Is it enough to have a customer-care number
Or do you need to go one step ahead and create a mechanism to keep your customers smiling?
January 15, 2013 / 10:58 IST
Gargi Banerjee
Its raining e-commerce ventures today. More and more entrepreneurs are going the e-commerce way. Brick and mortal companies are going online. It’s almost like an explosion out there of new found shopping websites. But one thing that really perhaps is being ignored is the simplicity with which these websites are being made. No doubt that it’s absolutely easy bringing up a website which has an “Add to Cart” or a “Buy Now” button. But it has got even easier to paste customer care numbers on these websites and forget about it. Think about it. Is it enough to have a number that doesn’t ring? Or a feedback form that doesn’t give feedback? Well to be a successful entrepreneur, there’s no escaping the fact that every venture must have a well-defined, efficient and effective customer complaint-handling mechanism in place. Here’s what you can do to take your customer service a notch higher. 1) Use technology to your advantage It is wise to make the best use of technology for customer care. K Vaitheeswaran, CEO and founder of Indiaplaza.com, one of India’s largest e-commerce ventures, goes one step further and suggests self-service mechanism. At Indiaplaza, every customer receives an order number as soon as they place an order online. All they have to do then is log in the portal and track every step of the order thereafter. Even the courier service responsible for delivering the product makes the necessary updates. Vaitheeswaran says in this fast-paced world, you would be doing your customers a disservice if they had to spend precious time calling up to complain! But what happens in the initial stages of business, when there is a very real possibility of slips-ups and you haven’t got your portal in place? You offer a phone number or e-mail address instead. If the customer just wants to rant, let him rant, without being defensive. A Mumbai-based entrepreneur in the apparel’s business recalls a rather amusing incident about a young lady who had ordered a T-shirt online. “The customer walked into our head office, claiming the medium-size T-shirt she had ordered was not actually a medium-size T-shirt as it would not fit her! Later, she discovered she was not a ‘medium size’ but a ‘large’ and was very embarrassed. Still, we replaced her T-shirt for a bigger size free of cost and she went back vowing to get back to being a medium size again!” 2) Be prompt with an apologyIf a customer has come to you with a complaint, you have to take responsibility for the slip up on your part. A prompt apology may solve the biggest of problems, but one often tends to forget that. Since you are already treading so carefully, it might be difficult for you to accept that you may have gone wrong somewhere but its only human to err! So do not be defiant and try to pass the buck to someone else. The customer does expect you to apologise immediately, so do that without thinking twice! Take ownership of the complaint being registered and if need be, as an entrepreneur walk that extra mile and give your personal contact number and email address instead of just letting your employees in the customer handling department look after the matter. 3) Set up a complaint-handling procedureTo take full responsibility of complaints, take note of the nature of the complaint and make sure every employee that may have been responsible for the error is in the loop so that the problem is permanently resolved. Find a speedy solution and promptly get back to your customer. If a solution takes time, let your customer know exactly how long it will take. Then update your customer about progress on the issue. Instead of focusing on being polite, be honest and forthright, and your customer will appreciate your effort. The customer has to believe you have his best interests at heart and are not trying to pull off a smart cover-up for your error! 4) Resolve and follow upOnce the complaint is resolved, check whether the customer is satisfied. Going the extra mile builds a loyal customer base. Manav Shankar, CEO of Meranaukar.com, which runs concierge services across the country, ensures that the customer is adequately compensated if a complaint is genuine. “We vet every complaint to determine its authenticity. If a complaint is genuine, we make sure that his next three deliveries are absolutely free,” reveals Shankar. Once you’ve got your business off the ground, you will realise that dodging customers will do no good. Encourage customer feedback and value every complaint, because feedback is actually an opportunity for you to learn. You can send your feedback on smementor@moneycontrol.com or simply post comments below Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
