Customer feedback need not be painful -- it can often produce commentary on how well your site is performing.

Customer feedback need not be painful -- it can often produce commentary on how well your site is performing. Hopefully a good portion of customer communication will be fan mail but inevitably, there will be some e-mail from customers who are unhappy with your service or are having problems locating information.

Treat every customer inquiry and problem as opportunities for improvement. Obviously, updating your online FAQ with the questions you most often receive from your site visitors is essential.

Legitimate concerns from customers can indicate areas of deficiency on your Web site and can be considered a call for change. Investigate each complaint or inquiry to determine if your site is functioning properly and the fulfillment chains are adequate for customer satisfaction.

Quick response to resolving a customer inquiry or complaint is imperative. An ignored customer will eventually go away - for good. Often, a customer doesn't have a strong interest in being right, they may only want to be heard and acknowledged.

Positive feedback should elicit a response from you too. Let the customer know that their compliments are appreciated and you look forward to their continued patronage. Encourage them to contact you directly if they ever feel that the service from your e-store is less than satisfactory. Inspiring a relationship with customers will be essential to e-commerce survival.

Related articles:
Turning Complainers into Customers
Customer Support: It's All or Nothing

Reprinted from ECommerce Guide