Site Promotion Information |
How To Turn Your Clients Into Raving Fans
So, you don't have a multi-million dollar advertising campaign? You don't have a staff of hundreds, venture capital backing or someone from Star Trek as your spokesperson? Then perhaps it's time to look into one of the advantages that you do have over these e-commerce giants... customer service. You might wonder how a small company can hope to give better customer service than these heavily staffed, heavily funded e-giants. Believe it or not, it may be your lack of size, that just might give you the edge. Think about your average customer service experience in an off-line setting. Where do you usually have the kinds of customer service experiences that are so positive, you come away raving to your friends and co-workers? While I can't answer for you, I can tell you that the overwhelming majority of my experiences of this nature have come with small businesses, often very small. Conversely, I can also say that as a rule, my biggest customer service nightmares have come with the biggest companies. Of course, there are always exceptions, but this theory has proven to be surprisingly consistent for me. I would bet that if you compile a quick mental list of your best and worst experiences as a customer, you might find this to be true for you as well. The problem with large companies is usually a volume issue. Many of these businesses have such a large volume of customer service inquiries, that they simply don't have the manpower to adequately provide timely and efficient service. Often, it is difficult to even find the proper channel for which to take your customer service issue. Large e-commerce companies aren't immune to these kinds of issues. In fact, they are often even less prepared to handle the flow of questions and comments that come in from their site on a daily basis. Many of these companies experience massive volume of traffic to their sites. A nice problem to have, but a problem that can often leave the customer out in the cold. A recent Gartner study surveyed 50 top-rated internet retail sites on their customer service readiness and effectiveness. The results were very telling. Not one of these 50 sites ranked as excellent with regards to customer service readiness. 23% graded out as average, and 73% were rated below average, and 4% rated poor. CNET quoted another recent study by Resource Marketing which showed similar results. "Wal-Mart online is a maze, Williams-Sonoma makes customers fill out applications every time they shop, and KBkids.com automatically sends new customers its electronic newsletter, whether they ask for it or not." Caroline Cofer, a spokesperson for Resource Marketing added that many of these large merchants are "making some scary mistakes." Now, with many of these large e-tailers streamlining operations in order to stay afloat, it is difficult to imagine customer service improving. In fact, customer service issues on-line have become such an issue, that an entire sector has evolved to deal with the problems. Companies such as Egain Communications and Kana Communications offer automated, CRM (customer relation management) solutions. Many of these automated services are ASP (application service provider) models that feature multi-channel response e-mail systems. In other words, software that attempts to emulate a real human. On one hand, these companies should be admired for their vision, and will probably be rewarded with booming sales. On the other hand, the technology has a way to go before it is a replacement for human interaction. Have you ever sent a question to a site's customer service center, and received the answer to the wrong question? More than likely, this was the result of automated CRM software that was unable to properly interpret your question and send the correct response. This is where your advantage as a small company comes into play. While you may not enjoy the volume of these sites, you can create a higher percentage of repeat visitors/buyers with superior customer service. Generally, when you hear people talk about improving customer service, you hear things like: "make yourself available" and "give good contact information." This is true, but it goes beyond that. What people really want is speed. People want their questions answered now. People want their customer service issue resolved in a hurry. Providing a phone number is a must, but chances are, people don't want to go off-line and call you for the answers to their questions unless it is a last resort. In the e-world, people want an i-response: Immediate, internet response. Of course, you can't be everywhere at once. Managing a small business or website is already a full-time job. But making customer service a focal point of your website can pay immense dividends for your traffic and or profit. Think of it this way, if you can respond to a customer's question within 24 hours, you are beating about 50% of the large e-companies already. If you can respond within 12 hours, I would estimate that you would be beating somewhere around 80%. If you can respond within 6 hours, you are providing customer service that most e-commerce giants only dream about. A quick list of ways to improve your customer service: 1. Speed! We all know as customers, that few things are more valuable to us than time. Standing in line is no fun at the supermarket, and waiting for a response from a customer service center is no fun either. 2. Contact information. Make it easy to find. Make it an address that you or an employee checks on a regular basis. Don't make the customer work to find you. 3. Live chat. Offer your customers the opportunity to use instant messaging software to contact you. MSN Messenger and ICQ are two widely used formats that work on almost all platforms, and it's 100% free. 4. F.A.Q and search options. Make them thorough. Not all sites need F.A.Q (frequently asked questions) pages, but if your site does, then make it thorough and easy to understand. If your site has an search box, be sure that it gives adequate results. Test it out. It's surprising how many high-profile websites have inadequate in-site search functions. 5. Your customer is always right. We all know that this is bull, but, the old adage still stands the test of time. Whether or not the customer is "right," our job as customer service managers is to put out fires. Quick, pleasant responses to even the most irate customers will almost always cool the situation. In fact, an efficient customer service agent can turn even the most irate customer into a loyal customer. Take the work out of it for your visitors. Encourage them to ask questions and reward them with quick, friendly responses. Your customers and visitors are the most important asset you have. Make them feel that way! About Tony Marino, Ph.D., Marketing Dr. Tony Marino is not only the CEO of America Web Works (http://www.AmericaWebWorks.com), he is also the Founder of the http://www.AudioVideoStreams.com, the International ePublisher's Association, Christian Times eBusiness Newsletter and the author of the ePublishing Master's Course at: http://www.ePublisherUniversity.com Additionally, he holds Email Compliance Officer status for many of today's leading Network Marketing companies. He has also worked with the likes of legendary Direct Marketers Ted Nicholas and Gary Halbert. Best-Selling Authors, Harvey McKay, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. ABC Television's, Jimmie Kimmel and NBC's, Carson Daly. Online Marketers, Dale Calvert and Jay Abraham just to name a few. His offices are location in Portland and Los Angeles and he'd love to hear from you anytime! 866-824-9684
