When you go into a store with great customer service, you like to go back to it again and again.

My favorite store ever is Nordstrom’s. I remember the first time I was ever in one of their stores. It was as if the sales staff wanted me to feel good about being there. They showed me clothes that suited my color and build, gave me perfume samples — and a mini makeup makeover. I loved it there. Now, whenever I visit the USA, I am always on the lookout for Nordstrom stores.

But with stores that have moved to the online world, things are a-changing. The NRF Foundation, the research arm of the National Retailers Federation in the USA, surveyed over 8,000 consumers and found that in terms of customer service, the retailer who came out on top is a retailer who breaks all the rules.

That retailer doesn’t have a huge parking lot with valet service. It doesn’t have a doorman or sales staff to take you by the hand. They don’t even have a single store. When it comes to customer service, the survey said Amazon.com tops the list.

Why is it on top? Well, let’s look at their site. First of all, their breadth of products have expanded exponentially since they first appeared on the web back in 1996 when they were only selling books. But they took the idea of selling books and did it in a way that took the user into account.

Go One Step Better and You’ll Go Far

When a customer came into the Amazon.com store, they were treated with the respect they deserved. First, they were given a breadth of articles second to none to choose from. If an item wasn’t available, Amazon tried to get it for you and that they were able to do by reselling first books and then music CDs, DVDs and now nearly anything your heart desires, from Harry Potter to step machines. And along the way, people were urged to give reviews, were given recommendations based on your own preferences and on the purchasing patterns of others who had bought the same item; that item was delivered according to the estimations given, and if there were any problems, there was a return policy that leaves not much room for quibbling.

Being “not Amazon” doesn’t mean you can’t step up to the Customer Service plate.

In fact, for small online stores, you must to step up to the plate and go one further. First, you need to make sure that your would-be customers can find you, and that means a website that has clean code with keywords that make sense and an SEO strategy that you can build on. You need to have a structure that makes sense and cuts out the confusion, or else you’ll lose the sale. You need to iron out all the delivery problems, decide on your return policies and stick to them — but make them “can-do” policies instead of “can’t-do” policies.

And build in feedback. When you let people rate your products and services, sure, you can leave yourself open to criticism. But you can also get accolades that make you sell more and lend more credibility to your wares.

Finally, you should be selling quality products that match the price your customers are willing to pay.

This is the way to a customer’s heart — and to the building and maintenance of your good reputation.

By going one further, you’ll go far, and you will gain good will and happy customers who recommend your products and services.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 11:09 am and is filed under Internet Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.