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Online Auction Building Blocks of Success
Most of the people running business through eBay auctions tend
to think of auctions as one-off events, and consequently can
neglect the significance of great customer service. On the
other hand if you even know the importance of customer
service; it can be easy to get absorbed in all the details of
running eBay business activities, leaving customer service to
the back of your mind and your priorities.
If your aim is to make a living from eBay, then you have to
stop thinking of it, as an "auction" and start running it like
a "business”. Like any other business, a key thing to remember
is that quality customer service is one of the essential
building blocks of success. With an eBay business, this is
just as true, if not more so, than many other types of
business. When an eBay buyer receives quality customer service
from you, they will potentially do one of two things – or
both: They will give you great feedback (helping you more
easily attract more bidders and buyers in future), and they
may also look for more of your auctions in the future.
Imagine that you own a traditional offline business. Ask
yourself how would you treat your customer while they were
standing at your counter, waiting for his order to be
furnished? You would be very kind and helpful with him of
course! You would do everything to make sure that their buying
experience with you was both satisfactory and enjoyable and to
make sure that this customer would return to your
establishment in the future. Many people who sell through eBay
and other auctions tend to think of auctions as one-off
events, and consequently can forget the importance of great
customer service.
Now consider, when you're running your own eBay business, it
can be easy to get absorbed in all the details of running
auctions, not to mention the technical aspects of using eBay,
that customer service slips to the back of your mind and your
priorities.
The most important aspect of customer service is clear and
timely communication:
* Immediately upon the close of your auction, you should
contact the winning bidder, and congratulate them. Your email
should describe the item they have won and how the item will
be shipped – even if this information was already part of the
description for the auction. You should also remind them of
their winning bid amount, give them payment options and
instructions, and tell them when and how the item will be
shipped.
* You should also thank your customer for participating
in your auction, and, if you feel it appropriate, you may wish
to take the opportunity to tell them about any other open
auctions that you have.
* When the payment and shipping details have been taken
care of, you should contact your customer again. This email
should tell the customer when the item was shipped – the exact
date and time – and when it is expected to arrive on their
end. You should also make clear to the customer, that they
should feel free to contact you if they have any problems or
questions.
If a customer does contact you in the future, you should
answer as promptly as you can, and do everything that you can
do to make them happy with their purchase – even if it means
issuing a refund. Some eBay sellers are very reluctant to
issue refunds, believing it to be "lost" money. However, if
you look refunds in a different way - refunds aren't lost
money, they are building blocks of a solid reputation - and
then you will become a lot more open to issuing refunds. It is
of course reasonable to expect the buyer to return the item to
you (you should pay any associated shipping costs) before a
refund is issued. Once you have received the returned item;
you should issue the refund promptly.
Article Source:
http://www.auctionwebsite.net |
