Are you giving world-class customer service?

Service is about "giving that little extra". But what does that really mean? And how do you give service when the customer is not in front of you, but in a web shop? You will know soon.

The definition of "world-class service"

Giving world-class service means one thing: caring about the customer. Truly. Do that and your engagement will reach beyond individual emails or calls, you will be thinking about the customer's best interests in every situation. Three examples that show how it can look:

Example 1: A colleague who has gone home

Peter writes in the chat of your web shop wondering how to assemble the shelf he just received, he follows the instructions but cannot get it to work. You know your colleague Karin has experience with that shelf, but she has just left for the day. What do you reply?

A) "Hi Peter! Glad you got your shelf and are ready to put it together. Unfortunately I cannot help you with further instructions, please refer to the information in the package. Have a great evening!"

B) "Hi Peter! Glad you got your shelf and are ready to put it together. My colleague Karin knows a few tricks for that shelf, but unfortunately she has gone home. You can email her directly with your question, and she will reply as soon as possible tomorrow. Have a great evening!"

C) "Hi Peter! Glad you got your shelf and are ready to put it together. My colleague Karin knows a few tricks for that shelf. She has unfortunately gone home, but if you like I can take your phone number or email and make sure she contacts you tomorrow? Have a great evening!"

Option A is not great, right? That is pretty obvious. But the difference between B and C, that is the difference between normal service and "giving that little extra". With world-class service you do everything you can to help and minimize the customer's effort.

Example 2: Follow-up after a purchase

Petronella has ordered a footstool from your shop. You pack the order and send it off with the invoice. What do you do next?

A) Nothing, she got her footstool, right?

B) Send Petronella an automated email: "Thanks for shopping at Store Home, we hope you are happy with your purchase! Feel free to leave a review on Trustpilot or our Facebook page."

C) Send Petronella an automated email, tailored to her: "Thanks Petronella for shopping at Store Web, we hope your footstool fits well in your home! If you have any questions you can always contact us."

Again, option A is not great, because it makes it look like you do not care once she has bought. By following up you show that you really want her to be happy. But it is only with C that you show Petronella you care about her, thanks to personal touch and no "stock phrases". World-class service, no?

Example 3: When something goes wrong

Patrick has collected a blanket he bought from your shop. He unpacks it, uses it for a few months, and then complains that it gets very statically charged when used. When Patrick claims a refund more than 6 months have passed, which under consumer law and your terms means he has to prove the "defect". He does not, but just complains and demands his money back. No other customer has complained about that blanket. What do you do?

A) Explain what the law and your terms say. Block his further comments on public pages and consider the matter closed.

B) Explain what the law and your terms say, but inform Patrick that the blanket can be washed with fabric softener to reduce static electricity, and give him a discount code as a salve.

C) Explain what the law and your terms say, but say you will make an exception. You let Patrick return the blanket and refund his money, just as he wants.

Again option A is less good, at least from a service perspective. Option B is better and clearly tries to meet Patrick halfway, but does not give him what he really wants (his money back) like option C does. Does that mean "the customer is always right"? From a service perspective, yes. But it can also get expensive long-term to accommodate every customer, just as it can get expensive to ignore them. So be flexible and judge case by case when something goes "wrong".

How to handle the distance, 4 tips

In a physical store giving service is relatively simple: you can read the customer and offer help to those who look confused, while also understanding when someone wants to browse on their own. In a web shop it is a bit more complicated, since you do not see the customer (and they do not see you) the same way.

Fortunately there are several things you can do to work around the "distance problem", and we would say the following four are especially important:

1. Layout and features in the web shop

In a physical store you would rearrange shelves periodically, keep products tidily sorted, and make sure the aisles are easy to navigate. In the same way you can ease things for visitors in your web shop: with the right layout and features you ensure they find what they need and get the service they need. That could be filter and sort features, personal wishlists, and saving the customer's cart.

2. Availability across channels and times

When the customer cannot just walk up to you in-store, you need to be available in other ways. You can, for instance, have chat in the shop, email, phone, and/or communicate via Facebook. Ideally with generous and varied "opening hours", so each customer can contact you when it suits them. But also be clear about which channels and times apply, otherwise customers may expect answers instantly, around the clock.

3. Offer self-service

There will always be customers who want contact when your support is offline. There will also always be customers with a "just browsing" mindset or who want to do things themselves. To catch them and give good service, FAQ pages and other forms of self-service are a necessity in your shop.

4. Be clear and inform, inform, inform

In a web shop body language is lost, and the customer has to wait for their products. These two factors mean you need to be extra clear about everything that happens: from informing about when and where customer service is available, to confirming you have received an order and sending a notice when you ship the package.

Giving world-class service takes effort. But it is worth it! Beyond giving a great feeling to yourself and your customers, it will result in additional sales.