Whilst some people have poor customer service experiences with established online retailers, other less established ones have a dilemma on their hands:
- They can either provide “just as rubbish” customer service, in a race to the bottom
- They can provide much better customer service.
The problem with the former position is that most small businesses can’t compete with large businesses on price, whether or not, the customer service is any good.
The problem with the latter position is that, given the incredibly poor service people are used to from large organisations, they had difficulty convincing people:
- That they’re different from other organisations
- That better customer service is actually a benefit to them
Consider the following scenario:
Retailer messes up slightly and sends someone something *slightly* wrong – not very bad, but still something the customer is mildly annoyed about.
The customer may think that speaking to a customer service department is not worth their time (having branded them all the same), and they’ll just live with it being slightly wrong. However, they may vent their upset to social media, to their friends, and they’re unlikely to happily recommend the business. This is simply because the customer is worried that talking to someone would be more faff than it’s worth, however the end outcome is that everyone loses – the customer doesn’t get exactly what they want and the business loses a happy customer.
In an ideal scenario, the customer speaks to the customer service department, the customer service department reassures them that they’re absolutely right to get in touch, that something went wrong and the company will do something about it straight away, ideally not at the customer’s expense (both in money and time) at all.
If you can surpass the customer’s expectations here, you can really make an impact. For instance, if you’ve sent someone the wrong product, you could tell them to keep the product you sent (“because returning it is too much effort/not cost effective”), and you’ll send out the correct one by next day delivery. You probably wouldn’t get a chance to spend this much time talking to your customer unless they were buying something – customer service is really an opportunity to get to know your customer better and to make the best possible impression on them – a good impression will make a massive difference in whether or not they return.
A few weeks ago whilst shopping with a small retailer I’d never heard of, or used before, I found this statement in my emailed receipt:
“Thanks again for your custom. Don’t forget that we are much more than a faceless internet operation. You can call us at any time and speak to real human beings who will be pleased to help you! We look forward to being of service to you again in the near future.”
Which clearly shows what they’re trying to get across to their customers.
