It is no secret that e-commerce is big business – and getting bigger all the time. Some 1.3 billion people throughout the world, including 215 million in the United States, are turning to the Internet to get information and make purchases. Those people represent a huge market for your products and services.
The appeal of the Internet for consumers is speed and convenience. The appeal for businesses is its affordability as a sales and marketing tool and the worldwide competitive opportunity it provides, no matter the size or the location of those companies.
The Internet is a mixed blessing, however. Too many companies are focusing on technology and ignoring the human aspect. They do not understand that, in order to be successful at e-commerce, they must provide e-service.
E-service is speed, price and technology, all built around service. It is the glue that holds the e-commerce process together. E-service means your Web site does not crash and that customers are recognized when they log onto your site. It means you respond to customer e-mails quickly and that you deliver products and services in a timely manner. If you don’t combine technology with a hefty dose of customer service, your competitors will eat you alive.
Technology will never replace the need for good customer service. Customers want the service that is generally associated with traditional shopping. Put another way, if your online customers can make purchases from you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, they also expect you to provide good service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Providing that service is a unique challenge, however, because customers walk through your virtual, not physical, doors. They cannot see your welcoming smile or feel your firm handshake, so you must do everything in your power to give your Web site a human identity.
So, how do you provide e-service? It is not as difficult as you might think. First, you must understand how and why consumers and companies use the Internet. Many potential customers visit several Web sites to gather information before making a decision on where to spend their money. And yet all too often, when they request that information, they are ignored.
Let me give you an example. Last fall, I was considering changing the firm I use to optimize our Web site in the rankings of search firms. I contacted the top five such firms in the United States and said I was going to make a decision on a new firm within a week. I included my name, title, e-mail address and telephone number. Not one of those companies bothered to respond. That is not unusual; I estimate that about 95 percent of e-commerce companies do not respond to requests for information or help.
Therein lies the first step you can take to provide good service – and to increase your revenue. You must respond quickly to customers and potential customers, meaning within minutes, not days or weeks. If you are the first to respond to a request, your chances of landing that customer and growing your business increase dramatically. Amazon.com and Hewlett-Packard are masters at responding. If you send an e-mail to either company and ask that someone call you, your phone will ring within 30 seconds.
You also must make it easy for customers to contact you. I am amazed at how many companies doing business on the Internet try to hide from their customers. They do not include a telephone number or e-mail or street address, making it all but impossible for customers to contact them if they have a problem. Two-way communication is non-existent. Nothing will turn away customers more quickly than businesses that are unavailable to help them.
The payoff for Amazon.com simple – it is the role model for any company doing business on the Internet. It knows the value of service and, as a result, has reaped great financial rewards. Amazon.com’s 2007 sales were $14.8 billion, a 38.5-percent increase over 2006. Customers can place their orders 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can get recommendations on books and music, sign up for personal notification services, and get an almost immediate response to their requests. You would do well to visit Amazon.com’s Web site, study it, and try to replicate its customer-service strategies.
You also must hire, train and retain people who can drive the service that will keep your customers coming back to you. Sure, you need to hire techies, people who will keep your Web site running at optimum levels. But you also need to staff your business with people who can provide the human touch that is critical to retaining your customers. That includes people to man your telephones and provide information and help when customers request it.
The Internet is the great equalizer. It allows small companies to compete with giant corporations throughout the world and consumers to purchase what they want from whomever they want, whenever they want. On the other hand, the Internet also has increased competition for customers. If you combine technology with highly trained customer-service people, you will have a magical combination – and you will succeed. •
John Tschohl, a customer-service strategist, has been instructing and motivating employees, managers, supervisors and company CEOs for 35 years. His Web site is www.JohnTschohl.com.
