Today we’re focusing on the often overlooked topic of customer service.
Good customer service that is.
The best customer service goes beyond simple order fulfillment.
It’s all about interaction and insight.
Enjoy the video as Rito discusses the importance of talking to you customers:
Great customer support is a cornerstone for every successful business.
When it comes to drop shipping, there are three primary ways customers are going to reach out:
- Facebook Inbox
- Facebook Comments
And when they do finally reach out, there are four primary concerns:
- Returns & Refund
- Product Pre Sale Questions
- Technical Issues (can’t checkout, discount code doesn’t work, etc.)
- Post Sale Questions (Tracking number, delayed delivery, etc.)
Email Support
Every business, even those that are offline, needs a support email.
It’s a professional courtesy that’s now standard across all industries.
When it comes to drop shipping businesses specifically, you’re customers are located around the world.
This means people will be reaching out all hours of the day.
Here at FSO we dedicate four hours per day to customer support.
We break the four hours up into one hour segments.
This allows us to spread things out and handle batches of support requests roughly every 4 hours.
A typical day for our VA may look something like this:
- 8am Support Emails
- 12pm Support Emails
- 4pm Support Emails
- 8pm Support Emails
If this doesn’t work for you you can just handle everything first thing in the morning.
But by only addressing support requests once per day you increase the likliekhood of refund and return requests.
Facebook Inbox Support
Realistically, when you’re handling email support requests it makes sense to go through each of the other means of customer communication.
Around here we subscribe to the “Zero Inbox” philosophy.
We want to keep our inboxes as clean and clutter-free as possible.
And Facebook makes it easy to do so.
Just visit the following URL -> business.facebook.com/insertyourbussinessusername/inbox
Once you do, you’ll see all of your Facebook page messages and comments, as well as your instagram comments.
After each support request has been replied to, mark them as done, which will automatically archive them.
Facebook Comments Support
Comments aren’t so much for sales, as they are for customer engagement.
We want our customers and prospects to feel like there’s an active voice within our brand.
That we are here for them if they need us.
It’s also a great way to get quick, real-time feedback, both positive and negative.
Returns & Refunds
We’ve covered exactly how to handle drop shipping returns and/or refunds in an earlier post.
Here’s exactly how to deal with Dropshipping returns.
In a nutshell, you want your customers, even those who’ve had a negative experience to sing your praises.
You’ll do this by promptly issuing refunds requested within the refund timeline stated on your Refund Policy.
As for returns of defective products, ask them to send it back to you, and send them a replacement whether they want it or not.
Doing these things suggest you’re part of a business that truly cares.
Product Pre-Sale Questions
Often times customers need only a very slight nudge to complete their purchase.
It may be as simple as replying “Yes,” or “No.”
In either case, you know the prospect is interested in a product if they’re taking the time to inquire about it.
So be prompt, thorough and courteous with any and all customer inquires, especially pre-sale questions.
Technical Issues
Occasionally, both existing customers and prospects alike, will have technical questions relating to uses, specs and functionality.
It helps to be familiar with the products you’re selling, which is why it’s a good idea to purchase at least 1 unit of every product you sell on your website.
Doing so allows you too see, feel and understand exactly what your customers are experiencing.
Enabling you to not only relate, but fully understand any and all concerns, should they arise.
Post Sale Questions
More often than not, post sale questions are related to order fulfillment.
Either the customer hasn’t received a tracking number or the product itself.
Simply resend the tracking number, apologize for any delays and assure the customer that the products they’ve paid for are on the way.
It’s not rocket science.
The only other post sale inquiries we receive are reviews and, again, technical questions.
Treat people how you’d like to be treated in a perfect world, and your business as well as your reputation should flourish.
That’ll do it for Episode 7 – Great work!
Questions, comments or just want to say hi?
We love hearing from you in the comments below!
Success by choice, not by chance,
-David Aston
P.S.
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P.P.S. Click here for Episode 8!
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