The holiday shopping season is in full swing. It’s important to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to provide your customers with a superior shopping experience. A big part of that equation is customer service. Unlike the Olden Days, when customers would be forced to patiently line up at a Customer Service desk to have questions answered and issues resolved, today’s shopper expects to be able to reach you whenever and however they see fit. That includes:

Through Your Website:  Does your website accurately reflect your location, hours of operation, phone number, and contact email? Your website remains one of the first places customers will go first for this vital information. Now is a good time to test your contact form – is it working, and who is responsible for monitoring and answering any messages who come in via your website?

On Social Media: Whether or not you think of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media sites as customer service channels, your customers do. Buyers may reach out to you in a number of ways, including using the social media platform’s messaging features, commenting on a post you’ve made (sometimes weeks or even months ago!), or by making their own postings and tagging your store in them. It’s important to monitor social media activity relevant to your company and make sure all comments are replied to promptly and professionally. Don’t forget to make sure that the location address, hours of operation, and other contact info on your social media profiles is accurate and up to date.

[Tweet “Having a written record regarding shopping snafus makes the customer feel more secure.”]

Via Email: Email is considered by many consumers to be the best, most reliable way to resolve a customer service issue. Having a written record regarding mistaken orders, late deliveries, and other shopping snafus makes the customer feel more secure: they have proof they’re doing their part to resolve whatever issue has come up.  Make sure someone is monitoring your company email and responding to all queries promptly and professionally. It’s a good idea to test the system periodically – you want to make sure messages aren’t being lost.

On the Phone: Believe it or not, there are still people out there who will pick up the phone and make a call when they want to know something about your business’ offerings. Is your team prepared to field these calls? Everyone who is  in the position of answering the phone should know basic customer service information, such as hours of operation, as well as know how to get accurate information regarding whether or not an item’s still in stock, pricing, and so on.