When it comes to the so-called real world of commerce, and the ups and downs of the shopping experience in a “brick-and-mortar” store, a customer usually has the opportunity to hunt down a salesperson to help them with their questions and concerns. On the Internet, the so-called virtual world, that is not clearly a viable option. So how can online businesses provide quality customer service while doing all the other zillion things required of an online company? Truth be told, it might not be as difficult as you think.

There are many ways to keep customers satisfied with solid customer service skills that do not take a lot of hard work or waste time. Instead of making a list with “do” on one side and “don’t” on the other, let’s just work through this subject logically, starting with what successful companies are really doing to keep their customers satisfied. The major no-no’s will be highlighted too, of course, with examples from both online and offline businesses. The things learned in the real world can usually be adapted, sometimes quite easily, for use in the virtual one.

From chatting to mining

One of the most effective ways that many companies provide top-level service is with the “live chat,” which is at the top of any net company’s “do” list these days. In a live chat, the customer can interact directly, in real time, with your customer service representative (CSR), just like on a phone call – except they are communicating with their computers, with the customer typing in questions that the CSR can answer in a matter of seconds.

A slightly more controllable version of the instant message systems, like AOL Instant Messenger, a live chat session is becoming a very important tool for online retailers. Live chat also provides the raw material for another important member of the “do” list, since the text messages can be easily archived and used for various sorts of “data mining” projects.

Turning text into tools

When large numbers of CSR contacts are examined for patterns, you can end up finding out about product problems, billing discrepancies and other anomalies, as well as develop training material for other CSR’s. Recordings of phone calls are much more difficult to “repurpose” into usable information. And there’s a “don’t” for you, too – don’t even try archiving phone calls, there’s no point, except to satisfy certain legal requirements under special conditions.

Another critical customer service tool is order tracking, which goes hand in hand with live chat in many of the well-integrated CSR systems being used today. Modern databases and computers can provide CSR’s with masses of information about the customers, their accounts, purchases, problems, warranties, payment history and everything else. Just having piles of data does nothing for you, however, so one of the less talked-about crucial things to do is have a great programmer and IT expert in the firm to make all the data usable for service operations.

Human and computer support

Support ticket applications, another good “do” list entry, are pretty straightforward. When customers visit your site with a problem to resolve, they can simply click a support link and will be asked to enter the pertinent order information. The support software will forward your customers’ responses, as well as the other related and necessary information you need to resolve the issue. The final resolution for your customers can be e-mailed in full, or the customer can be sent an e-mailed link with which to log back into the support area. Either way, they will receive a swift response, including all the proper return or exchange instructions. This system is particularly useful if you have a large number of customers.

Up close and personal

If all else fails, of course, there is always the telephone. Although it can be expensive and somewhat time-consuming to offer full-time phone support, sometimes it really is the best way to stay “up close and personal” with customers and clients. On the phone, often you can work out in two or three minutes what it might take several chats sessions or multiple emails to achieve. Offering at least some phone support is another important member of the “do” list, and “don’t” forget it.

Customers do appreciate live phone support because it adds the personal touch to an e-business. The fact is, the things you “don’t” do in offline customer support are the same things that online businesses should avoid. You do not want to antagonize your customers, make them wait when they shouldn’t, promise what you can’t deliver or ignore their feelings. In the “human to human” part of the business equation, what you do online to service your customers isn't really that different from what any traditional, storefront business would do for customer support. Take care of your customers, they will keep coming back to take care of business. That’s the bottom line.

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