Ind. Consultant who just wants to email

[naekelsey]

I am a Ind. Consultant for a home bases business. One of things we stress to our customers is our excellent customer service. I would love to change contacting my customers from phone calls to emails. Setting up the parties and so forth would save me so much time if emails were only being exchanged. I am just not sure how to change to it. I have also learned that most people don't give a hoot to read there emails.

So a few questions? How would I stress or tell my customers that I would being strictly doing emails, in order to save us more time? Do I have a right to expect them to conform to "my way"? Then, how would I get them to even check there emails to see if I sent them something?

Thanks for any help..

[TimW]

You can do it one of several ways:

Convert over to email only, and cull the customers who will not conform

Convert over to email only for new customers, "grandfathering" current customers

Leave it as is.

If customers won't read their emails, does it really save time....when they call and ask where such-and-such info is, and you say "did you read your email?" and they reply "no", so you go an explain it to them again. No time savings.

I run an online retail operation. Some of my customers (80%+) work with me through email. Others do not, either through non-use, dislike or no-access. I can decide to not sell to them, and lose 20% of my business, or I can use that time to give excellent service to the customers who do like the phone over email (and who spend a lot of money with me).

If "excellent customer service" is one of your value propositions to your clients, can you really force them to conform to your wishes? How is that excellent customer service?

TimW
Phoenix

[kamakiri]

That was right on Tim. I couldn't have said ti any better.

Email only support really blows your credibility.

On the flip side, I use a POS system in my pizza chain that has an online forum for feedback. (www.pospizza.net if you are interested). In my pizza consulting business, I also got another POS company to convert to an online forum for support.

You could try something like what Tim has done, and put up a wiki, FAQ, and a forum for questions not covered by the first two(then of course add it). After that it is a matter of training your customers. Do not answer the phone on the first ring. Let it go to voice mail 50% of the time, or just leave your phone at home.

Either you have complete meat heads for customers, or they will naturally flow towards a more efficient solution. You enable them and enforce that habit by answering your calls promptly. Make your web site the easiest most complete one stop solution and you will not only gain credibility, you will give yourself more free time.

Email support alone will not save you time at all, and will only make people less than thrilled to deal with you.

[webgal]

I think you can move a lot of them in that direction as long as you put it to them as a BENEFIT to the callers.

"So that I can review your issue faster and more efficiently, I would like to ask for customers to send e-mail whenever possible. As always, we strive for the best customer service and I believe I can move forward on requests faster if I was using e-mail as a option to communicate needs."

Anyway, you get the gist.

[kamakiri]

Or you could just try this: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/14/i-want-sandy-perfect.html

[webgal]

Doggone. I've been hiring laundry fairies and I could've had Sandy the blog mistress!