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When one thinks of customer service, specifically online, the mind gravitates to ‘after the sale’ thinking. For many, customer service is simply about customer/client retention with a majority taking a reactive approach. This line of thinking can lead to lost opportunities, as good customer service implemented in a certain fashion can lead to higher sales.

A proactive customer service strategy is something you rarely see online, and I’ve never understood why. Developing a strong relationship with customers at the POS, or before is all about connection. Here are a few key strategic points to remember, and will get you towards ample conversions.

Hire Strong IT Employees

Unlike brick-and-mortar locations, online customer service begins and ends with IT. You might be scratching your head at this notion, but hear me out. When shopping online, consumers want to move as fast as they can. When visiting a site with the notion to buy, making sure the site is functional is of the utmost importance. Second to that is keeping your site’s speed at optimal levels, so consumers can browse with ease.

Along with functionality, your IT department will be in charge of keeping the site secure. Here is where you begin establishing trust with your customer or client. Instituting strong security measures is a requirement when putting together IT employees.

Engage, Engage, Engage

I was searching for furniture a few days ago on an outlet website, having trouble finding what I was looking for. Almost instinctively I was prompted by a small embedded window to speak with an associate. I ended up chatting with what appeared to be a kind associate, who directed me where I needed to be. I ended up making a purchase; had it not been for the engagement, I might have simply looked elsewhere.

Engaging potential customers and clients can be tricky online, as you don’t want to come off intrusive. There’s a good chance most of your visitors just want to be left alone, so bombarding them with ‘Can we help pop-ups’ isn’t going to garner any conversions. Discover a healthy medium, and engage without over-pursuing.

Provide Options For Feedback

There was a time when I worked in sales, and a manager of mine provided advice I’ll never forget, “Always learn from every customer”. Allowing feedback from your customers is one of the most valuable tools you have to improving customer service. It amazes me how many sites seem to alienate their customers, not allowing for much in the way of contact.

A form of feedback which really impressed me was an online retail site which prompted me to take a survey after purchase, allowing for 5% off my next purchase if I filled it out. Not only did the company receive some good feedback on how to improve their site, they provided an incentive to return. That’s how it’s done.

Social Networks are Your Friend

If communication is the key to customer service, then social networks could be just the tool to get the job done. Twitter has allowed for huge strides in companies’ online customer service. It’s free, allows for direct customer interaction; what’s not to love about Twitter?

The key to using Twitter is making sure you can handle the upkeep. Having a stale, uninvolved social networking presence can many times hurt you. If a potential customer finds your Twitter page and sees very little updating and engagement, there’s a chance they’ll pass on a visit. No visit = no conversion.

Keeping to these four tips can help you towards turning your customer service into sales. Remember, the key is engaging your customer at opportune times and providing an experience you’d want to go through as well.

About the Author: John is a staff writer for WebProNews.