A few weeks ago I was contacted by Professor Richard Feinberg, Ph.D. of Purdue University asking me to speak to 75 undergraduates in his e-Retailing class about eCommerce and my history in the industry. I jumped at the opportunity to tell the crazy story of how I started a $12M company selling ferret clothes and then started a $10M company helping others open their own online store. But speaking to this group was different. The guys and gals I would be in front of are the future of eCommerce. They are the next wave of entrepreneurs looking at the Internet as the global platform in which would be doing business.
I started the class talking about how things were back in 1994 when domain names cost the same as a Smart Car and I was selling product on the web before Amazon.com and Yahoo! were online. I talked about how technology has evolved over the years from when I was hard coding websites with HTML to how I have no clue how CSS, PHP and Java work today. I spoke about the future and how the Internet will continue to evolve, how mobile commerce will grow, how you should invest in a business phone (https://www.eatelbusiness.com/business-phone/), and how social media will be integrated into shopping faster than we think. While making comparisons in the “then and now” one constant through the years remained the same, customer service.
The level of customer service the shopper expected in 1994 remains the same, if not higher, today. Shopping online is an impersonal, often cold experience. But when the shopper wants some warm and fuzzy feeling from the company they’re buying from, they reach out for service. If nobody is on the other end to provide that service, or they provide poor service, chances of a repeat sale are slim to none. No matter how much things have changed over the years, no matter how much technology has streamlined the online shopping experience, customer service remains unchanged and more important than ever.
Many newcomers to the online arena think they can open a store and they will sell product without investing in customer service. This was a point I stressed with the next generation of eCommerce store owners in Dr. Feinberg’s class. All the money you can throw at marketing your store will be worthless if you provide your shoppers with an unsatisfactory customer service. The Internet may be the world’s largest garage sale, but not all people shop based on lowest price. Shoppers are willing to pay a few dollars more for an item if they have a good experience with the company’s customer service department.
Today, I received what Dr. Feinberg called my “parting gift” for speaking to his class. I got an official Purdue paperweight and a card with several quotes about service which I want to share with you:
You can’t guarantee you’ll never make mistakes.
You can guarantee you will fix them.
-Jeff Bezos, founder & CEO of Amazon.comIf you’re not serving your customer you better be serving someone who is.
Wouldn’t it be great if every time you name your company, people say WOW instead of Huh!
-Richard Feinberg, Ph.D., Purdue UniversityIf you’re not romancing your customer…. who is?
The answer is yes… now what is the question?
-Waitress at Lone Star SteakhouseI get a thousand opportunities a year to make a decision in favor of the customer. Each time I blow it, it costs me $10,000 in lost sales. At that price – of course the customer is always right.
-Rick Stewart, Frontier Cooperative HerbsLet’s face it, managing your customer satisfaction isn’t a matter of life or death, it’s far more important than that.
-Richard Feinberg, Ph.D., Purdue UniversityFrozen Spinach … $1.25
Naval Oranges … 2 for $.75
Haggen Daz … $2.99 a pint
Buying it in a supermarket that thrills, educates and entertains …
PRICELESS
-Richard Feinberg, Ph.D, Purdue University
