Jennifer LeClaire


Take the E-Mail Quiz

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Nov 1, 2000

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

Track Returns by Product Line to Determine Problem Areas

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 20, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 20, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 20, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 20, 2000

"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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 20, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 20, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 19, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 19, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 18, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 6, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 3, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 3, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 3, 2000

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Apr 3, 2000

Make sure your customer service staff understands their responsibilities and are aware of the resources available to them before they start inter...  Read story

Find Affiliate Programs Related to Your Product or Service

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Dec 20, 1999

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Dec 17, 1999

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Dec 17, 1999

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Dec 16, 1999

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Dec 15, 1999

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Dec 15, 1999

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

By Jennifer LeClaire |  Dec 15, 1999

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