| Providing excellent online customer service can be | | | | so forth. However, theyrarely, if ever, actively engage |
| challengingbecause of the impersonal nature of the | | | | in obtaining feedback for thepurpose of improving their |
| internet. Anyone who hasever had any customer | | | | online customer service. |
| service training knows that providingpersonalized | | | | Before you go on a tangent, making changes to the |
| service is central to building good, long lasting,mutually | | | | way that youprovide online customer service, why not |
| beneficial customer relationships. | | | | survey your customersand ask them what they think? |
| However, when you take the face-to-face (or at least | | | | Here are some questions you maywant to ask to |
| voice-to-voice) interactions out of the customer | | | | obtain feedback from your customers that can |
| service equation, how doyou provide that top-notch, | | | | beused to improve your processes of providing online |
| high-quality customer service in anonline business | | | | customerservice: |
| atmosphere? | | | | 1. How do you feel about the impersonal nature of |
| The question of providing quality online customer | | | | online customerservice? |
| service is something that many internet-based | | | | 2. Which of the following methods would you prefer |
| business owners struggle with. | | | | for obtaining customer service from our company? |
| No offense to the men, but I have found that women | | | | (please rank the choices from 1 to 5, 1 being the most |
| in businessare much more inclined to be concerned | | | | desirable and 5 being the least desirable). |
| about providing qualityonline customer service, and it is | | | | _____ Email |
| a very valid concern. | | | | _____ Telephone |
| Many business women I have talked to have been | | | | _____ Live online chat sessions |
| inspired by W. | | | | _____ Online forums |
| Edwards Deming's philosophy of continuous quality | | | | _____ Teleconferencing |
| improvementwhen it comes to providing quality | | | | 3. Please indicate your level of satisfaction with the |
| customer service. | | | | onlinecustomer service you have received from our |
| Unfortunately, Dr. Deming passed away in 1993, so we | | | | company. |
| are notprivy to his view regarding online customer | | | | _____ Extremely Satisfied |
| service, though someof his philosophies are certainly | | | | _____ Somewhat Satisfied |
| applicable in the internetbusiness frontier and to issues | | | | _____ Satisfied |
| regarding online customerservice. | | | | _____ Somewhat Unsatisfied |
| Dr. Deming advocated a systems approach to | | | | _____ Extremely Unsatisfied |
| improving quality withattention to continual improvement | | | | 4. Please share your comments and suggestions |
| of products, services,processes, people, and | | | | regarding how we might improve our online customer |
| communication. Not only is thesatisfaction of the | | | | service. |
| customer and communication with the customerin the | | | | This is a simple example of a survey for the purpose |
| spotlight in Deming's philosophy. He also | | | | of improvingonline customer service. Of course, you |
| consideredrelationships between individuals within an | | | | can formulate your ownsurvey that is more |
| organization and withsuppliers and emphasized the | | | | customized to your particular business. |
| necessity of using facts and datafor decision making. | | | | However, when considering making changes or |
| Though the online business environment differs greatly | | | | improvements toonline customer service processes |
| from themanufacturing sectors that Dr. Deming | | | | and systems, it is a very goodidea to obtain feedback |
| consulted for, hisphilosophies regarding quality | | | | from your customers. |
| improvement and customer serviceare certainly | | | | Also consider suggestions from suppliers in regard to |
| applicable to online customer service. Basingdecisions | | | | improvingcommunications and online customer service. |
| on data in the form of feedback from | | | | Receiving such inputprior to revamping your online |
| customers,suppliers and individuals within an | | | | customer service system willensure that you meet |
| organization is somethingthat is often overlooked in | | | | true needs and desires without incurringunnecessary |
| regard to online customer service. | | | | expenses that won't make a difference in |
| Sure, internet business operators use facts and data | | | | thecustomers' perception of your online customer |
| for thepurposes of internet marketing - selecting | | | | services. |
| keywords, choosingtopics for information products, and | | | | |