Online Customer Service | Best Practices

In the world of online customer service, you don’t always have the opportunity to speak to someone face to face or over the telephone. Below is a simple list of some solid tips and tricks that you can use in your every day business.

A unified front – if your business plan allows for it, perhaps have one person responsible for all online inquiries. They would be monitoring not only your social media platforms, but also any review sites and/or forums relating to your product.

Ensure the voice of your business in consistent – whether it is one person or a department, all involved need to be sure that the voice of your business, your online brand and reputation is heard. Is your voice funny, professional, serious, or a little quirky? Depending on your product and the persona you want to use will depend on your response types and the verbiage which is used.

Protocol for the unknown – does the person(s) managing your online presence know where to go when they need information? Do you have an action plan in place for emergencies?

What is your response? Are you alright with each inquiry coming in receiving a generalized auto response or are you wanting to make sure that the inquiry is answered quickly, professionally and within a timely manner? Whatever you choose, please keep in mind that the average consumer is expecting a response within 20 minutes and with their questions answered. The only time this would not apply would be if it came in outside of normal business hours.

Information provided – are you providing the customer with information that they are looking for?

The type of information you provide is sometimes more important than the amount of time it takes to receive it. If your team is to respond to each inquiry within 10 minutes, is it okay for their response to include “I do not have that information at this moment, but can I get back to you within x minutes?” If that is ok, make sure that the team has the resources required to meet the customer expectations.

An excellent digital presence includes customer service which is available at the drop of a hat. In this evolving world of immediate answers, we must ensure that we are available to give our customers the experience they expect and our teams the knowledge to be able to exceed that expectation each time.