Free Website Content
Acceptable Response
What is an Acceptable Response?
Many online marketers work odd hours, with no beginning
of the day and no real end. How does this impact support
and customer service inquiries? Some small businesses
are afraid to reply to customer queries off-hours, fearful
that the message time-stamp will betray them as a small
business. The Internet however is timeless. The fact
is customers appreciate a quick response. With the globalization
of the Internet federal holidays are blurred. Customers
expect timely responses and often make little note of
the time zone the vendor they are working with.
While large corporate businesses have a large amount
of resources (staff and money) for sales, customer service
and marketing are often tied to traditional methods
of communication with customers. Sales are in person;
customer service is over the phone and marketing by
advertising and mail. Email is often used to funnel
customers into these traditional channels of communication.
When emailing often the reply back is to call back or
a request you show up in person. More so in the past
then recently, many companies do not respond to email
at all. While communicating by telephone and mail is
important, email is part of the fabric of how people
interact and companies often do not take this into account.
As many small main street businesses are offering a
more personalized service, email can be more personalized
than large corporations are able to provide. Since customers
have become accustomed to looking on the Internet to
either make or research purchases email is an easy way
to communicate. Besides an easy way to get an answer,
some customers want reassurance there is a human behind
the web page, and not just some wizard speaking out
of a microphone.
Service and forum queries are typically handled by
online businesses within 24 hours; rarely do weekends
or holidays alter response rates. Customer demands and
the 'need' for instant answers have driven the standard.
If you do not respond in a timely fashion a competitor
will.
Customers are used to surfing the web and emailing.
They want instant information whether it is 4pm or 4am.
They want an immediate response. Many companies provide
24-hour customer service.
While some people expect responses immediately, others
will think business is slow if you respond right away.
This is difficult to gauge, if the answer is simple
respond as soon as possible. If research is required
then at least email a response that you are looking
into and will get back to them.
About the Author -
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc.
http://www.notepage.net
a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and
wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by
Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com
, and http://www.small-business-software.net
**********************************************************
This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource
box is included and the links are active. A courtesy
copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would
be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
Additional articles available for publication
available at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
**********************************************************
|
