excellent customer service is the number one way to ensure happy customers, repeat business and a profitable business.  as small business owners, we’re lucky to be able to make all the customer service decisions ourselves! it’s solely up to us how we want to deal with certain situations and what kind of relationships we want to build with our clients.  how lucky we are!  today, i’ll share my 5 suggestions on how to be a customer service whiz.

dreaming

1. think like the customer. reflect on you own buying experiences.  what made them wonderful, or maybe less than desirable?  after you’ve decided what other businesses have done that make you feel really happy and satisfied (or the opposite), visit your shop like a customer.  can you switch the roleplay?  how does browsing your shop make you feel?  do you feel welcome, at ease, and satisfied with the information provided?  if not, make sure to edit the necessary areas.

forest.

2. provide thorough information. your shop welcome, item descriptions and policies page are the perfect place to provide your shoppers with all relevant info.  make sure to outline exactly what the customer can expect in the policies section (shipping info, payment methods accepted, return policy etc.).  in your item descriptions, give them more info than the bare minimum. things you can add to the essentials (i.e. dimensions, weight etc) are the feel of it, the texture, what inspired you and ideas of how they might use the item.  get creative and make sure that the shopper has fun reading your descriptions.  the best rule of thumb, is try to answer as many potential questions as you can, right in your shop.

BIG SMOKE

3. go the extra mile.  adding little ‘extras’ to your buyer’s shopping experience goes further than you might expect.  treat them with special care and show them that you’ve thought things through.  special packaging will let them know you took the extra time to make their ‘opening’ experience special, and adding a little freebie and thank you note will send them over the top.  if you make shopping with your business fun, you can bet they’ll spread the word, and likely be back!

grunge typewriter

4. communication. having a conversation with each buyer will help their shopping experience become personable.  be prompt in replying to convos and help each customer feel like you have all the time in the world to dedicate to them.  make sure to send an immediate thank you for items purchased and include all relevant info, especially the estimated ship date.  checking in with them after they should have recieved the item will let them know that you truly care and that you’re there for them.  also, be careful to maintain an upbeat, friendly tone no matter what you’re discussing with your buyer, it will make all the difference!

the playing bird original drawing

5. learn to appreciate a complaint. occasionally, you may get a complaint or two.  now’s your opportunity to really excel at providing excellent customer service!  remember, to always use positive language and go the extra mile to ensure they have a happy experience.  you may end up losing a buck or two or maybe the entire sale, but statistics show a dissatisfied consumer will share their lament with 8-10 people and some will push that number to twenty.  the good news is 8 out of 10 customers will shop again with a business if their complaint is resolved in their favor relatively quickly (stats from how stuff works).  to me, that’s worth considering doing everything you can to send them away with a positive experience.  after it’s resolved, take what you can from the complaint as a positive learning experience, and move on!

do you have any customer service tips?  share in the comment section!

wrap up: {advice} {buyer} {customer service} {etsy} {shop help} {shopper} {tips}

do you have a new line of work coming out? celebrate it! rather than just start listing your new line that you’ve spent countless hours on, build up some suspense to it.  people will be just excited about your work as you are- so start making a fuss!

friendly forest bundle

it’s best to start talking about new items early on.  if you blog, give your readers some teasers to let them know that you’re working on something new.  and what about all those social networking sites? twitter, facebook, youtube, flickr- (you do use those, right?) start posting hints of what you’re working on, maybe some pictures of your work space or a video of your design process.  if you blog, you could even take a poll for some outsider advice.

goldsboro jacket

don’t give your line away, but post enough to get readers interested in your ‘coming soon’ line.  also, don’t forget about your shop announcement.  announcing big news and a check back on ‘this date’ will surely get your customers excited- you can believe they will be back on the date you specified (so, make sure to stick to it!).

floral coptic stitch journal

no time for a blog? etsy also has some great resources you can use.  their promotions area allow you to post any self-promoting material!  announce your new line, or maybe even a discount or sale.  their are lots of people scouring the forums all day long, so it’s important not to miss out on all these potential customers.

autumn dress up dolls :: fabric wall decal

remember us? bloggers? are you there?  put together a press release!  e-mail your favorite bloggers!  i think most of us love to hear from you and like to help promote the handmade world any way we can (why would we be doing this if we didn’t?)

triptych spring circles

would you like some guidelines? i remember when i first started out, i thought it was really nerve-racking to compose an email and approach a blogger- but as long as you know a little etiquette and approach honestly- it’s always going to be ok.  what’s the worse they’ll say? no? oh well- move on to the next one!

thank you card

would you like some guidelines? first of all, try to never mass email.  no one likes to be another blogger on a big long send list. we want to know you care, you read our blog, and you know our name (should be easy to find!).  so, try to take the time and email one blogger at a time. we like to feel that we have in-sider info- and we try to bring fresh new material every day.  if you don’t hear back, maybe send a second follow up e-mail the next week.  if still no response move on to the next blogger (i always try to respond!).  it might take a little while to land a feature, but when you do- it should be well worth the wait.  put together a quick, honest email about you, your shop, and your product.  don’t forget your release date, your shop url (yes, people forget!), and 3-4 small jpeg images.  just try to be yourself and everyone will see it come through. here’s a few more articles that should help you!

design sponge’s advice from bloggers

the ultimate press list from modish biz tips

weathered gray hook board

taking some of my own advice? check my shop on wednesday, sept. 16 for *lots of new items- including a brand new line of funky christmas aprons!

birds go green

extra reading :: {pimp your shop},{broaden your target audience} & {etsy promotion forums} from etsy and the storque :: {advice from bloggers} from design*sponge :: {build your own ultimate press list} from modish biz tips

wrap up: {advice} {bloggers} {etsy savoir faire} {etsy shop help} {new line} {promote} {shop}