GREAT Customer Service is a MUST!
Customer Service is defined as the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.
Giving GREAT Customer Service is soooooooooooooooooooo IMPORTANT!! Did you know that providing great customer service is the best way to promote repeat business? Happy customers will come back for more, and bring their friends too!
You will be a more successful seller by applying these simple customer service tips:
1. How Would You Like to Be Treated?
Sometimes the best way to approach the delivery of great customer service is by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. Whatever the situation, ask yourself, ‘How would I like to be treated in this instance?’ Chances are your customer would like to be treated in the same way.
2. Be Quick to Respond to Any Questions
If you receive a question about one of your items, you will be sent an email from Zibbet letting you know of this. Be quick to respond, taking care to answer their question in full. If you find that you get a lot of the same question being asked, perhaps you can include this in your descriptions, or keep a copy in a word document that you can slightly modify each time as necessary. A good way to end your response is: ‘If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Have a wonderful day!’
3. Once You Make a Sale – COMMUNICATE!
Once you make a sale, it’s important that you communicate with your customer. Follow these simple points:
- Immediately contact them and thank them for their purchase, letting them know when you will ship their item.
- Once you ship their item, contact them again, letting them know. Provide them with tracking details, if available, and do your best to give them an estimated date of arrival (ask your shipping company for this).
- Write the estimated date of arrival in your diary and send them a friendly message on this day (or a couple of days after to allow for slow delivery), basically saying that you hope they love their purchase, to contact you if there are any problems, remind them to leave you feedback (positive feedback will help you attract more customers), and THANK THEM for their business. This message can easily be pre-written (store it in a word document) and used for every customer.
4. Carefully Package Your Item
Great customer service can be demonstrated by carefully packaging your item. A package that arrives safely packaged and well presented says a lot about your business. You can even add a personal touch by including a handwritten thank you note. It shows the customer that you care about your work and it’s this standard of professionalism that makes their shopping experience with you memorable and will keep them coming back for more.
5. Write Clear Shop Policies
The ‘shop policies’ section of your shop is all about letting customers know what to expect when dealing with you and your shop. It’s important to spend time getting this right as it will help your transactions to go smoothly. Read this article for tips on ‘writing effective shop policies’.
6. Solve Problems and Complaints with a SMILE
Not all transactions will go as smooth as others, even if you do everything right. Its ok, that’s just business! Do your best to solve any problems or complaints that a customer may have. Make sure you are extremely polite, even if they’re not. Getting defensive or angry will only lead the customer to retaliate and get more upset. Most of the time you will be able to easily solve their issue, but sometimes it may be a little harder. Studies show that 95% of customers that have their complaint resolved quickly and effectively will return and buy again.
If an issue can’t be solved between you and the buyer, or you just need some advice, contact our support team.
Remember, great customer service is one of the major keys to your success. Applying the above tips is a good, solid start, but don’t hesitate to go above and beyond. Your customers will love you for it!
Tags: Communication, Customer Complaints, Customer Service, Sell More, Solving Problems, Success On Zibbet
Well, at first there have to be some customers…
Then the time for great customer service has come!
I’ll be glad to prove that I give excellent customer service.
And by the way thank you for this wonderful and amazing world wide marketplace and its convincing design.
Best regards
Criz de Rêve, CDR
This is such a nice Blog! soooo True:)
I totally agree. Customer Happiness is the Most important thing. If it was not for my art clients, I would not be able to pay the rent or afford to live. Some of my repeat customers order more then one Custom Original Painting at one tme. I survive on the sales of my artwork, so I can relate to this article. Thanks
CALCULATING SUCCESS ON ZIBBET -
I did suggest a HITS COUNTER, but I now see that you have showroom stats which maybe do the job just as effectively.
It looks great, but my problem is that I don’t really understand the catogaries and terms that Zibbet uses.
The person who designed it did a good job, but only he really understands it. It is a sophisticated tool and I believe it needs some deeper explanation so that we can see how he thinks, how he created it and how we can use it to its full potential.
Does anyone else feel like me, ie confused.
I’m an artist and I see in colours, lines and shapes. Numbers are something else. I need help in order to get the best out of what is a great, but complex system.
Hi crowhurst. This is such a new site I suspect information will be categorized differently as things progress. You might want to be more specific regarding the things that appear unclear, the kinds of things you’d like explained, the particular questions you have. Sometimes site creators can’t quite retain the “fresh eye” that new users may have and it can help them see what needs adjusting. It might also help you get the more specific information you’re seeking.
