One of the joys of doing business online is the ability to automate the entire sales process. When it comes to customer service, you can leverage the power of automation with tools like auto responders.

1. 7 Steps to Finding the Perfect Customer Support Services
For businesses,the Internetisalivingmiracle becausethe Internetoffersavarietyof applications
and manyopportunitiestomake money.These applicationsinclude customerrelationship
management,whichhasmade customerservice muchcheaper,fasterandmore profitable. Building
online supportcentersproperlycanbuildcustomerloyaltyandlasta lifetime.Solet'slookata few
waysto improve yourInternetcustomerservice and turn itintoa profitable process.
1. Automate everything
One of the joysof doingbusinessonline isthe abilitytoautomate the entire salesprocess.Whenit
comesto customer service,youcan leverage the powerof automationwithtoolslikeauto
responders.Autorespondersdeliveryourtransactional emailsanytimeduringandafterthe sales
processand alsowork while yousleep.The automationworksinyourfavorandgivescustomersthe
peace of mindthat you have takenthe stepsnecessarytomake theirpurchasesabreeze.
2. Real-time supportwith VoIP
VoIPor Voice overInternetProtocol isatechnologythatmakesreal-time customersupportareality
on the Internet.Some purchasingwebsitesmusthave one of these iconstitled"Clickhere forlive
online assistance."Thisiconpromptsacustomerto click,whothenconnectsdirectlytoa sales
representative forliveinteraction. Youcanuse thistechnologyonyourownwebsite andassist
customersintheirpurchasingprocessinreal time.Youcan see exactlywhatyourcustomerisseeing,
whichmakesthistechnologysoeffectiveinimprovingyouronlineconversationrate.
LivePerson.comisanexample of acompanythat offersthisservice.
3. Create an online FAQpage
More and more companiesare developingtheirownFAQpage ontheirwebsitestosave time and
moneyincustomerservice.The ideaistosummarize the mostfrequentlyaskedquestionsona
single page anddirectcustomerstothispage before fillingoutacontact form forany inquiries.A
FAQpage isa huge time saverthat savesyoutime dealingwithmore pressingissues.Ithelpsto
create your ownpage and evenyourownemail,especiallyforcustomerrequests.
4. Post your contact informationprominentlyon your website
Online customersfinditdifficulttomake apurchase decision,letalone findyourcontactdetails
where customerscaneasilyfindthem. If theyencounterproblemsduringthe buyingprocess,they
have quickaccessto your contact detailsandyoucan dispel theirfearsandguide themthrougha
sale. Make it looklike youare alwaysavailable whenacustomerneedsyou,andyourcustomerswill
make sure theystay loyal toyou.
5. Prepare an online troubleshootingwebsite
Whetheryouare sellingaproductor offeringaservice,thisisanideathatcomplementsthe FAQ
page verywell.Unfortunately,fewcompaniesare implementingthisideabecause theyhaven't
thoughtaboutit or because theythinkit'sunnecessary. The troubleshootingwebsiteliststechnical
questionsyourcustomersmaywanttoask. If you explainitclearlyonyourwebsite,muchof the
customer support will be removed.
6. Use Web2.0 technology

2. Web2.0 has openedmanymore communicationchannelssuchasblogs,podcasts,andvideo
sharing.One resultof thishasbeenthe proliferationof social networkingsiteslike MySpace.com,
but there isnothingstoppingyoufromusingthese platformstoimprove customersupport.
Use blogsto interactwithyourcustomersfreelyandopenly,orhostyourownpodcast andinvite
customerstointeractwithyou viamessage boardsoronline discussionforums.Withonline video
sharingcapabilities, eachbusinesscancreate step-by-stepvideoinstructionstoteachcustomers
howto use theirproductsor services.The potential foritsuse isunlimited.
7. Outsource your customer service
Outsourcingseemstobe infashioninthe businessworldthese days,becausethe Internethas
attractedsuch a large pool of talentat verylow prices.Thishasgivensmall businessesthe
opportunitytooutsource theirmosttime-consumingactivitiestoindividualsorbusinessesthat
specialize intheseareas,andtogive businessownerstime tofocusongrowingtheirbusiness.
In customerservice,SalesForce.comhastakenthe online businessworldbystorm.Virtual customer
service representativesprofessionallymanage all aspectsof yourcustomerservice.The advantage is
that younow have a CRM teamwhichcorrespondstothat of a Fortune 500 CRMdepartment.
These seventipsforimprovingyourInternet customerservice are justa fractionof whatispossible
as more and more Internetapplicationsare made availableeveryday.There isasolutionthatfitsall
budgets.Findoutwhatworksbestfor youand implementit.