As a marketer, nothing bothers me more than poor customer service (or CRM, as we
call it.) Small retailers, especially those with ecommerce enabled, work
very hard to garner sales with their marketing efforts. It's a damn shame when a
conversion become a chargeback - you've lost a customer for life. However, in
the online retail world, it happens all the time. And it's not necessarily
because of fraud or customer error.
Today, I am in the process of canceling several orders with retailers - $390.00
worth, to be exact - not because I like to charge things back, but because I
feel I have no choice in the matter. All of the retailers failed to deliver even
decent customer service when contacted, and all of them faced problems with my
orders, whether they knew it or not. I am an avid internet shopper and I came
into some extra cash this month from a rental deposit. I intended to decorate my
new place in one fell swoop. At this level of frustration, I am actually about
to head to a regular retail store - which is something I usually reserve for
grocery shopping and impulse buys. (When I shop online, I shop big.)
Why am I angry enough to call Visa and cause a chargeback? It's elementary -
terrible, not just poor, communication. The saddest part of the situation is
that these are small retail websites, with both an online and offline presence.
I know canceling my order makes an impact on sales. I found all
three through Google Product search and Yahoo Shopping, which led me to assume
they had somebody who is marketing and tech-savvy on their team. When I decided
to order, however, my opinion changed dramatically. It was as if these companies
simply added their products to Google and Yahoo, set up a shopping cart, and
then abandoned all they've ever learned about customer service. (As well as
their common sense.) Here are the specific (and real) reasons why:
1. Incomplete contact information. Online
retailers - please take note! When you only have one mode of communication,
you're in trouble when something goes awry. I placed an order for a bistro table
with a glass top and it shipped swiftly, however,the entire tabletop was
shattered to bits. Although there is a return policy on the website, once I
filled out the online form, I was given a host of 404s and php errors. And there
was no direct email address, phone number, or alternative means of contact.
Customers - and prospects - like to know there is a person or two out there that
can answer questions and help make informed decisions. You get more sales that
way - people like to communicate in different ways. And if the only form of
communication is broken, you're pretty much screwed as far as customer
relations. I won't be reordering from this company no matter what - and shame on
me for ordering in the first place. I usually check out the credibility of a
website before I place an order. (Ah, but I love shopping sprees!) Now I have to
take my complaint to Google checkout. It should have been easier to get in touch
with this retailer. (This cost this company 120.00 in sales...)
2. Incomplete product information. Sure,
the photos and descriptions are great on your website. You took it straight from
your catalog copy and it was all very professionally done by a freelance writer
and photographer team. I really liked the chair set so much, I ordered it from a
different retailer than the bistro table. I recieved an email two days later -
"This item ships directly from the manufacturer in 2-5 weeks, we will notify you
when it ships." That's a pretty large span of time and this was not mentioned in
the item description. There were plenty of similar items on Google Product
Search that I could have ordered without waiting so long. It's as if they
purposefully kept the information concealed. Alas, this company DOES have a
customer service phone number and email. Wyhen I asked for specifics (actually,
a guestimate) I recieved a standard form email reply. "We are sorry for
the inconvenience, we are unable to estimate shipping for your product at this
time." (By the way, it's very annoying to say "for your product" rather than
take the three seconds to type in "your chair set") If you don't have ANY idea
when your vendors will ship a product, maybe you should switch vendors. Again,
this was a small company,with real people somewhere, in a retail store across
the country from me. I am sure they are more direct with their face-to-face
customers. Your online customers deserve the same respect. (This cost this
company 180.00 in sales, when I can get through to a live person - I
haven't been able to, yet... Just a machine...) Which brings me to....
3. Terrible CRM and form replies. Customer
relationship management is the key to repeat business. So when the sofa cover,
towel set, curtains, and sheet set I ordered from yet another small retailer did
not ship, I had to question why. Luckily, I recieved the following email, "Thank
you for your recent order. We would like to take a moment to update your
regarding the status of your order. Currently, we are experiencing stock
issues with one or more items on your order. We are expecting to receive
additional stock within a period of one to three weeks to complete your
order. If you may need further assistance please contact customer service
to discuss your order." Again, one to three weeks? I emailed them back
asking which items were backordered, and if it was possible to just cancel one
or two items so my order could ship. To which I recieved the following reply:
"Thank you for your email. Please be advised that your order has not been
shipped at this time. Once your order is shipped you will receive an email
update that will include your ship date and Fed Ex tracking number. At
this time we do not have a ship date for this order. We apologize for any
inconvenience that this may have caused you." My questions were completely
ignored. They placed the "At this time we do not have a ship date for this
order" in bold - as if to emphasize that further inquiries were useless. (If
they don't know, they don't know, right? ) The language in the original email
used the words, "Discuss your order." However, it seems that was a gross
overstatement. Any employee sitting in front of the computer's email inbox could
have answered a simple question. This company made a choice to ignore my
question in its entirety and simply emphasize what they can't do. (They
lost 120.00 in sales. I have already called to cancel and recieved no apologies
- or questioning as to why I canceled.)
The moral of this story is: If your company isn't
customer-savvy enough to handle online orders, don't do it. Don't get
listed in Yahoo Shopping or Google Product search if you have little to no
interest in communicating with your customers. Your online reputation can follow
you for years with the rating systems that Google, Yahoo, and Epinions have in
place. These kinds of faux-pas are inexcusable with the progress that ecommerce
has made. There are simple ways to alternate email replies and customize them
using inexpensive software, and every business has a telephone number that they
answer when speaking with vendors and face-to-face customers. I can't imagine
that these small retail websites have a huge influx of orders this time of year
- but if they do, they should try to build on that. There's nothing worse than
turning away business without an explanation or attempt to rectify the
situation. They could even let the customers know the specific issues and
apologize for the delays.
After all, communication is the key to building a lasting relationship. Anybody
with a job, spouse, child, or friend knows that. Why don't the people who handle
your customer service know that?
About the Author: Melissa Brewer is Creative Director at Capital Creative
(http://www.capitalcreativeinc.com), a virtual
copywriting
and marketing agency based in Washington DC. If you are a member of
LinkedIn, Xing, or any other networking website, you can invite Capital Creative
to join your network with the email address yourfreelanceneeds at gmail.com.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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