The 2nd Stage of Customer Service
May 23rd, 2007
Throughout my time at university I was forced to use one of the major banks here in Canada (forced because they held my student line of credit). Going into a branch to do some banking was more painful than getting a root canal done!
It didn’t matter which branch I went to, what time of the day it was, or even which city I was in.
Each and every visit was a long drawn out process that practically required me to leap over the counter and do the transaction myself as the teller seemed completely inept.
As soon as I graduated, I went to another bank and was able to transfer over my line of credit. I was beyond ecstatic that I wouldn’t have to deal with the incompetency anymore.
I seriously considered ceremoniously burning my bank card…but in the end I cut it up and tossed it away…
In my previous posting I explained that customer service must be thought of as a 3 step process. The first step is the pre-sale, or pre-purchase stage.
Here, the customer can require anything from no time to lots of time to find his or herself in a position where they feel comfortable or knowledgeable enough to make the purchase.
The second stage begins as soon as the sales transaction has been completed. What will set you and your business apart online from all the others (who are competing with you to capture the attention and convince the customer to part with his or her hard-earned money) is the way that you treat your customers.
There will always be products that are cheaper than yours, the same price as yours, or even more expensive than yours.
There will always be products that may be perceived by the customer as ‘better’ than yours.
The best way to discriminate or separate yourself from your competition is to treat your customers better than they do.
Customer service is not just about making sure that you honor your refund policy (besides you don’t want people to request refunds!). It is about establishing a relationship with your customers, fostering a rapport, building trust.
You begin to establish this relationship during the pre-sale phase and continue it after the customer has made their purchase through to even after the purchase has been made and time has passed- but I am getting ahead of myself here, stay with me ‘til stage 3 and you will see what I mean…
Your first opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to the relationship you have with your customer is in the second stage which happens immediately after the sale has been made.
A Thank-you Page is not optional- it is MANDATORY. (As a side note: Matthew suggests using the Thank-you Page as another opportunity to make a sale).
Someone just ‘gave’ you their money- ok, ok, I know it is in exchange for a good or service, but think about every time your wallet becomes a little lighter…you probably know that you like it very much when someone thanks you for your patronage.
A short email, sent to the customer after they have made their purchase is something that Matthew insists upon.
The goal with this email is not only to say ‘Hey, thanks for buying my product’. It is also to let the customer know that you are available if they need you.
While thanking the customer, be sure to let them know how they can get a hold of you if they require further assistance.
This is especially true if you know that the product that you sold may require technical assistance (the internet has been around for awhile now, but there are still people who may not know how to download something in a link you send, or have lost their password etc.).
Next week’s entry will be the final in this series and will deal with THE FUBB. Stay tuned for that!
Christine
P.S. As always, please leave me feedback…is this topic of interest to you?
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- The FUBB – Part 3 of The Stages of Customer Service
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- Blogging to the Bank
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10 comments to “The 2nd Stage of Customer Service”
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Stephanie Says:
Thanks Christine . . . it’s nice to see it broken down into stages, and not just generic talk about having ‘good customer service’.
I like the idea of letting the customer know on the thank you page and followup email that you’re not going to disappear into the night, but that they can reach you. Gives them confidence, instead of regret, in their decision.
Micheal Savoie Says:
Customer service is always making the customer feel like they are the most important person in the world.
Sam Walton said, “exceed your customers’ expectations,” and I have to agree. You walk into a Kmart and a Walmart and the two experiences are exact opposites. Walmart has bred into the company culture a predisposition for making a customer feel like they are more important than anyone else in the store at that moment!
As Internet Marketers, we need to follow that methodology, because there are thousands of others out there who want to sell our customers the same product. How we treat our customers determines whether they buy from us, and buy again.
Thanks, Christine!
