Take the E-Mail Quiz
E-mail communication is the lifeblood of customer relations. But if you aren't careful, you can end up spending too much money operating it with little to... Read story
Jennifer LeClaire
Take the E-Mail Quiz
E-mail communication is the lifeblood of customer relations. But if you aren't careful, you can end up spending too much money operating it with little to... Read story
A Fertile Field for Voice Mail
Voice mail is an efficient way to communicate with employees. Margaret Cook, executive director of the Assisted Reproductive Technology Program, thought i... Read story
I have Windows 98 (or NT) on my office PCs. Should I upgrade to Windows 2000?
Information Technology mentor Glenn Weadock responds: This is the question on the minds of millions of Windows users since Windows 2... Read story
Should I upgrade my office PCs to Windows Millennium Edition instead of Windows 2000?
Information Technology mentor Glenn Weadock responds: You can think about Windows Millennium Edition, aka "Windows Me," as "Windows ... Read story
Track Returns by Product Line to Determine Problem Areas
You will get returns. Welcome them. They provide an opportunity to fine-tune your sales and delivery machine, making a one-time customer into a loyal, rep... Read story
Return Damaged/Faulty Products to the Manufacturer
If damaged or defective parts and products are covered by manufacturer's warranty, return them immediately to the manufacturer. Provide notice of the prob... Read story
Address Quality Issues on a Case-by-Case Basis
Fully understand the reason for product returns and take the appropriate steps to address it. Read story
Assure Customers You Will Fix Any Problems
"This will be fixed" is the mantra. This will be fixed because we care about you, our customer. Remember always to acknowledge receipt of a customer compl... Read story
Acknowledge Receipt of Complaints Immediately
Acknowledge receipt of every complaint immediately by e-mail. Your first contact should be an e-mail message (or phone call, if the complaint warrants it)... Read story
Explain Exactly How You Will Remedy the Problem
It's vital to explain in writing to your customers exactly what will be done to fix a problem and when. Here is a template you can use to create an e-mail... Read story
Create a Simple, Logical Order-Checking Methodology
The old publishing adage, "Get it first and get it right, but first get it right," certainly applies to e-commerce. Buyers want to receive exactly what th... Read story
Develop a Return and/or Exchange Policy
Returns are a headache for vendors and an inconvenience for consumers. However, they do happen, so make your return and exchange processes as simple as po... Read story
Implement a Strict Quality Control System
Unlike face-to-face shopping, where customers can touch and inspect goods before making a purchase, online customers must rely completely on your ability ... Read story
Checklist: Hire and Train Your Customer Service Staff
It takes more resources to attract new customers than it does to keep existing customers happy. So spending the time and money to train your customer serv... Read story
Develop Internal Guidelines and Manuals for Customer Service Training
Internal customer service guidelines and manuals are essential to the success of your training program and your customer service staff. These resources ca... Read story
Hire a Quality Customer Service Candidate
Choosing the right employees for your customer service center is critical to retaining customers. Not everyone is suited to deal with complaints from the ... Read story
Monitor Customer Service Success
Monitoring your staff's correspondence with your customers is vital to the success of your customer service department. Weekly postmortems provide the opp... Read story
Take Time to Train Your Customer Service Staff
Make sure your customer service staff understands their responsibilities and are aware of the resources available to them before they start inter... Read story
Create a Simple, Logical Order-Checking Methodology
The old publishing adage, "Get it first and get it right, but first get it right," certainly applies to e-commerce. Buyers want to receive exactly what th... Read story
Develop a Return and/or Exchange Policy
Returns are a headache for vendors and an inconvenience for consumers. However, they do happen, so make your return and exchange processes as simple as po... Read story
Track Returns by Product Line to Determine Problem Areas
You will get returns. Welcome them. They provide an opportunity to fine-tune your sales and delivery machine, making a one-time customer into a loyal, rep... Read story
Return Damaged/Faulty Products to the Manufacturer
If damaged or defective parts and products are covered by manufacturer's warranty, return them immediately to the manufacturer. Provide notice of the prob... Read story
Address Quality Issues on a Case-by-Case Basis
All items returned for alleged defects in quality must be carefully examined to determine both the cause of the problem and a customer-pleasing remedy. Fo... Read story
Assure Customers You Will Fix Any Problems
"This will be fixed" is the mantra. This will be fixed because we care about you, our customer. Remember always to acknowledge receipt of a customer compl... Read story
Acknowledge Receipt of Complaints Immediately
Acknowledge receipt of every complaint immediately by e-mail. Your first contact should be an e-mail message (or phone call, if the complaint warrants it)... Read story
Explain Exactly How You Will Remedy the Problem
It's vital to explain in writing to your customers exactly what will be done to fix a problem and when. Here is a template you can use to create an e-mail... Read story
I want to start a business. How do I make contacts in my chosen industry?
Running a One-Person Business mentors Paul and Sarah Edwards respond to the following question from an inc.com user: I would ... Read story
Develop Internal Guidelines and Manuals for Customer Service Training
Internal customer service guidelines and manuals are essential to the success of your training program and your customer service staff. These resources ca... Read story
Take Time to Train Your Customer Service Staff
Make sure your customer service staff understands their responsibilities and are aware of the resources available to them before they start inter... Read story
Checklist: Hire and Train Your Customer Service Staff
It takes more resources to attract new customers than it does to keep existing customers happy. So spending the time and money to train your customer serv... Read story
Implement a Strict Quality Control System
Unlike face-to-face shopping, where customers can touch and inspect goods before making a purchase, online customers must rely completely on your ability ... Read story
Real Estate Developers Can Expect Relocation, Not Dislocation, from the Internet
Some real estate developers see the Internet revolution the same way an aristocrat during the French revolution might have viewed the guillotine. The reas... Read story
Find Affiliate Programs Related to Your Product or Service
There are thousands of affiliate programs to choose from, but like so many other things on the Web, locating the right program for you can be difficult. T... Read story
Understanding Affiliate Programs
There are various different types of affiliate programs that you will encounter in yoursearch. Before embarking on your search to add an affiliate program... Read story
Join an Affiliate or Associate Program
Associate programs (sometimes called affiliate or commission-based advertising programs)are designed to drive targeted traffic. They typically pay a commi... Read story
Joining Affiliate Programs
Joining an affiliate program is usually a fairly easy process that can be conductedentirely online. The instructions for joining a program should be outli... Read story
Evaluate Appropriate Real-Time Customer Service Tools
An ever-growing number of communication tools on the market today are designed to enhance communication between Web merchants and their online shoppers. E... Read story
Decide Whether to Outsource Management of a Real-Time Communication Tool
Before implementing any new communication tool, compare the development, training, and staffing costs against the costs of outsourcing. Don't forget to in... Read story
Create Your Own Value-Added Services
You can offer your customers a wide variety of value-added services to improve their shopping experience. You will want to evaluate each potential value-a... Read story
