale. The realization that good customer service can lead to repeat sales just is not there.
I am here to tell you that by improving your customer service, you can actually increase your sales and in turn boost your profits. You cannot disregard your clients after you make the sale; instead you need to maintain those relationships. Your customers can end up being the people that can make or break your business. If a customer is happy with your product or service and they have received great customer service, then they are very likely to recommend you to other people. If your customers are not satisfied with your service than they can ruin you by passing on the word that you are not a good person to do business with. It may be time consuming, and often tedious to deal with the problems of your customers, but by demonstrating excellent customer service, your reputation will speak for itself.
What exactly constitutes proper customer service? Here are a few pointers to follow to ensure that you maintain a positive relationship with your current customers:
1. Respond to customer emails no later than twenty-four hours from receiving them. If this is not possible, have an automated email response sent to your customers explaining why you cannot get back to them and give them alternative methods of contact.
2. Allow your customers to contact you through a variety of methods. Most likely, your customers will prefer to contact you through email, but you should also provide them with a phone number, as well as an instant messaging handle, with which they can reach you.
3. Do not wait for your customers to contact you. Try to stay in regular contact with your customers to find out how they like your product or service, answer any questions they may have, and to give them updates on new additions to your product or service line.
4. Always be courteous and polite to your customers. Even if your clients become irate and irrational, you should maintain your composure and exude professionalism. There is nothing to be accomplished by getting angry with the people that make your website a success.
By following these four simple pointers, you will gain yourself a reputation for being a first-rate person to do business with. Always keep in mind that your customers are the people that are putting the money in your pocket and they must be treated with the utmost respect. |
|
| Article Details |
| Author: Muffy |
| Date Posted: July 10th, 2004 |
| Topic: Adult Industry News |
| Reader Rating: 0.0 / 5 |
| Comments Posted: 0 (see below) |
| |
|
RSS Feeds | Submit A Listing | Link To Us | Advertising | Contact Us