Micheal Savoie
http://spacebuttons.net
http://productinaweekend.com
Jina H. Says:
Hi Christine, I run a “brick and mortar” landscaping installation and design business and I can attest to the fact that the customer service process you’ve outlined here could help any kind of company (whether online or offline) set themselves apart as being genuinely better than their competition. We use a similar approach to caring for our landscape clients and it works because while our competition is going around town garnering a bad reputation for being “rip-off artists”, we receive so many referrals we’re constantly having to hire additional staff to keep up. Thank you for providing me with even more helpful tips we can add to our existing client care process! You are right Christine — we *owe* it to our clients to prove to them, with our actions, exactly how much we care every step of the way. Thanks again,
Jina Henry, Co-Founder
Natural & Relaxing Landscapes, LLC
44 Cook St, Suite 100
Denver, CO 80209
(303) 239-0335
http://www.NaturalAndRelaxing.com
Mary Ridenour Says:
Thank you so much for reinforcing customer service. As for myself, I know that I like it when I get an occasional email from someone I have done business with that simply asks how I’m doing. Especially if they aren’t selling something every time I hear from them. Maybe we should look at it as a friendship we are building. If you had a choice between making a purchase from a business associate or a friend which would you choose? I have one such person I deal with. Right from the beginning he has answered every email I sent him-personally-a lot of times within minutes. When I check emails I open his first because if he is recommending something I want to make sure I go thru him before someone else. I am trying to follow his example. When you write an email or article try and approach it as if you were writing your best friend a letter.
Just a thought,
Mary Ridenour
http://internetsuccess.buildreferrals.com
Rens Says:
Hey Christine,
I have to say that I agree with the people that left a comment before me. Customer support IS important and since I’m kinda FAN
of Metthew and his products I have experienced the nice customer support he has 
.
However, I do have a question about customer support and maybe it’s something you can adress at some time. You see, I just start out in internet marketing and I tend to start in affiliate marketing so I do not own any product (yet).
So in the “first stage” I can do my part in the customer support, but can I -as an affiliate marketer- do something about the customer support in the second and third stage?
Look at this question as me (the affiliate marketer) already having collected the name and email of the customer and the customer already having made the purchase through my link. Is there something I can do at this point as a matter of support?
And as a bonus I’ll ask another question, maybe this is a good idea for a product or maybe you can recommend a good product to me about this…
What I’m talking about here is HOW exactly to build a better relationship with your people on the opt-in list. Apart from the customer support off course, because I think there is more to it, isn’t there?
Well that’s a long one…
Thanks for the great information,
Rens Baggermans
The Netherlands
John Says:
Excellent Mathew
I be veiwing in some more customer support is very important in any business.
Yes its true if you have excellent support people feel they are not cheated and will more likely buy or better yet recommend your service.
to others your right on track .
Excellent.
John Martinez
eMarket Outsourcing.
Daniel Tetreault Says:
Wow, great content. I will definitely implement this in my own company and dealings with customers over the internet.
I love the way you conceptualize everything, Mathew. I always leave your blog with ideas that stick in my mind and an action plan to implement these great ideas or concepts…and I can easily teach these CONCEPTS to my downline members.
Thanks, Mathew/Team!
Sincerely,
Daniel
GDI-Training,
Owner/Director of Marketing
http://www.gdi-training.ws
John Says:
It never ceases to amaze me of the customer service or rather, “The lack of it”, I get from all walks of shopping bricks & mortar business.
You walk into a grocery store and the place is full of customers yet only two cash registers out of maybe 10 are operational.
I customer had this to say to me in my bakery - Quote, I went to xxxxxxmore Friday and only two sales agents were on yet the line up was deep on each one. She said to the girl - can you get another cashier, I mean if I wanted to wait a half hour to get out of here I’d have gone to the Superstore” Unquote.
Again customer service could have gotten her back to buy her bread,
Now she is MY customer!
RJ Says:
Christine,
You are an inspiration and have made some very valid points. I appreciate your entries.
RJ
John Antaya Says:
Very good article on service to customers. In a lot of business today there seems to be a big lack of customer service and this is one part of marketing that cannot be overlooked.
Thank You for reinforceing this point.
John