| In the tough eRetail market, customer service can make or break loyalty and bottom-line results. Susan Macri, Vice President of Client Services at eSupportNow, a provider of online customer care solutions, is making sure that her customer service representatives cross their virtual Ts and dot their virtual Is to put each client's best face forward. "Our client partners know that etiquette isn't just something extra; it's an essential part of caring for a customer. So much of customer service today happens via written communications, whether e-mail or chat; the wrong tone, an answer that's buried, these things can send a customer clicking over to nextstore.com. Online etiquette is essential to assuring customer loyalty, and we take it very seriously," says Marci. eSupportNow has compiled the following list of golden rules for online etiquette: The customer isn't just right, she's right now. No communication, e-mail, interactive chat or even the basic phone conversation should ever begin with ``no'' or ``we can't.'' Always ask yourself, ``What more could I do to satisfy this customer?'' Set the tone. Tone is particularly important in live, 24/7, real time chat (one of eSupportNow's key offerings) where the questions and answers mirror a verbal communication. The tone should reflect the clients site vision and product to maintain a consistent brand identity. The customer's tone should also serve as a guide. For example, if a customer signs a first name, the salutation should use the first name too. Mind Your Ps & Qs. No matter how light the tone, improper spelling and grammar are inexcusable; they make a company look unprofessional and a customer service representative look careless. Know whereof you speak. There's nothing ruder than babbling on about something you don't know well, or providing misinformation. Make sure anyone communicating with customers masters the company and its offerings. Get personal--appropriately. Standardized responses help ensure consistent, accurate answers to frequently asked questions. But no one likes to receive an obviously standardized response, where, for example, the answer to the question posed is buried in sales jargon. Tailor each answer to the question posed, the preceding exchanges, and other cues. Don't get too personal. When representing a company, you aren't writing personal e-mails. Use ``we'' instead of ``I.'' Avoid Dodge Ball. No one likes having a question dodged. Begin each response by acknowledging and addressing the issue posed, even if most of the reply will be standardized. Smile while you chat. Smiling while you type helps inspire pleasant, thoughtful communication, but don't blur the line between upbeat and cutesy. Emoticons--using keys to convey a smile or other sentiment--are unprofessional and can be off-putting. Similarly, use sentence case, rather than lapsing into all lower case type, or screaming with all upper case. I'll get right back to you--Someday. An auto reply--letting customers who pose a question know that it was received and that someone will get back to them shortly--can be helpful, but don't make the customer wait too long, two to three hours at most. Begin and end on the right note. Make your subject line crystal clear, and develop an appropriate tag line to leave the reader with a positive last thought about the company.
Your Opinion!
We use your feedback to determine potential future research and to provide analysis on industry events.Do you have any key etiquette rules?......click here for our online opinion form or email us using this link: mailto:feedback@eretailnews.com? Source:eSupportNow FREE NEWSLETTER, click here |
