Once all the holiday shopping is done and the gifts are unwrapped and put away – you might think it’s time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor — not yet! There’s still the after-the-sale service, and cutting corners here could make your company and website memorable, for all the wrong reasons!
So how do you deliver great after-sales service online? Just follow these tips to make sure those holiday shoppers you worked so hard to get come back again – and not just for the holidays!
1. How Long Does the Guarantee Last? Many online stores offer anywhere from 7 day to lifetime returns. See what others in your industry are doing or break the mold and try a longer guarantee.
Even though you’d think this gives your buyers a free pass to take advantage of the policy, studies have shown that the longer the guarantee, the less likelihood of returns. Those that actually abuse the policy are few and far between – and you probably don’t want them as returning customers anyway.
2. Be Clear About What Isn’t Included – Some items simply can’t be returned. Be clear about this up through the checkout process and again in the customer’s order confirmation email. Letting customers know what items are excluded doesn’t actually lessen their chances of buying as you might think.
In fact, having a strong guarantee and letting them know of limitations up front will show that you’re a credible business with a reputable guarantee with reasonable conditions. In cases like these, many retail stores offer exchange of the item for store credit or for the exact item if the original was damaged. Can your online store do the same?
3. If You Offer a Service – it may be difficult, if not impossible to put a guarantee on it beyond workmanship or a certain number of days. Beyond that, you could consider offering additional training or limited support after a specific time period. Try to find out what made your customer want to get a refund for the service. The underlying reason may simply be that they haven’t learned enough about how to use it or take advantage of it properly – in which case you can take actionable steps to correct the problem to the customer’s satisfaction. Don’t forget though, there are going to be instances where you simply have to say no. Click here to find out what those are.
4. What People Remember Most isn’t the service itself, or the item they purchased, or the warranty or guarantee behind it. They remember how smoothly you handled the situation, suggestions you made to remedy or exchange the item, or how prompt your communication was during the process.
While your competitors may be resting on their laurels after the holiday rush is over, you can give your customers (and theirs!) more reasons to do business with you by making sure your after-sales service is as flawless as all the efforts you’ve taken to bring the buyer this far. Good luck!
If you’d like to read the entire 5-part Holiday E-Commerce Tips series, it’s now available as a downloadable PDF. You’re welcome to share and print this guide as long as no part of it is changed. Enjoy!
Tags: christmas ecommerce, christmas web site, holiday ecommerce website, holiday marketing tips
I think the customer service is one of the absolute most important aspect of selling an item or service. The 4 topics you talked about above are great and would definitely keep me as a customer!