Suze Bragg

8 key steps for implementing an e-service strategy
June 27, 2008

Building a website is easy...keeping your e-customers engaged is the challenge. You already know that great service keeps the customer happy, and happy customers return again and again.  This knowledge should play a key role in building a quality site, and should be part of your overall e-strategy.  In preparing for your service plan online, here are 8 steps to follow:

1.  Evaluate your current service interaction and how the process works:

• Where does the email for customer questions go?
• Does one person handle it or is it a group mailbox?
• Do you have a set time that each email needs to be answered?
• Do you have a standard reply form created to let the customer know you have received their email and a response is pending?
• Do you have your customer service policies located in a easy-to-find place on your site?
• Are you providing the level of service your customers expect? (the best way to find this out is to ask)

2. Understand your customer segments/audience:

• Who are they?
• Where are they shopping?
• If you don't have an e-commerce site, are you fulfilling their need for more information?

3. Define the role of live interaction:

• What level of service will you supply (instant message/live chat, email reply, 24/7 support, normal working hours support, etc.)?
• What is the process?
• Do you need to update and/or automate the process?

4.  Make the key technology and human resources decisions:

• Do you need to outsource your service?
• Do you need to hire additional people to manage it?
• Is your software outdated?
• What is your competition doing?
• How much do you need to spend to get the quality level of service you're striving for?

5. Prepare a plan to handle the increased customer interaction:

• Make a plan for the first days, weeks and 3 months and set a date to regroup and evaluate

6. Train customers and create incentives for them to use the appropriate channel:

• Most customers like instantaneous responses to their questions and going through multiple voice message options creates rage
• Make this new, enhanced service level visable at the top of your website pages so they now know what to expect and where to find more information
• Create a FAQ
• Ask yourself, "What's the experience like for the customer?"
• Ask yourself, "Why would they want to use the e-customer service instead of a live person experience?"

7. Address the issue of "brick versus click"

• Are you willing to provide the same level of service to people on your website that you are in your store/office?
• Is the experience the same for both offline and online - branding, information, etc.?
• How many steps does it take to buy a product online?
• Is your site laid out carefully, just like your store is?

8. Use the web to create relationships and a real customer experience:

• Use all the techniques to build your brand: community, branding, good content, etc.
• Ensure that you are providing the level of service you said you would (evaluation step at 3 months)
• Have someone else evaluate the usability of your site: is it easy to navigate or combersome?
• What are your competitors doing and how are you better?

Posted by Suze Bragg on June 27, 2008 | Comments (0)