How do you actively create loyal customers? Direct interaction with your customers might be one of the strongest factors in building a loyal customer base and driving return sales and higher conversion rates. Every business needs a support system for its customers, but the online stores that go above and beyond are the ones that are the most successful.
01: Train reps extensively on the product and industry trends.
Maybe you’re handling your customer support on your own, but if you have dedicated representatives, make sure they’re well versed in the industry you serve. That way, customers will find a higher level of trust.
02: Offer several channels for customers to get in touch.
Email support is a great feature to have for an online
retail store—but does it go far enough? For customers more accustomed to dealing with live representatives, offer live chat and phone support as secondary support options.
03: Check and double-check written correspondence.
In order to present your brand as professionally as possible, make sure all written support communication reflects a professional, communicative image. It helps when customers know they’re dealing with real, intelligent people.
04: Clearly display all customer support information on every page of your store.
Customers don’t want to dig through pages and pages of your site to find support contact information. To make it simple, place clearly marked email and phone contact information on every page of your site.
05: Define a response time for open tickets and email correspondence.
Whether the question is easy or difficult to answer, you don’t want to leave your customers hanging for too long or they’ll give up and take their business with them. Define a “do or die” response time for you and your team.
06: Craft a compelling “About Us” page to inspire customer loyalty and trust.
Consumers like dealing with real people. To inspire trust, put a face on your company by including names, pictures, biographical information and your company’s story on your “
About Us” page.
07: Make your customer service personal and memorable.
In the same vein, you’d like your customers to leave with smiles on their faces. Automated systems may buy you time, but you may lose a customer in the process. Be nice, personable and knowledgeable when speaking to customers directly.
08: Make your return policy as simple as possible.
Shop owners hate returns because they lose sales as a result—but wouldn’t you rather have a customer for life rather than a single sale? Make it simple to return items, and your customers will thank you.
