 |
About the Author
Mitch (@mitchellharper) is the co-founder and CEO of BigCommerce. Way back in 2007 he built what eventually became BigCommerce as you know it. Today he runs the company alongside Eddie and along with our 100+ team members, is passionate about helping businesses succeed with e-commerce. Mitch spends time between our Sydney and Austin offices and is giving the keynote at TechConnect 2012 in Sydney on April 19th. |
Having the faith to spend a little more time with your current customers and a little less time getting business can be hard, but it’s the right thing to do. If you take care of your customers, they will be more inclined to both come back and send you referrals when you ask them to. Here are some ways to make sure you can always do a good job so your customers will always stay loyal to you:
- Offer live chat on your site. People are going to have questions about your products. If you offer live chat on your site, you can answer these questions for these customers. If many customers have the same question, you can include this information on your site so as to help others coming in.
- Be clear on your return policy and/or terms and conditions, and make these clearly visible on your site. Misunderstandings happen. You might think these will scare away, but they will prevent situations that could cause serious issues that take up both your and your customer’s time.
- Use surveys. A lot of the time, your customers will voice their opinion if you just ask them to. Email surveys and including a link to a survey on emails or receipts may offer the feedback you need to really impress current and future customers. You could even include a “comment box” on your website with a contact form the same way brick-and-mortar merchants do.
- Use personal touches. Sign emails with your name. Include a hand-written note with every order. Customers should know that you aren’t just a shop looking for a cheap buck. Let them know you care about their satisfaction with your products.
- Take your complaints seriously. A lot of companies dismiss complaints and figure they’ll make it up by getting new customers. Guess what? Word-of-mouth can be very powerful, so choose your words wisely. What could be an opportunity for you to step up and make someone very satisfied can just as easily turn into hateful reviews across the web.
- Be accessible. Have your phone number on your site as well as a contact form.
It can be hard to keep a customer’s best interest in mind when they are mad, but doing so can turn enemies into advocates. Using these tips can ensure your customers always stay loyal to you and tell their friends that you can be trusted.
Try BigCommerce free for 15 days and see why it's loved by over 10,000 successful businesses.
