In the era of digital commerce, establishing a robust international business requires minimal investment. However, many companies invest heavily in automating their customer interaction process. As your product offerings become more specialized, the need for providing convenient customer interaction opportunities increases. The convenience of interaction not only strengthens your relationship with the customer but also extends beyond the purchasing process. To outshine your competitors, you need to offer superior technical services, order tracking, and customer service. But before you can offer these services, you need to determine if you are willing to do so. This decision can be made by asking yourself two critical questions.
Are you in business to conduct transaction-based relationships? Or are you in business to build relationship-based transactions? If your answer leans towards the former, it might be wise to reconsider your investment in the digital space. Competing on price alone is a race to the bottom, and eventually, all competitors will be offering products below cost with free shipping. In such a scenario, only a few will survive, and most of them will not be making a profit.
On the other hand, if you answered yes to the second question, you're on the right track! Building relationships first can lead to not just one transaction, but many. But how can you build relationships with customers you never interact with? Here are some steps we recommend.
Simplify Your Website: Ensure your website is user-friendly. If customers cannot complete their order within 4-5 pages, your shopping cart system is too complex. Also, ensure customers receive an automatic copy of their order once placed.
Order Confirmation: Send your customers a confirmation message once their order has been received.
Shipping Confirmation: Provide your customers with a shipping confirmation message and a tracking number, if applicable.
Visible Contact Information: Make your phone number highly visible on your website. Contrary to popular belief, having a website does not eliminate the need for direct customer interaction.
Clear Customer Service Policy: Show your customers that you care by posting your customer service policies. If you promise to respond to all inquiries within 24 hours, ensure you do so.
Problem Handling Process: Have a process in place for handling significant issues with customer orders. If a problem arises, don't hesitate to call the customer directly.
Technical FAQs: Keep your website updated with comprehensive and current technical information. This will help customers solve their own technical problems and free up your customer service team.
By implementing these seven steps, you'll be well on your way to building relationship-based transactions that will last a lifetime.
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