customer service & buyer expectations for ebay sellers

CUSTOMER SERVICE & BUYER EXPECTATIONS

May 2013

TIM DAVIES

THROUGH THE BUYER’S EYESBuyers won’t ordinarily think like a seller, so it’s your job to think like a buyer and see yourself through their eyes.

3CUSTOMER SERVICE & BUYER EXPECTATIONS

WHAT DO YOUR CUSTOMERS EXPECT?

Past experiences…

Other eBay sellers

Other websites

Bricks’n’mortar shops

Friends’ stories

Dealings with you

What they are told to expect…

What you say about yourself

Competitor advertising

Media stories

What you say about yourself

Dealings with you

Customer expectations are influenced by…

As a seller, you can only affect 2 of these!


You only get chance at a st impression1

?Are you making customers feel welcome,or inadvertently encouraging them to go elsewhere?


WHO ARE YOU APPEALING TO?

Looking at these two photos, ask yourself what expectations you would have about each retailer in terms of price, availability of sizes, customer assistance and returns. What a customer sees in your listings will influence their expectations of what the their customer experience will be, regardless of any claims you make about yourself. Be careful what expectations you are creating.


THE CUSTOMER SENTIMENT JOURNEY (a.k.a. the ‘Feedback Worm’)

RecoveringTestingWaitingShopping

Customers have feelings, and their feelings at each stage of the shopping process will dictate the feedback they leave for you. Think about your own shopping experiences. Uncertainty, confusion, fear of being ripped off, nervousness, worrying the seller is dodgy, elation at receiving the item, and dejection to discover it is not what you expected, or worse that it is damaged or faulty. As a seller, you need to do your best to anticipate how buyers might be feeling at each stage and keep them in the positive zone through honesty, transparency, constant communication, reassurance and empathy.

BUYER SNAPSHOT

What do I know about my buyers?

What do they expect?

How can I influence them?

What will make them happy?

CUSTOMER SERVICE & BUYER EXPECTATIONS 8

Customers are ordinary people too, just like you. They have all the same feelings, pressures and reactions as you do. The best sellers get into their customers’ mindset and tailor their customer experience to keep everything comfortable and positive all the way.

PROFILE OF A CUSTOMER

dreams

hope

fear

insecurity

self-image doubt

uncertainty

excitement

anticipation

health

stress

family

work

bills

housework

time

money

happiness

appearance

friends

relaxation

leisure

holidays

CUSTOMER PERSON


GET YOUR CUSTOMERS IN THE (RIGHT) MOOD

• Make it easy• Make it quick• Make it look good• Make it interesting• Make it feel great• Make it personal• Keep it fresh

As an online retailer, you have control over what you do with the pixels on your customers’ computer screens. Engage prospective customers from the first contact with your business through simple and compelling content and top quality images. Good design is not an accident. Invest the time and energy needed to give your customers great expectations which you can deliver every time. Then follow through and deliver consistently.


WHAT EXPECTATIONS SHOULD YOUR BUYERS HAVE?

• Quick response to questions

• Courtesy & professionalism

• Accurate product description

• Competitive postage

• Order dispatched quickly

• Order delivered in time

• Products delivered in condition advertised

• Product functions as meant to

• Fair & competitive returns policy/process

Best practice:

• Phone or 1-2 hours email

• Non-defensive, objective

• Free postage

• 0-1 day handling

• Express postage option

• 30 days

Providing you are a Top Rated Seller, the blue standards will qualify your listings as Top Rated Plus

FOLLOW THROUGH

Making a sale is not the end game. The objective is to gain a customer who will not only come back, but will bring others with them.

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Buyer ProtectionRETURNS POLICY

DOA Transit damage Change of mind

Life of the product Seller’s responsibility 30 days for TRP


You can set the terms of your Change Of Mind policy, but keep it competitive.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and consider what you would reasonably expect from a retailer in the event you received a faulty or damaged product, or if you changed your mind. Would you gladly pay for a faulty or damaged item to be returned to the retailer? No? Then don’t expect your customers to do it either. As a business, it is your responsibility to be familiar with Australian Consumer Law and honour it.

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WARRANTIES


Communication

90 days 12 months LifetimeDuration

Geographic Servicing Wear & tearConditions

Reply paid Buyer pays Drop-offReturn shipping cost

Manufacturer Distributor SellerProvided by

Automatic Extra cost Time limitedExtended warranty

Repair Replace RefundTreatmentWarranties are far more complex that simply saying “you’re covered”. Make sure you explain every aspect of warranties so customers know exactly what to expect and what to do if they need it. Take time to become familiar with Australian Consumer Law to make sure you are not breaking it by what you say or do. Being transparent and reassuring will win you more customers.

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THE BUYER EXPERIENCE


Customer

Product

Delivery

Packaging

Service

ContentOnly two elements are online:

Content (including images) Communication

Each element either sets or satisfies the customer’s expectations

If any one element fails: The buyer may have a bad experience Your reputation may be tarnished

The full customer experience extends well beyond your eBay store and listings

Communication

Your one-stop resource for selling on eBay:

sellercentre.ebay.com.au

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