Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I think most online companies forget there members/customers.When I started my online business over a year ago I decided that would be one thing I would not leave out and I have found that by me going the extra step for my members it has been a blessing not only have I made money,but I have gained friendship and respect  from the customers/members of my website.I started with nothing and now have a thriving online drop shipping business yes I have a good product and site but more so because I have received countless referrals from
existing members and now I pay absolutely nothing for advertising, and still I grow at 5-10 new members a week.Im saying this because I want people who are considering an online business to understand the importance of good customer service online. It is really the only way to go.



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Real Dropshipping Wholesale Business Builders
www.thepowersellersunion.net

You`d think this would be a "no brainer," and everyone would know that if you don`t help your customers, they`ll leave. And yet, so few companies care.

I believe it`s because many people have no concept that other people actually live, breathe, have thoughts and wants, or anything. "Customers" seems to be a way to modify a human being from a living person into a unit of nature....like rocks or trees.

"Get customers" seems to mean "buy trees" or "collect rocks." It has nothing to do with persuading a real person to join in a venture. Instead, many business owners see it as somehow grabbing possession of "something" undefined.

There`s a world of difference between "getting customers" and "attracting customers."

I feel the same way. I get so irritated when I need some type of customer support. Before I make a call, or send a e-mail, I take a deep breath because I know I am in for a headache. Customer service is the most important part of my business. I get most of my refferals because of customer service.  For good or for bad, people talk. It's good to know that when they talk about me, they are happy with the results.  Customer service is something that has gone by the wayside in this day and age.  Big business altogether lacks any type of customer service.  It's good to see people who still have values, and see their customers as people, not dollar signs.

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Josh Appling, Certified Accountant: fayetteville accountants providing nationwide payroll services you can count on!

I agree with all of the above. I think the missing link in businesses now days with regards to customer service is the Corporate Culture or atmosphere.

There is an old joke of a person hires a new secretary after firing his old secretary. During the interview the business owner asks how much she was looking at earning for her services. The interviewee indicates $8.75 an hour.. The business owner, (knowing the last secretary was getting $10.75 an hour) said with Pleasure! Not to short change herself the employee said "With Pleasure will be $10.75 an hour":D

My point is, how can you get your employees to do their job.. with pleasure, that is the only way you will get genuine customer service. Now days i think companies need to focus on their Company culture and atmosphere and in turn, they will also be taking care of their customers.

One of the advantages of small businesses is providing the best personalized customer service.  There's really no reason why any online company shouldn't have some form of customer service. Especially with the way the economy is now.

This is an area where we can "out shine" big business.  We can respond to customer's needs more quickly, with no red tape.  We can make decisions without the customer going up the food chain to supervisors and managers.

If your business can find a way to provide the best service to their customers, the consumers will not forget this, and likely continue business.  Same holds true with bad service.  In this instance, the consumers will not come back, and will definately tell  20+ people about their negative experience.

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Stacie's Gifts

StaciesGifts.com

Online Shopping Tips and Advice

I agree that many companies leave out a key component for business sucess and that is customer service.

However being a small business owner is challenging enough and then the add the stress of customer support it can be overwhelming.  Lets be honest who wants to go through hundreds of emails that ask pretty much the same questions everyday? It is tiring and uninspiring.

I believe that customer service should not only make your customers happy but it should work for you as the business owner too.

check out www.responseque.com it provides an easy solution for many small online business owners. It provides the freedom to answer questions without logging in to software and it stores all customer inquires in a database so that if a similar question is asked by a customer the stored answer will be displayed for the customer to decide if the stored answer will sufficently answer their questions. If it does not only then will the question be forwarded on to you the business owner.

Check it out! It may be your perfect solution

www.responseque.com

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"Care for your customer and they will return...care for your merchandise and they won't."

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Looking For A Web Design Company That Makes You Money? Web Design Gold Coast

You're absolutely right. Customer service is what separates good companies from bad ones, at least in the eyes of customers.

A few years back, I owned a lead generation company. That industry is notorious for bad customer service, so we decided to be different and offer excellent customer service. As a result, we had some of the best, most loyal customers in the business and the only thing we did to make them unhappy was telling them we sold the company.

With that said, some customers make it really difficult to be nice. They have many reasons for being unhappy, none of which may have anything to do with your business. Sometimes their business may be doing poorly and they're looking for someone to blame. Or they may have had a fight with someone else before calling you. Or they're just a sour person. I've experienced all of these and more. 

We trained our customer service reps to be as patient as possible and not take anything personally. If they felt like they were getting frustrated, they had permission to say, "Let me put you on hold for a minute and check on something really fast. I'll be right back." Then they were instructed to vent to me or a co-worker or go out in the hall and scream. When they came back, they were able to be nice even when the customer wasn't. It's important to take a step back and realize it's not personal, it's business.

Of course, we did have to fire a few customers because they were so difficult, and as you might expect, they were the ones who didn't pay their invoices on time....

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JP Stonestreet Author of Web To Rich Don't make a living...make a million!

I've had several different businesses and found a direct correlation between customer service and profits. Being "nice" and just trying to serve customers WILL make you more money in the long run, even if it doesn't seem like it all the time.

 

http://www.entrepreneur-stories.com

 

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Learn How to Be Your Own Boss http://www.entrepreneur-stories.com

Of course you are right  , the customer service is best way to extend no matter what kinds of business  .

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cellphone accessories and replacement etc .