For companies selling tools and other related parts, the Internet can be a whirlwind of activity.
Not only is there the ability to sell products and services online, but companies can get instant feedback from customers, both current and potential ones.
So, is your business plugged in with what the worldwide web has to offer?
Internet Offers Immediate Buys and Feedback
While renting or selling products and services to customers in-person is still the “norm” if you will, the explosion of the Internet over the last decade or so has led to countless online sales and rentals.
For commercial businesses looking to use online avenues as their road to more sales, top-notch customer service still ranks for many as the most important piece of the puzzle.
If you are a business offering the option of renting an inflatable pipe plug online, you can get an array of feedback from customers with both in-person rentals/sales and the same online.
For example:
- In-person rentals and sales – Go out of your way to make the in-person rental or sale a winner, giving customers more reason to come back to you time and time again. Without literally standing over their shoulder when they come in to shop, simply ask them if they need help with anything. Showing you care and don’t want them wandering around your shop aimlessly can go a long way in bringing them back. It is also important to check with them during the check-out process as to how their shopping experience with you was. Any negative part of the shopping and ultimately the sale should be removed by the time they leave your business;
- Online rentals and sales – For those businesses relying primarily or solely on online transactions, the same attention to customer service detail is necessary. Just because you do not have a one-on-one encounter doesn’t mean you can’t garner feedback from each and every customer. You can give customers the option of an online customer feedback survey, one which they can take right after a sale is made or a little later in time. Either way, knowing how their experience went means more than you might think;
- Online catalogs – Many businesses have opted to go the route of online catalogs over the years, something that can prove beneficial to your brand. If you offer large online product catalogs, make sure that all the information inside is as up to date as possible. You will have occasional items that temporarily go out of stock, so do your best to update customers on when such items will be available again (providing an approximate date is fine) online for rent or sale;
- Convenience means more customers – Making rentals and purchases convenient for your customers goes a long way in bringing them back for more business. That said shipping products straight to the customer is more than just convenience for them, it allows you to make transactions quicker. As an example, if a prospective customer is miles away from your actual physical store or stores, they may not be able to get in to make a rental or purchase for a period of time. Buy shipping the product directly to them, you save them time, not to mention ring-up new transactions faster and easier. If you offer the option of UPS and/or FedEx, customers can have the necessary products in no time. For those products you are renting, simply provide the customer with a pre-paid return label, allowing them to get the item or items back to your business in a short amount of time.
When you make it easy for consumers to plug in to online rentals and/or sales, life for your business can be made so much easier.
Not only are most customers happier being able to make rentals and purchases in an expedient manner, but you keep your brand in the limelight as one that is up to speed on how much of today’s business is conducted.
If your business has been slow to gravitate towards online transactions up to now, change that moving forward.
Those brands who are experts in online rentals and sales will tend to have larger revenue streams and certainly happier customers.
About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.
