Etsy Customer Service Stats

You may or may not have noticed a new feature from Etsy: Customer Service Stats. It can be found by hovering your mouse over your shop in your tool bar across the top or in the menu to your left as shown in the above picture. This will show your Customer Service Stats from the last 60 days. It also gives suggestions on how to improve your customer service.

It shows the following areas:

Response Time to Buyer Convos - This is the average of how long it takes to respond to a convo sent to you. It is shown in days at the moment. A one day response time is suggested. Don't dilly dally! If you need time to figure out a proper answer  send a convo that you have received their message and you will get back to them soon. At least you are acknowledging that you received their message.

Providing Processing Times - This is a relatively new feature with Etsy. It can be set up in your shipping profiles or in each individual post right before adding the shipping info. It is the amount of time the customer can expect before their item is processed and shipped. It is measured in Business Days. When an item is sold the invoice says "Expected to ship by (date)"

Meeting Your Processing Times - This is how well you made the deadline for processing that you set. If you set your processing time to two business days and ship an item out on the third business day that is not good. Customers like a quick shipping time. With the new processing times a tentative date for shipping is listed in the invoice you and your customer get when an item is sold.

Marking Items as Shipped - Pretty self explanatory. Did you mark the item as shipped? If you use Etsy shipping this happens automatically. If you use PayPal or another means of shipping this needs to be entered manually. Be sure to add your tracking info when you mark as shipped because you do not always remember to go back and add the tracking info.

Providing Tracking Info (US Only) - I use either Etsy shipping or PayPal shipping so I always have a tracking number. However, I don't always remember to add it when I use PayPal. Sometimes I am in a hurry to get to the post office.

That is about a simple as I can make it. This section on Etsy is for you only. Your buyers never see anything to do with this. It does not affect your rank or your feedback or anything but your own peace of mind. It is valuable information for you to allow your buyers the very best experience when they buy.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

Better Customer Service

A few years ago I was the Director of Operations for a software training firm. Part of my job was to train our trainers to be the best that they could be. Another part of my job was to come up with new subjects to train outside of just software use. The one subject that I was most happy with was a four hour course on better customer service.

I wish I still had a copy of the training manual because not much has changed over the years when it comes to customer service. The customer is not always right contrary to the old saying. The customer is always the customer though. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile to turn your customer into a repeat customer.

Here are a few tips that can help convert them into long time customers:

1. Be prompt in all replies whether it be in email or phone. Nothing says you car like replying to an email within minutes or hours of the initial contact. Worst case scenario don't let more than 24 hours go by.

2. Be polite NO MATTER the customer's attitude. Some people wait until they have stewed for hours or days before contacting you. They may not be very nice in their email or phone call. It is your job to remain calm and polite.

3. Listen to what they have to say. Sometimes there isn't really anything you can do but listen to their problem. Listening to them will let you know what their problems actually are. This goes for reading the entire email a couple of times before hitting reply.

4. Always respond in the positive. You want to do your best to not add to the negativity. You want to always try and put a positive spin on everything.

5. Offer solutions that work for all parties involved. The solution may very well be a full refund. It might also mean a redesign of a product. If you need time to process and respond, don't be afraid to let your customer know that you need time to figure it out. Just do not let time get away from you.

I hope that will help you a little. Let me know what your experiences are with your customers. Leave a comment or send me an email to MarketMyShop@gmail.com

Tips For Making More Sales On Etsy

It has been a while since I did a post of tips and tricks so here you go!

1. Reply to every email or message - Every email is important. Well, maybe not spam, but that isn't what I am talking about. When someone emails you a question, reply to them a.s.a.p. Whether it is a question or a comment, reply. It will build customer confidence if nothing else.

2. Always be polite and understanding - Let's face it, over any amount of time you will have a customer that is unhappy for some reason or another. The customer may not always be right but it is your job to make them happy. Sometimes it means going above and beyond. Sometimes it means loosing money. Sometimes it means a repeat customer.