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Website Marketing 101 When it comes to website marketing and promotions, youneed to start here.. Cant Write Articles For Links? Write code! If you've subscribed to an seo newsletter for longer than a week, you're well aware that writing articles with tips and advice pertaining to your website's subject is a great way to generate links and traffic. But what if you can't write or are afraid to write? Well, if you can write software, you're still in luck! In this article I'll show you a trick that can still garner you hundreds of links and won't require you know the difference between adjectives and adverbs. Kick-Off Your Web Traffic Virus! Have you noticed lately how savvy webmasters are usingsimple, content-rich articles to pull-in more targeted*traffic* to their Web Site audience without spendinga dime on promotion or advertising?It's a fact: content is KING on the Internet. Heavytraffic Web Sites and BIG Newsletter directoriesare on the lookout for FRESH, original content inthe form of articles, interviews, news and reviews. How to Market Your Web Site Like Nobodys Business Fresh Web Content Yields Better Search Engine ResultsAll too often, companies, organizations, and self-employed individuals spend a great deal of time and resources launching their web sites. Once the site goes live, people seem to believe internet search engines will bring them the business they need. Promote Your Website - Link Popularity What is link popularity?The quantity of links in different websites pointing to your sites is called link popularity of your website. The more popular is your site the more links you get from other websites and vice versa. Viral Marketing Techniques Every Web Site Should Be Using Viral marketing can work wonders for any business,web site or product. It can be a great sourceof sales leads, one-way links and targeted traffic. Hunting For Online Directories - The In depth Strategy Directory marketing can help boost your companies performance a great deal. Not only will you get qualified leads for your business, your web site will also increase it's traffic ranking a tremendous amount. How to Set Up Your Own Free Ad-Tracking Links and 7 Reasons Why You Want To! Any time you use a URL in an Article, Web Page, Classified Ad, Pay Per Click ad or anyplace else you should always use Ad = Tracking Links. Not only will this Article show you how to build your own Ad-Tracker in 2 simple steps it will also tells you 7 reasons why you should always use Ad-TrackersBuilding a Tracking Link is as Simple as using a Free Web Site Counter with a Meta Tag Refresh Link. Whats The First Thing Your Prospects See When They Visit Your Website? I just reviewed a new website and I'm in shock. Or, maybe, I'm just depressed about my failure to convince people to do what I tell them so they can make money. Eight Simple Ways To Use Promotional Products Online With the increase competition on the Internet, it can be hard to find ways to make your company seem different from everyone else. One thing I believe Internet marketers are failing to utilize correctly is promotional products. Promote Your Website Using Newsgroups At present there are over 3.3 billion pages indexed by Google, and that definitely does not cover the entire Internet. Outsourcing Website Services - Can Your Business Benefit? Would it surprise you to know that Compaq Computer? outsources?How about Underwriters Laboratories?? Gateway Computers?? Yes, even the Chicagoland Area Chamber of Commerce?! I have been involved with projects involving each one of these companies.They all outsourced specific portions of their projects. Top 10 Tips to Make Your Web Site A Hit! Professionals in tend to under-estimate the power of the web to bring them business, and to bring them precisely the kinds of clients they want! And, a few, invest in a great web site, but then don't market it effectively! There are some wonderful sites that are virtually "hidden" out there on the web. Web marketing has one thing in common with other advertising: no matter how good the ad, it won't build your business unless lots of people see it. Why Running Contests Can Help You Attract and Retain Quality Community Members Assuming that it is legal to do so in your state or province, running a contest on your website or forum is a wise idea. Contests can promote goodwill, stimulate interest in your site, and bring quality visitors back to your site time and again. SEO - How Fast Do You Want To Get To The Top? Search engine optimization by some is considered a science and by others is a game. Recently working on many sites and promoting them for over six months now has made me realize some of the basic techniques. How to Get Directories to Submit Your Site - With this 5 Steps Guide! So you have completed that new site and want to start your site promotion campaign by getting listed in some directories? Well,definitely a good idea, because those directories will provide you the initial thrust needed for visibility of your web site. But then how do you find those directories to submit your site to?No need to despair! Help is at hand! , allow this simple 5 steps guide help you out with your campaign:1. Using Free For All Links Pages as an Effective Marketing Tool Free For All Links Pages have been given a bad name in recent history . The "green" internet marketer who posts to an FFA page and receives thousands of emails and very few sales for his efforts may find them too much of a hassle to deal with. Fight For Online Visibility Would you like to prevent Internet users from visiting your website? You may feel that you're asked a silly question. But then think about why so many investors are silently watching how their web projects are doomed to invisibility from the outset despite nobody wants to conceal his or her own website from the public. How Important are Back Links? When setting up your website for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on Google there are several factors you need to look at in order to obtain a high rank on their search engine. Of course your content and meta tags must be inline with positive density percentages and reciprocal links. Internet Promotion: 10 Incredible, Intriguing Ways To Increase Your Profits Are you making money from your website?Will you like to increase your profits?If yes, then pay a close attention buddy.Have I got good internet promotion secret news for you?1. |
home | site map | contact us |