Customer Service Support

Believe it or not, a good customer support is one of the most important feature of an online retail or service site. A customer should be able to contact a person at the virtual store like the shopkeeper . Store access may be a telephone number or a contact form (direct links to e-mails are nowadays shunned by online retailers because of the aggressive and fraudulent harvesting of e-mail addresses by web spammers). After an order is placed, a customer should still be able to get in touch with a store person (not an auto responder) to assure such customer that a responsible contact is still well within reach ( afterall, such customer did leave some very private information) at that store.

A customer should be able to correct an order, a ship to address, or any omission that was made on an order - at least within 24 hours after an order is placed. In fact, a customer should still have the option to cancel for as long as the order has not shipped. Usually, an order is processed within 72 hrs after an authorization to charge has been given, depending on the availability and location of the item. Within those 72 hours, the customer must be given an easy access to the shopkeeper or to latest status of an order.

The bottom line really is how fast are inquiries or attempts to contact a store responded to by an online store? Contact forms or telephone numbers serve no purpose if there is no one at the other end to listen and readily answer or respond to such customer communication.

To my readers and online shoppers ------ here is something to remember: "a good, honest and responsible online customer support is a priceless commodity in the web ". Remember that next time you shop online. You will never feel alone, lost or abandoned in the web mall if a good, responsible and knowledgeable customer support is within easy reach.

I know the feeling of anxiety that a customer experiences in situations where an online store cannot be contacted after an order is placed - no telephone, no way of contact, no customer support. In other cases, telephones may ring only to be answered by recorded messages; e-mail inquiries are responded by auto-responders - not live people. Those scenarios can be nerve-wracking and one would get that sinking feeling that there is no one behind the online store you just placed an order with. Do not, from the get-g0, even get into such a situation. Look for a contact form and test how fast you get an answer before placing that order and leaving all your private information with that store. Dial that telephone number and see for yourself if there is a live voice beyond that number. You may be surprised at what you will discover.

But please - this is not a rule. In all fairness, there are online stores out there that may not respond to inquiries fast enough and still those who may not respond at all. But they do deliver your goods on time and your private information safe and uncompromised. But those are the exceptions and certainly harder to find.

Personally, however, I, as an online shopper myself, would like to be able to ask and get an answer and run after a store if I need to. And that, my readers, is a good feeling to have when you shop online or offline, for that matter.