3. The answer is yes - When someone asks if you can do something for them, a custom order, a modification, the answer is yes. It may mean working outside your normal realm of expertise. It might mean calling in help from a friend to get something done. The minute the answer is no, the sale is gone.

4. Mark your items as shipped - Even if it is after hours or on the weekend print a label and mark your item as shipped. You'll be amazed at your feedback about shipping fast! The only exception is for custom orders. There you should send a message letting the customer know you have their order and you're working on it.

That is it for the week. I hope you all have a great weekend! Feel free to add to the list here by leaving a comment. You can also email me at MarketMyShop@gmail.com

10 Customer Service Tips

Good customer service is the key to making sales. People tend to ask questions before they buy and your answers and attitude can mean the difference between a sale or never hearing from them again. Here are 10 things you can do to help make your customer's experience a positive one.

1. Offer shipping options in your Shipping Policy.  Priority, Express, FedEx and UPS cost more but the customer may be willing to pay to get it faster, especially around the Holidays.

2. If you make jewelry give the customer the option to modify the size. Allowing someone to make a 7" bracelet 6 1/2" could mean the difference in a sale or not.

3. Offer a different color option in your listing. As long as you can make something in different colors offer it.

4. Send a freebie with your order. A small gift can create a repeat customer.

5. Put links to shop sections in your listings. Make it easy for your customer to browse.

6. Theme your "Thank You" notes. If a Holiday is near wish them a happy whatever. If no Holiday is near tell you customer "Hope you're having a great Summer!"

7. When someone asks if you can do something, modification, change color or something else and you can do it, be sure to make a call to action. "Yes, I would be happy to. When you order please put that in your comment so I will remember who you are."

8. Follow up if you do not understand. Sometime you'll get a note attached to an order that you just do not understand. When in doubt, ask. Get on the same page.

9. If you can't do something suggest someone who can. A customer will remember when you helped them out with something. Plus, it helps your fellow sellers out.

10. Be sure to address the entire email someone sends you. Nothing is more frustrating than to have all but one question answered. It could turn a potential customer off.

Word Of Mouth Advertising

The very best form of advertising is word of mouth. You just cannot beat it when someone recommends your product or service to someone. This gives your shop an endorsement of someone who has dealt with you. This is the kind of advertising that we all want. How do you get it?

It does not matter if you are in front of your customer at a show or emailing half a world a way, there are some important things to always remember. The customer may not always be right, but they should always be treated with respect. You cannot make every customer happy but it should be your goal to always try.

Always be up front with them. If you set a time for delivery of a custom product, either deliver on the day stated or contact them BEFORE the deadline to let them know if there is a problem and find out how they would like you to proceed. People are much more forgiving if you let them know that there will be a delay before a deadline. That way, if the item was a gift or time sensitive they have time to figure out if they will have time to get it to the recipient or if they need their money back. Even if you end up issuing a refund, chances are you have not burned any bridges and the customer will remember your honesty and order from you again one day.

The point is, you must go above and beyond at every step of the way to help your customer to remember just how good you and your product are. The better you treat them, the more likely they will be to spread the word. I leave you today with a few tips that may not always help but surely couldn't hurt.

1. Put more than one business card in every order you send out, especially during the holiday season.

2. Take the time to write a thank you note in every order. If your handwriting is hard to read, at least print off a note. Either way, sign it by hand.

3. Offer a discount code to customers that spend money with you. If they buy a $2 product or if they buy a $500 product. 10% off isn't going to break the bank for you and it could mean a repeat customer.

4. Answer questions as soon as you get them.

5. Ask your customer if they would like to be added to your mailing list for snail mail or email or both. Believe me, getting a Holiday card in the mail will be something your customer will remember forever.

6. Follow up. After you are sure the package has arrived, send an email asking how they liked the product and maybe remind them to enter some feedback for you.

7. Be polite. If you are a grumpy person before coffee, answer emails after coffee.

Please feel free to help add to this list with some comments.