If you've ever purchased something and ended up with a bad item, you know what it's like. It's disappointing and frustrating. It's even worse if you go back to the store and try to get it replaced, and they won't accept it!
Do you think you're going to go back there again? What about recommending the store to your friends?
They may have taken some of your money from you, but you're not going to give any more money to them, right?
But what if they replaced the item quickly without any issues and helped you make sure that you've got the right product? Maybe they even gave you tips on how to use what you just purchased. Maybe even gave you something extra for your trouble.
Doesn't it leave it a great feeling? Would you go back to buy from them in the future? Would you tell your friends about it?
After Sales Experience is Powerful
Just like that, how your customers experience your products and your store after they have purchased from you is just as important.
Their experience after paying you--their after sales experience--might even be more important than when they were just browsing your store!
Just because their money is now in your business bank account, doesn't mean that your work to impress them stops. It becomes even more important. They've handed you their money; now you need to wow them so that they continue to spend their money on your shop in the future.
We've got a few tips on how you can make sure your paying customers are impressed with your service:
Keep Communication Lines Open
You need to go beyond just making sure that your customer is able to contact you. They might not know who to ask about their order, or feel frustrated looking for information about what they purchased.
Send them an email or a message once their order is paid for. A confirmation email like this will assure them you're on top of things. Plus, this is a great time to let them know how they can get in touch with you if they have any questions.
Good thing that confirmation emails and notifications are automatically handled for you by many e-commerce platforms like Chatbuddy if you allow online payments. However, if you can't opt for online payments, don't assume that this won't make a big difference in your business. It does. You need to send confirmation emails.
It might be extra work to send them if you're manually checking payments if you're accepting bank transfers, but are you prepared for irritated customers messaging you about their order status, simply because they gave you money and you haven't confirmed that their order is paid for?
Don't Make Them Wait
People are getting more and more impatient these days. They can't even wait for a website to load sometimes without just leaving the site altogether!
So, don't make them wait:
- If you sell using a website, don't make them wait too long for it to load. Keep it fast, stop adding useless GIFs!
- Make sure you've got autoresponders turned on at the very least, if you can't immediately get to your customers when they message you. Better yet, get a chatbot!
- Don't make them wait a long time before confirming their payment and sending them that confirmation email! Turn on online payments to maximize your sales and keep them moving.
- They've purchased something. Don't make them wait to receive it! Pack up their purchase and send it off immediately. Plus points if you've got an integrated delivery service that can easily handle this for you! (Pro tip: Chatbuddy does! Ask our friendly support agents how.)
Love Them and They'll Come Back
Having healthy returning customers is important for any business.
You should think of building lasting relationships with your customers, and the best way to do that is to make sure that from their first purchase with you, they're impressed by the experience.
You should make sure they can easily keep in touch with you, and that you don't make them wait too long to get their amazing purchases. Go ahead and add those freebies, but make sure these basic things are settled. After that, you can go the extra mile and they'll be sure to love you for it.
If it's too much to handle, look into an integrated solution like Chatbuddy, which can handle both automated online payments as well as delivery booking all in one. This saves you a lot of time and effort, and the streamlined process will be a sure winner for your customers, too.