Happy Friday everyone, I've been trolling browsing around WebProWorld trying to find interesting topics to discuss. While searching I actually discovered a topic not being discussed. But probably should be...customer service.

Many webmasters, and online shop owners greatly overlook the aspect of customer service. It's easy to do; with having to keep up with SEO, product management, site design etc... However, customer service and user's experiences on your site are just as important as getting them there in the first place.

If you want to look for an example of success based on customer service then take a trip to Newegg.com. On the surface you'd think they've been successful just based on their great deals on computer hardware. If you dig deeper and study the community found on Newegg you'll find customers raving about Newegg's support.

They easily have the fastest shipping of any computer hardware company that I've seen. Problems are dealt with in a timely, and personable manner. I've talked with numerous people who have had nothing but positive things to say about Newegg. Which is a large part of the reason they keep going back. The security of knowing that a company is looking out for its user's interest is so vital for success.

Ok, I've provided an example of a company that has good customer service, but what about your site?

The first thing to remember is 'keep it simple'. If your site is starting out small, then you don't need to invest in an extravagant customer service system. At most, you'll want a forum and contact information. Forums are great because they can provide for customer support, and help with SEO as well. If you really want to stay ahead of the curve, Twitter is being talked about as a viable customer service platform as well.

While finding a platform, don't forget what customer service is really about...people. You can have the fastest responses in the world, but if your customers don't feel appreciated or cared about then it doesn't matter. I've never bought into the 'customer is always right' mentality, but they should atleast have the perception that they are.

| JohnnyV |