Best to you
(Your work is remarkable, by the by)
Manny
I think the first suggestion is probably the most important and often neglected - treating people the way you would like to be treated. I hate having to pay shipping both ways when I return a relatively inexpensive item that I bought sight unseen. That’s why I reimburse shipping costs along with the full price of the item, and I have offered to reimburse return shipping costs. My items are very small and shipping is pretty minimal, so it is really not that hard to do. I maybe out a few dollars, but it is worth it as a way of providing great customer service.
Very few people seem to have this policy, but I hate paying a lot just to look at an item I purchased online if I end up returning it. No matter how good your descriptions and photos are, it’s hard to tell what something really looks like, or how it looks on you if it is something to wear, from an online listing. Although there is, of course, potential for abuse, I have not encountered that (yet!).
SHOWROOM STATS - Thanks Mannybeads, you are quite right in that I need to be more specific.
So what is the difference and definition of
item views and detailed views,
showroom views and non showroom views,
and also how are they triggered?
I think this is important because it is a great resource with the potential to show us what interests other people. I need money to pay the rent. I can’t to paint just for pleasure. I have to sell to finance further painting. Fortunately I have a very hardworking wife who believes in me and is supporting me. A good woman/wife is beyond price. I believe that many of us need to see the publics’ response to our work in order both to guide us and encourage us. The galleries have been no help to me in this respect. So maybe Zibbet can be what we all need on many levels. Check out Mannybeads - they are so beautiful!
Well Thanks for the nod, Crowhurst…so kind. And those are great questions. I’ve wondered aboutthe different types of views and how they are generated.
Hi Guys,
We are in the process of putting together some help videos which will cover this, but let me also explain here.
‘Monthly Sales’ and ‘Monthly Shop Views’ are pretty clear.
‘Individual Item Stats for February, 2009′ can get a little confusing. There are 2 columns: ‘Item Views’ and ‘Details Page Views’. The ‘Item Views’ figure shows how many times the particular item has been displayed on the home page, search page, and other places around Zibbet. The ‘Details Page Views’ number shows how many people have actually clicked on your item whilst browsing Zibbet and viewed the ‘details page’. This is an example of a ‘details page’: http://www.zibbet.com/Mannybeads/artwork?artworkId=2756
In regards to ‘Showroom Effectiveness - Last 14 Days’…
We haven’t yet launched the Showroom, which will be an effective way for you to gain more exposure on the site. Currently our system is just pulling random items to display in the Showroom. Therefore, the ‘Showroom Effectiveness’ section will show most of your items as they have probably appeared in the showroom every now and then. Once we launch the Showroom you will be able to book a 24 hour spot, and you will be able to compare how many times your item was seen around the site in search results etc (’Non-Showroom Views’) and how many views your item was seen in the Showroom (’Showroom Views’). You will then be able to see how effective the Showroom has been for you.
I hope this clears things up for you. Please let me know if you have any further questions!
HOT TIPS- I’ve just discovered favourites.
It appears that we can designate our favourite paintings and star them. This ensures that on our home page the first three paintings will be our favourites, the best and not the lesser works. These are rotated randomly so we can have a lot more than three. There appears to be no limit.
Remember first impressions count the most.
I believe that we are not so much in competition with each other as with every gallery, artistic outlet and the artists not on Zibbet - worldwide. By maximising our own sites in Zibbet, we are ensuring that the customers see the best of us and will come back again. In helping ourselves we are also helping each other and visa-versa.
So it pays to spread hot-tips.
By taking advantage of every aspect of the Zibbet website and helping each other, we are contributing towards making it the best premier site for all kinds of art.
Check out Alaina’s dot paintings, tag-coral, they are beautiful.
I wasn’t aware of that feature until you pointed it out crowhurst. Thank you! I like the added control it gives us over that front page effect.
Hot tip n° 2:
If you list your item, watch and select your photos properly! And for the thumbnail it’s necessary to create your own one which has to look perfect as it’s the thumbnail which attracts the customers to your detail page…
A good background is necessary for this thumbnail. But it has especially to be identificable, so that e.g. you don’t see anything but a blue-red blurred gradient and nobody looks at it because it isn’t attractive at all. Take a clear and simple background and add your item with clear shapes and good contrasts! If you don’t know how to do it, I don’t mind to help you, to explain you how to use a simple graphic software to get the most customers on your items.
Wish you well, all of you & have a great time
Best regards
Chris, CDRart
Great advice/tips. Thanks
Thanks for all the great tips.
Great tips. And I agree, great customer service is a must.
Great tips, I’m new here & haven’t had any sales yet. But, I do think service is most important.
Good tips, I agree a good customer service will keep the customers.
Excellent article. Great customer service really is paramount!
I’ve dedicated my blog to customer service because I think it is so important in any business venture.
Thank you, those are all very good tips!