Customer Service
  Written By Raven

I just received an email from a company whose message was twofold. The letter began with words of praise for themselves as a fresh, new company and thanks to all the little people who helped this fledgling provider begin the ladder climb to success. Expressing concern, the writer conveyed concern that nothing had been purchased and ended with a paragraph asking for input on what they could do to improve their store.

While I am certain this was a form letter, I responded. What I said, I will not repeat in this article. Not because I cursed or was ill mannered. I believe in being polite. This particular company lost my business with one arrogant sentence: "I don't need money that badly".

My favourite Chinese restaurant does not serve the finest cuisine. The food is edible, not spectacular; however, the atmosphere is outstanding. The hostess, who does not know my name nor I hers, hugs me every time I walk through the doors. She once gave me an ashtray I admired. The service I receive is on par with five star restaurants. I am a goddess in this place. My tips are generous and we eat there often.

Today, I got an ICQ from someone who asked me to check out their resource board. The board was so hilarious, I sent the link to my husband, who immediately registered. After twenty minutes or so, he asked me how long it took for me to get my confirmation email. Since mine was immediate, I figured something had gone wrong with his registration. I gave him the contact info. The email bounced. Doing a test email would have taken a few minutes. Not doing one cost this board a valuable contributor.

I had forgotten to purchase NFL Sunday Ticket this year. Both Tev and I have televisions in our offices and I asked him what game he was watching. That's when I realised my mistake. Immediately, impulsively, idiotically, I went to DirecTV's channel for ordering and rectified the error, not realising only my receiver would benefit. I called DirecTV. After being placed on hold for twenty minutes, I was assured that all would be fixed, the televisions would be mirrored and we would be able to watch football all over the house. They would call us back within fifteen minutes and all would be well in our worlds. An hour later, the games were well into play and we'd heard nothing. My early Christmas/Chanukah present to Tev was quickly becoming an annoyance. Finally, I gave up trying to wait them out. This was not a battle I was going to win. I called, figuring this situation was going to turn into a nightmare. I was wrong. My entertainment specialist, as they are called today, fixed the problem in four seconds flat and now my husband is happily ensconced in the den, pizza in one hand, the remote in the other, in football heaven. Because of her attitude, a letter will be written, praising her for service, condemning the tech who ignored me. I don't hold out much hope, that, DirecTV's service will improve. They would need to replace their workforce with thousands of operators, such as the one who cheerfully assisted me. These days, I'm not sure there are enough people out there who know how to give good service.

Customer service on the Internet is not so different than on Planet Earth. Walk into a store, get ignored by the sales person who is on the phone, in the closet, looking down or up, and the likelihood of your impulse buy has dwindled into a wisp, quickly forgotten. Had that same sales person walked up to you and just said hello, your shoulders would have become straighter and you would have preened from the attention. While there is no guarantee of a sale, the chances of you buying something increased.

I am more inclined to conduct business with someone who is willing to spend time with me, offer me incentives to build a relationship. A certain content provider calls me when he has what he thinks I might want. He remembers what I like. I am neither his largest customer nor his smallest. I fall somewhere in between. My account will not set his world on fire nor will it complete his retirement portfolio. When I go on a content hunt, I go to him first. My loyalty has grown over a period of time because he gave me his time and attention.

Building a customer base takes some talent. It's a slow cook process, not a quickie stir fry. Knowing the art of diplomacy helps. Being polite is a must. Although the customer isn't always right, arguing and cursing doesn't do much for a reputation or repeat sales. Compromise is a keyword to anyone who offers a service. I will spend hours on the phone with a potential client. The first phone call is always free. It gives me time to sell myself and my services. To ask someone to pay for my services blindly, to me, is not good business. Because of this practise, I have been retained by some who have never seen my work; but, I have offered them a glimpse into my character, which is often the deciding factor for many who are buying an intangible.

When you receive an email, how much time elapses before you reply? Nothing irritates me more than having to wait for an answer to a question. By the time I receive a response, I've already moved on. Also, what's up with the content providers who do not send me my password within a few hours? When I am on a content hunt, it's not because I enjoy looking at naked women. There's enough free stuff out there that don't require a user name and password. This is my job, to search out and buy content for the niche I'm marketing. Usually, I need the content now, not next week. By next week, every sponsor is launching my secret niche. There's an urgency I have in finding what I need for either myself or my clients. I have only so many hours in the day. I spend way too much time on this computer, as it is, like many of my fellow webmasters and webmistresses. Waiting for that password for longer than a few hours is more than I can stand. More importantly, making me wait doesn't say much about the person who really does need my business. No password. No content purchase. No content purchase. No money in the bank. No repeat buys. It's a cycle easily broken, just by responding in a timely manner.

If you say you're going to call someone, call them. Don't blow it off. Don't make excuses. Just make the call. Or write the email. I despise excuses, short of hospitalisation or death.

Running a successful business takes time. If you can't make the call, at least send an email, asking to reschedule. I can't tell you how many times I've sat around, waiting for a call, only to find out the next day I was forgotten or put off. The message I receive is that I am value less. I will certainly finish the job; but, I am not apt to work with that company again.

Most billing companies require pay sites to have customer support. I can't tell you how many sites I've joined, where the email support is either missing in action or goes to an incorrect address or simply doesn't exist. Does the term chargeback have resonance? Retention for members' sites means providing a means for the members to communicate with the site owner. Members have a tendency to leave a site, simply because the site owner fails to respond or there is no contact information. Members are a precious commodity these days. Keeping your customers satisfied for longer than the trial is hard work. Don't make your life impossible by skipping this one vital step in site maintenance. Providing customer support can mean the difference between having a good laugh over stupid questions and losing potential recurring income.

We are all sales people. No matter what the product, we are creating an environment for people to buy what we are selling. Offering quality customer support adds a necessary dimension to your sales potential.