You can boost your sales figures by providing outstanding customer support.

That might seem like a bold claim, considering the fact that people have already made their purchase before customer service really ever enters the picture, but it’s true.  Here’s why.

First, it cuts down on refunds.  That means you don’t lose sales you already had.

Second, it builds your credibility.  That increases the chances of having future projects turn into successes.  Word travels fast about great service and if you’re providing it, you will see an increase in business.

Third, good customer support provides you with a unique opportunity to hear directly from “the horse’s mouth”.  That connection to your customers can help you to improve the product (thus increasing sales).  It can also spur some great ideas for future projects.

Getting the picture?  Customer service isn’t just about dealing with what comes after you collect your money.  It’s about making more money, and protecting the sales  you’ve already logged.  It’s a great way to improve your bottom line.

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Five Ways to Encourage Customers to Give You Useful Feedback

It frequently occurs in the online business world that you have no idea what makes your customers happy. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if customers would simply tell you what they want and what they don’t want from your business? The importance of hearing from customers has caused the rise in popularity of the Feedback options on websites. The challenge here is to encourage your customers to actually utilize this option for both their benefit and yours. Here are five ways to encourage customers to give you the opinion you want.

Provide a Short Questionnaire

Only ask your customers a minimum number of questions. Be sure to shortlist your questions to the essentials. An extensive questionnaire may seem helpful to you, but if a customer has to spend more than five minutes on a feedback form, chances are high that they will either lie or they simply won’t fill it out at all. Try to limit your questions to about five to ten questions with short or multiple choice answers. You can always alternate your questions out when you have sufficient answers and then find out the answers to new questions that come up.

Make it User-Friendly

Customers have very little patience for the unruly. Feedback forms must be easy to find and easy to use so that customers will fill them out them more often. Place your feedback form somewhere along the checkout process where people might be waiting for things to happen. Filling out the form will pass their time. Or you might want to create a link in the receipt email that you send to them at the end of a transaction. Another option is for you to send out a short email after the transaction is over to see what their feedback might be.

Let their Feedback count

Giving out something in return for your customers’ opinion is a big plus. Answering your feedback forms will certainly be a thing your customers will look forward to. Here are some gifts you may want to present your customers: you may offer a discount on their next order or perhaps create a sort of contest in which one of the names in the “feedback box” is drawn each day for a prize. It is the thought of the gift that counts – it doesn’t have to be something substantial.

Allow a pleasurable Experience

Feedback forms that are fun to use are the ones that will get used more often. Simple multiple choice surveys that are bright and colorful will do the trick. You may also set up your survey to show its running result every time a customer finishes answering it. You can also make your survey dynamic. Perhaps when your customers click on a certain answer, they will see a picture or they might get a response for their opinion. Try to create a feedback form that is interactive to help engage them and make the time they spend pass quickly.

Practice Confidentiality

Usually, customers are scared to give out negative comments because they think their identities are compromised upon answering a survey. Make sure that you are not asking for any identifying information, if you can, to show that you simply want feedback and aren’t going to penalize anyone for something that went wrong during a transaction. Of course, this is harder to do when you have a feedback form during the checkout process, so you might want to leave the feedback as a separate transaction.

The value of feedback is difficult to quantify. But its value is already recognized as crucial.  Feedback can help you find a new course for your business.  It can help you choose a new product to sell. On the other hand, you can also find out about problems that need to be addressed immediately. Both acquiring feedback and interpreting feedback are essential to having a business that can adapt to an ever changing market.

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Internet marketers are a pretty bright bunch.  Nonetheless, they sometimes commit a very significant oversight.  They come up with great sites, sell good products, and find the most creative ways imaginable to drive traffic.  They develop solid systems for product delivery and payment processing, too.  What do they neglect?  Good follow up.  Customer support isn’t always a strong suit.

That’s a big mistake.  Good customer support has some significant advantages.  It’s definitely a credibility builder, which can only help in terms of overall sales.  It inspires repeat purchases from customers.  It also decreases the number of chargebacks and refunds suffered by many vendors.

Are you doing everything you can with respect to customer service?  The infrastructure you built when creating and marketing your product is really only the beginning.  You need to have good follow up in place to be a complete Internet marketer.

Put yourself in the position of a customer and assess whether you’d be able to get the potential assistance and advice you might need.  If you have any questions in that regard, start building the mechanisms necessary to provide high-grade customer service.  The impact on your bottom line will be substantial.

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