Just recently we have discussed the customer service for delivery companies, but what about furniture websites? Let’s talk about the main aspects of this kind of customer service.
Why does your client need customer support?
Increased loyalty. Nowadays, buyers are spoiled by the market and have many options. It is difficult to surprise them with anything extra. But it is enough to stumble once, and they will immediately start writing negative reviews and angry letters. The client will soon realize if you lose interest in them after the sale of the product. To avoid this, be in touch, solve their problems, assist with every little detail after the deal is complete – and the client will be more grateful, which equals more loyal.
Competitive advantage. Offering a turnkey package is the perfect way to differentiate yourself from the competitors. Bundled solutions make things easier for your clients and can result in more sales and increased customer loyalty. Clients do not need to look for furniture assemblers or other specialists if you can offer all of this. This means that they are more likely to buy from you than from a competitor that does not have technical support for the complete package on the spot.
Positive feedback and recommendations. It is unlikely that customers will recommend an online store to their friends and family if they didn’t like the service. But if everything went smoothly thanks to a little bit of extra care you can share the joy on social networks or on your own website. Crowd marketing and influencer marketing are steady trends today. Thanks to positive reviews, you can even sell more.
Additional sales = more profit. After receiving qualified help, a client is more willing to return to you in the moment of need. The sale of parts, components and consumables is also part of the process. Participation in partnership programs with companies for delivery, assembly of furniture, or repair of equipment will also result in a healthy mutual PR. Cross-marketing is the key to more profits.
Client consultations
It is crucial to keep on advising buyers on any issue. You are the expert source of knowledge in the client’s eye. It is quite natural for them to address all the issues to the place where the goods were purchased. You are the expert in this domain, and they simply need your expertise.
Prepare to answer questions about:
- the instructions for the operation of the goods.
- proper care of things.
- the purchase of spare parts, components, and consumables.
- elimination of minor faults.
Providing great service is primarily about satisfying the buyer’s needs. After the customer has contacted your customer support, you need to move on to the next stage. Identifying the customer’s needs. It could be something that even the customer is not aware about. To check out some high standards of customer support you can write to customer support on the Nationwide Furniture Outlet website and you will see how the selling and service process should be done.
The customer relationship starts right at the sales pitch or with the presentation of the product. To avoid failure, the seller should not guess the real needs of the buyer. Fortunately, they don’t have to be guessed but properly identified. The stages of identifying the needs of the customer is a mandatory core of a successful client relationship.
First, it is necessary to identify the motives of buying. In the furniture business, different people may buy the same chair for different reasons. These motives are inherent in us all the time.
Possible purchase motives
- Comfort: convenience, harmony
Examples: “It is important for me to be comfortable …”, “It is important that it is harmonious …”
- Confidence: reliability, safety
Examples: “I’m used to …”, “I have been let down more than once …”, “I had experienced …”
- Prestige: respect, recognition, uniqueness, fame
Examples: “What kind of company is this ?!”., “It is important for me that the brand is famous ..”., “I have not seen such furniture yet. ”
- Communication: the need for positive communication with the seller, maintaining relationships with loved ones
Examples: “They didn’t even talk to me in another store …”, “My family and I are moving to a new apartment …”
- Curiosity: novelty, interest, new assortment, risk
Examples: “Do you have any new items?”, “When will you have the delivery of new furniture?!”
- Economic benefit: profitability, low costs, discounts, favorable terms of purchase
Examples: “Other stores offer cheaper …”, “And what is the benefit to me? “, “And if I buy right away …”,
- Authority: expert recommendations, certificates, approval by loved ones
Examples: “I was told that …”, “I will bring my husband to consult …”
- Health: environmentally friendly, useful
Examples: “Tell me, how safe are the materials from which the furniture is made?”, “Do you have quality certificates?”
In addition, people may buy the same furniture for different reasons. For example:
- Will fit well into the interior.
- A brand that I have already purchased and am satisfied with the quality.
- A very well-known trademark with a worldwide reputation.
- Exactly what my husband and I have been looking for a long time.
- New collection and interesting design solution.
- A very good offer. The combination of price and quality. Discounts.
- Furniture can be bought at a store recommended by friends.
- Furniture made from environmentally friendly materials that will be safe for the child.
Each category of buyers may need to hear about the product in different ways. That is why it is very important to define the needs of the buyer.
As a next step, you should consider the buyer’s priorities and start asking questions.
Having extra info always helps
Using the information that you acquired by establishing contact with the customer, you can determine the goals of the buyer. Additional information about them, facilitating the process of determining their ultimate goals, can be obtained during a conversation by carefully asking questions and listening to the answers.
During the conversation, it is necessary to ask several key questions to find out from the buyer the following info:
- Awareness of the product, brand.
- Reasons for buying.
- Purchase expectations
- Taste preferences
An important point in interviewing technique (asking questions to the customer) is variety. Remember that as a seller you are not a spy, and the buyer is not under investigation. Don’t turn the “questioning” process into an interrogation; on the contrary, make it a pleasant conversation. Questions should be harmonious and varied in form.
How to make your life easier when organizing technical support
- Give as much information as possible on the site. Describe in detail the conditions of return, warranty, and post-warranty repair, exchange, and refund. It is better to place it as a separate menu item on the main page.
- In the same section, make available for download the application forms for return, repair or exchange. We recommend having them in Word format (.doc, .docx) – everyone knows it and can easily fill it out.
- Submit an FAQ section – answers to frequently asked questions. If you don’t do it and skip this step, managers will be constantly distracted by explaining the same thing over and over again.
- Attach proof. Back up the info with links to the law on consumer protection, the rules of trade and so on.
We hope you have found these tips on how to improve your sales and customer service at your online furniture store useful!
