It Is All About Customer Service!

In this day of terrible customer service, it should come as no surprise that serving your customers, also known as visitors to your web site, must be a top priority. Forget about return on your investment, how your site looks, keywords, meta tags, and the like. Are they important? Yes, of course. However, they mean nothing if you cannot attract and retain visitors to your site.

In 2002 I built a niche community for corporate flight attendants. I started off with a message board and then added web pages six months later. Traffic was decent with just the message board but it really took off when I created the web pages. The key? Customer service. In order to attract and retain my customer base I added a resume posting service. In fact, I allowed people to send to me a copy of their resume and I posted it on my site. I took the time to reformat each copy and added attractive backgrounds to each page. Next, I linked it to my site. How much did I get paid for this? Nothing! Why did I do it? Because it showed my customers - the visitors to my community - that I had a stake in their success. When you care about people, they will care about you and come back. And tell a friend. And click on your ads. And generate money for you.

I have also run contests where I have given away books, magazine subscriptions, and music CDs. The goodwill generated by the contest has strengthened my relationship with community members. I have come to know quite a number of my members personally, and have met some at conferences or have been in touch with them via email and phone calls. My members have helped me as much as I have helped them with advice that has thrust my community to the top.

Who has time for top notch customer service? You do! Push away from your keyboard and brainstorm how you provide superior customer service. Then, make a point to implement your plan on a regular basis. Do you answer all your emails from members? Are you even that accessible to members? Plan on responding promptly [within one business day] to all inquiries from site visitors. Always answer their questions to their satisfaction and thank them for their inquiry. NEVER come across as impatient or bothered. Hey, they do not have to visit your site, no matter how much of a niche you think you provide.

Altogether if you become more customer focused you will set yourself apart on the internet and that is where your success will ultimately come from. Customer service is sorely lacking in the business world, give yourself a leg up and make your site visitors happy by providing exemplary customer service at all times.

Matt Keegan is a webmaster and internet marketing guru. Matt runs the Corporate Flight Attendant Community at http://www.corporateflyer.net and http://www.cabinmanagers.com as well as the Aviation Employment Board at http://www.aviationemploymentboard.net. Both communities are strong performers in their respective categories.

---

What Every Employee Should Know About How to Win the Loyalty of Customers

Dr. Michael LeBoeuf, in his cassette album entitled, Win... Read More

Customer Neglect

What have you done for your existing customers lately? Probably... Read More

Customer Satisfaction and the Service Business

The relationship between customer satisfaction and success of a service... Read More

How To Build a Profitable Business

It's never too soon to start saying thanks to your... Read More

5 Ways Customer Service Managers are Implementing to Increase Customer Focus

According to a Forum Corporation survey of commercial customers lost... Read More

The History of CRM -- Moving Beyond the Customer Database

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of those magnificent concepts... Read More

Top Ten Strategies for Delivering 5-Star Customer Service

Customer satisfaction is valuable, but customer loyalty is priceless. In... Read More

Develop Loyal Customers for a Lifetime ? part 1 (1 ? 10)

Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their... Read More

Courting Customers - From First Date to Marriage

Landing a new client is like courting a potential spouse.... Read More

Develop Loyal Customers for a Lifetime ? part 2 (11 ? 20)

Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their... Read More

First Contact: The Source of Customer Loyalty

With customers being smarter, more cost conscious, more product knowledgeable... Read More

We Got It Wrong: Never Under Promise & Over Deliver

You know how it is, you believe something for so... Read More

Automating Your Customer Support

My regular readers will know that one of the things... Read More

Customer Service Is Dying - and Im Not Feeling So Good Myself

Have you ever called a company and been greeted with... Read More

Astonish your Customers With These Customer Service Tips

Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and... Read More

Is your Online Business Customer-Friendly?

Customer service is increasingly seen as one of the most... Read More

4 Tips Toward Overcoming Bad Customer Service

Customer service is the pits, you say. You are not... Read More

Handling Customer Complaints

Even the best business will receive an occasional customer complaint.... Read More

Mastering Challenging Service Situations

During the course of everyday business, many of you encounter... Read More

Be the Customer: See Yourself as Your Customers Do

What do your customers experience when they interact with your... Read More

Sending Mixed Signals Can Send Your Clients Away

I call it the "wave and roll."You walk up to... Read More

Why You Should Always Honour Your Guarantees - Even When The Customer Is In The Wrong

The Reason Why Direct Internet Marketers Have To Work So... Read More

Client Service as a Competitive Advantage

As someone who has been heavily involved facilitating strategic planning... Read More

What To Do When Youve Blown It

It's bound to happen sooner or later ? yes, even... Read More

Customer Service: Stop Sabotaging Your Customer Relationships

If you've called for customer service recently you're familiar with... Read More

Customer Service - A Sweet Essence

First let us specifically define customer service. It is the... Read More

Your Voice Print

"Mountains are built one pebble at a time and climbed... Read More

Customer Service Is More Than Just Being Nice To People

Many organizations tackle to the issue of customer service by... Read More

Whats For Lunch?

As an entrepreneur, I'm always intrigued by small businesses, home-based... Read More

Cheap To Keep

You've heard it all before when it comes to stats... Read More

Your Career Plan--Think Like A CEO

You've been going 6-to-late; exhausted by running the supersonic treadmill... Read More

3 Special Benefits Every Customer Wants

Every customer looks for 3 special benefits when they do... Read More

Invalid Excuses for Poor Business Results - The Weather

Note to Kmart: It wasn't about the weatherIn the 1970s... Read More