Small Business Websites

If you're new here, sign up (to the right) to be notified of any new posts and learn more about websites and marketing! Thanks for visiting!

When you are running a business, whether it be offline or online, you know how important your customers are. Without them there is no business. Good customer service should be your number one priority. But if you are running an online business, customer service may be a little more challenging for you.

In the online world, you do not see your customer face to face. Most of the communication takes place by email or the occasional phone call. That it why it is vitally important that you check your email daily. In fact, you should check your email more than once a day. You simply cannot run an online business without paying close attention to email.  If you are unable to do this, you may need to rethink how you do business online.  An email from a customer is the equivalent of a customer walking into your store. You wouldn’t ignore them if they came into your store and you shouldn’t ignore them if they send you an email.

Now let’s talk a little more about email communication. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind when communicating with your customers. First of all, be professional. When you are sending emails to your customers avoid the use of computer slang.  Do not use abbreviations such as LOL (laugh out loud). Never send an email that contains text messaging abbreviations. This looks very unprofessional and your customers may not appreciate it.

Before you send your emails, make sure that you proofread them very carefully. Check for spelling errors. It’s a good idea to read the email out loud to see how it flows. Does it make sense? Are there areas that could be improved for clarity?

It is also important to remember that when you are sending emails, your customer cannot hear your tone of voice. Be careful of how you word your sentences. Sometimes your emails can sound rude or condescending when you did not mean them to be. This is another good reason to proofread out loud.

Do not give a template answer to a question. This will make your customer run the other way. He will think that once he orders from you, that’s it, you are no longer accessible. Answer every email with honest answers and address the customer by name. This will make him feel more secure with your services.

If you have a customer that is sending you rude or threatening emails because he is unhappy with your product or service, resist the temptation to respond in a threatening manner. Be courteous and professional at all times. Cheerfully offer to give a refund and apologize. Do not stoop to his level.

Your customer is your most important asset to your online business. When you are doing business by email just remember to respond promptly. Be courteous and professional at all times and you will have some very happy customers.

Popularity: 29% [?]