Do you customers have a hard time getting through to you? Do they complain that being on hold is the rule instead of the exception? Can they purchase your companies services without interacting with one of your employees? In this business climate, it’s critical to ensure your customers have a positive experience with your company. Luckily, with the right technology online, that doesn’t require you to be a rocket scientist.
Lately I’ve noticed a shift in my purchasing behavior. If a company I deal with doesn’t have an online presence, I swap them out for one that does. Online banking, Internet based phone service, office supplies, creating marketing materials, copy/print services, and accounting services are just a few of the areas my life have moved online. It’s not that those previous non-web companies were providing bad service per se. But I’m finding it easier to do business with vendors that allow me to interact with them on my own terms and time schedule.
Unfortunately some businesses are still stuck in old service delivery paradigms that were designed to simplify the company’s workload instead of the customers. We have all had bad experiences waiting in lines at the DMV, Post Office, or Mobile Phone Store. It seems that good customer service died out years ago. When I see limited operating hours, no phone support, no online presence, antiquated billing methods, and 2 year “locked in” service contracts, I recognize examples of businesses designed to push customers away.
So what can you do to be more customer friendly?
An easy first step is to expand your business online. A website that provides an “online brochure” is no longer enough for customers. They want to interact with you by paying invoices, purchasing new products and services, viewing their account details, and getting support. Being available online 24/7 goes a long way toward building customer loyalty and raising the bar for your nearest competitor.
Handling Online Payments
An easy way to add payments to your website is through PayPal (www.paypal.com). Paypal has been a trusted web payment solution for years. It doesn’t require the contracts or lengthy applications to get started. It’s easy to get started with their Web Payment Standard solution. Their online tools help you create the “pay now” buttons to put on your website and provide an online dashboard to track your customer payments. They integrate with nearly all web shopping cart solutions and can even provide one if you don’t have one already.
Online Service & Support
In most businesses, 80% of the customer support interactions fit in to the same small group of questions. Providing answers online to these common questions can help your customers resolve their concerns faster and more cost effectively for your business. If they still have questions consider adding email and web chat to your website. Timpani’s Live Person Contact Center (www.timpani.com) provides an integrated web based solution for web self help, chat, email, and phone support. The integration with your website is easy and allows you to focus on improving customer experience and loyalty.
As your customers move more of their lives online, it only makes sense for you to make that journey with them. Consider the moderate costs of doing so in the bigger picture of customer loyalty, operational efficiency, and competitive advantage. I think you’ll see that the benefits far outweigh the cost.
Tyler Whitaker's Infotech 
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