Three Methods for Better Customer Relations

Any online business owner understands the importance and complexities of customer support.  The process of fielding customer inquires, getting a staff member to follow through on them and making sure the issues are wrapped up properly is a time consuming and costly task.  A thorough support system requires many elements and this article will introduce you to three essential methods you may want to consider.

1.) Support Tickets

One of the most affordable and effective customer support solutions is the ticket system.  This type of application allows customers to open up an official case, submit their questions or concerns, and a member of the support team to take care of it.  Such a system can be very cost effective because all it takes is a few employees to handle the communications.  These systems are also generally easy to use and can be integrated to your existing support system.

While a support ticket system can definitely be useful, it may not be the best tool for developing personalized relationships with your customers.  The communication can be slower than some may like, especially when queries are being submitted from another time zone. Therefore, while it is good to have a ticket system, this tool cannot be relied on alone.  In the time-sensitive, fast paced internet world we live, the delay in response could result in loss sales and profits for your online business.

2.) Live Chat

If you’re looking for a way to better interact with your customers, then live chat is the way to go.  This feature has become quite popular in recent times as the world moves faster towards full-fledged automation and on-demand services.  While it may be a financial disadvantage from the aspect of needing physical resources to communicate, live chat is something that can take your customer relations to the next level.  This is a feature loved by customers as they can get help in real-time and instant feedback to their queries, which could result in faster sales for you.

3.) Automated Response Systems

Like many areas of the business, the easiest way to lower your customer support expenses is to automate processes and cut out large chunks of related costs involved.  This can be done with an automatic response system.  Recently introduced to the customer service field, these systems provide a way for you to cut down on overhead without leaving your customers out in the cold.  Such solutions range from systems that are quite expensive and require programming skills to create scripts that accurately analyze text queries and send back automated responses, to simple and affordable features like autoresponders that automatically respond to general queries when you’re away.  Your customers are able to get responses almost instantly while you can save money on the salaries in your support department.

Support is one area in which you must give careful consideration to numerous elements in order to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction.  If at all possible, you should try to implement all three of the solutions mentioned in this article.  Although cost is always an issue, you never want to ignore the customers who are responsible for your profits and the business itself.