Recently I had the misfortune of trying to find a laptop repair shop in the middle of the COVID-19 outbreaks. Which, in theory, shouldn’t have made my questions any harder to answer, however I kept reaching out to shops online with little luck. On multiple occasions, my questions would go unanswered for days at a time.
As a consumer, this really rubbed me the wrong way because in the age of social media and smartphones, you get used to the high level of customer service where you hear back from business almost instantly.
Chasing after a response from a business gives me the impression that they don’t value my business. So this definitely plays a big role in my decision making process when it comes to where I choose to spend my dollars. This recent experience got me thinking about why a speedy response and online customer service still matter, especially now more than ever.
A Quick Response is Important
Throughout this whole process of looking for a local business to help me with my computer troubles, I would reach out to businesses online, mostly through the contact forms on their website and occasionally directly through social media. While I was waiting for one business to respond to me, I’d message another business in hopes that I would get a response quickly. This was never really the case. Even simple questions about what their hours of operation during COVID-19 would go unanswered for a few days.Needless to say that I was not excited about a business that seemed disinterested in attracting a new customer.
The reason that it is so important for a business to be on top of their online presence, is because it shows customers that not only is your business legit and operating, but also that you value your customers time. Before ever spending a dollar at a business, this gives the consumer a glimpse of how the customer experience will go.
When Online Customer Service Is Done Right
After a handful of dead-ends and getting tired of waiting, I reached out to one last business online and I received a response from them almost immediately. They were quick to answer my questions and they could even help me out that same day.
I was so thrilled that I went online to leave them a good review and noticed that they were on top of their online reviews too. Every review that was left had a response from the business either thanking them or offering to rectify a previous mistake. It honestly made me feel so much better about the work that they did on my laptop.
Why It Makes a Difference
The seemingly small act of responding to my questions in a timely manner made a world of difference to me as a customer and it eventually became the main factor as to where I chose to shop online and in person. All it took was a few moments on behalf of the business to thoughtfully answer my questions and they had assuredly won me over as a customer.