In all my years of business marketing and consulting, it still amazes me how so many companies, large and small miss the mark in one key area: customer service. WTH? So, here is my priceless advice if you sell stuff online.
Measure Your Customer Satisfaction
Come on, people! It’s just not that hard. You don’t even have to go the extra mile; just the one will do.
Be honest with yourself, have you or those that work for you become lazy or complacent about checking your customer satisfaction levels? You can NEVER fail to collect and monitor your customer satisfaction metrics. Do you think Amazon ever rests on its laurels? Stop checking your customer satisfaction levels, and you’ll be opening the doors wide for your competitors to take your customers.
The Devil Is In The Details
You work so hard on getting your online business built up. Your beautiful photos, well-written content, great products, all the advertising and referrals, and the SEO has finally kicked in for you. Your online store has accurate real-time inventory in stock and seamless navigation. The customer prospects arrived, and they started buying! Hooray and hallelujah. Congratulations. Now all you have to do is get them what they want ASAP and cash the check. Right?
Follow-up And Follow Through
Well, then why are you having to call or email customers that you are out of stock on something? Why wasn’t inventory current?
Why do you advertise same-day shipping, and yet the tracking info sent to the buyer indicates the order hasn’t left the warehouse two or more days later? WTH?
When was the last time you asked a customer about their experience with your online business? Why aren’t you asking every single customer? When’s the last time you checked online reviews for your business? What are the current customer satisfaction metrics telling you about your business? You do know all this, right? Be honest.
Demand Pinpoint Accuracy And Execution
Look, this is your livelihood. Get off your butt and get back to basics. Bleed customer satisfaction profusely, and it will pay you back exponentially. Keep your inventory accurate! If you find that online stock levels don’t match what’s on hand, figure out why this is happening and fix it. It costs you more than you know to frustrate your soon-to-be ex-online buyers.
More, Better, Faster, Repeat
Make sure that the instant an order is purchased, you fulfill faster than you promised. Amazon and Walmart, and my little Auto Parts store across town, have figured out how to ship and deliver the same day! For free! That’s your competition. How can you allow a colossal corporation to beat you in Customer Service? WTH? Be better. You are small, agile, personal, and you have a huge advantage over big companies if you only realize it. Pick the order accurately, and pack it with care along with a small token of thanks! Now, get that parcel in the hands of the carrier like someone’s life depends on it. Seriously.
Communicate With Your Customer Like They Are Your Beloved Neighbor!
Now be sure to let you customer know their goodies are on their way and give them the ability to track progress. Make sure you look to be certain it arrives on the “expected” delivery date. If the parcel doesn’t arrive on time, get busy and find out why. Communicate with your customer about the situation. Make sure they know you care! Be fierce and relentless about getting your customer satisfaction. Please don’t stop until they tell you that you have their satisfaction.
Congratulations. This is how empires are built. Seriously. Now go forth and get it done.
