I was just watching the "Today" show, and they had a segment on the death of customer service. They snuck some reporters into a few well-known retail stores to see how they were treated by staff. The service ranged from downright apalling to very, very good. But more often than not, it seemed to be average to poor.
So is customer service really dead? The truth is that it can't be. There's too much competition, and customers need to feel valued. Most of us would rather pay $2 more for a better experience in the supermarket than be miserable for the hour we have to spend there.
The bottom line, in both the offline world and the online world, is that customer service is key. Give someone a good experience and they'll keep coming back. A bad experience and they won't. And people will drive miles for a better ahopping experience. (I know I'll avoid Walmart in favor of Target, no matter what the distance. Walmart may be cheaper, but Target's always got five times as many cashiers and more nerve-friendly lighting. Stupid, but it makes a difference!) And of course, as they say, with a good experience, a customer will tell a friend. With a bad experience, they'll tell *everybody.*
While this seems like a no-brainer to anyone who's worked in the offline world as anything from a cashier to a consultant, somehow, people forget how this works online.
eCRM is nothing more than the online equivalent of a well-trained retail staff. "Customer Relationship Management" - pretty self-explanatory.The staff greets you at the door. They help you find what you need, and they know about the inventory. They say goodbye and thank you, and they get in touch with you if the speakers that perfectly compliment your new flatscreen go on sale in two weeks so you can get them at a discount.
At the risk of going all girly on you, the perfect example of this is my Clinique saleslady. Every time I buy something from her, she gives me a free sample of something else (whether it's "gift time" or not.) She sends a postcard or calls me personally when there's a new product she thinks I'll like or when gift time is coming up. And as a result of her great efforts, I'll only buy Clinique at her store and only on Wednesdays and Sundays, when I know she's there. It's worth it for a smile and a free lipstick.
I'm not sure where all of this gets lost online. It's the same thing.
It starts with the user experience on your site. Make things easy to find. Have help readily available. Make your copy friendly and appropriate, and provide adequate, easy-to-understand descriptions of your products and services. Be a Target instead of a Walmart. Make it pleasant, and make checking out just as easy and pleasant as the rest of the shopping trip.
The experience should continue even after they've purchased. Email a receipt that warmly and sincerely expresses your gratitude for their purchase, and give them highly visible (and truly reachable) contact information for customer service, should they need it. Clearly print your reasonable return policy.
Allow them to opt-in (that's IN not OUT) for further information. Should they choose to opt-in, email them about once monthly to offer them relevant discounts and new products. Always make them feel understood and valuable. After all, they're your customers (or prospects). They *are* valuable.
Now really, is that so hard?
(...User Experience Queen, please feel free to put your $.02 in!)
