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Customer Service on the Internet
Question:
Hello! I’m Alexandra, a Postgraduate student in England and I’m doing my dissertation on Customer Service on the Internet. More specifically, I’m trying to find out the best ways to develop a long-term relationship with customer via Internet. Would it be possible to advise me some interesting places on the Net to search for information about this topic? YOur comments would be very welcome! Thank you Alexandra Sampaio Passaro Sheffield Business School
Response:
You have a very interesting topic. I would like to see your dissertasion when it is completed. There is a book called "The Net Gain" (don’t remember the writers right now) which might be helpful to your topic. Another book which might be interesting to you might be Don Peppers and Martha Rogers’ "Enterprise One to One". That book talks about building long-term relationships with your customers. It also has a section on using net for building long-term customer relationships. I would advise you to check out Amazom.com and Travelocity’s homepages because those pages seem like best prospects for building long-term relations with their customers. I hope these sources will help. If I run into other interesting references I will post them here. Good luck, Ali Muharremoglu – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I’m Alexandra, a Postgraduate student in England and I’m doing my >dissertation on Customer Service on the Internet. More specifically, I’m >trying to find out the best ways to develop a long-term relationship with >customer via Internet. >Would it be possible to advise me some interesting places on the Net to >search for information about this topic?
Response:
> I’m Alexandra, a Postgraduate student in England and I’m doing my > dissertation on Customer Service on the Internet. More specifically, I’m > trying to find out the best ways to develop a long-term relationship with > customer via Internet. > Would it be possible to advise me some interesting places on the Net to > search for information about this topic?
Being a little on the semantic/pedantic side, and at the risk of being a little controversial, there is no such thing as customers on the internet. Why? Because as Clifford Stoll puts it in his Silicon Snake Oil, the Net is too cool for relationships to form. Without a realtionship based on real needs, there can be no "customer service". It’s a ONCE-LER realtionship, where each transaction is totally separate from the previous and from the next. Of couyrse, a person may "buy" from a place any number of times, but there is not enough there to give the warmth of a real relationship. The Ur-Referent Boyd (Peter B Budvietas)
Response:
I must politely but vehemently disagree with "The Ur" regarding customer service on the Internet. While his perspective may hold a grain of truth for many business-to-consumer transactions, I feel that many business-to-business transactions can and do become personalized. In service oriented professions in particular, the Internet often serves as a lead generation source and subsequent contacts are then made in person — via telephone, or in some instances, even face-to-face. Semantics supports my position: a customer is one who purchases, and service (unless he refers to the Latin: to be a slave) is that which is provided. If he indeed refers to the Latin — then there is no real "Customer Service" anywhere in the free world!:-) LMD Enterprises… your link to the world Lauren Denissen, Internet Marketing Consultant Specializing in traffic generation through personalized design and promotion. Visit our site at http://www.lmdenterprises.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m Alexandra, a Postgraduate student in England and I’m doing my > dissertation on Customer Service on the Internet. More specifically, I’m > trying to find out the best ways to develop a long-term relationship with > customer via Internet. > Would it be possible to advise me some interesting places on the Net to > search for information about this topic? > Being a little on the semantic/pedantic side, and at the risk of being a > little controversial, there is no such thing as customers on the internet. > Why? Because as Clifford Stoll puts it in his Silicon Snake Oil, the Net > is too cool for relationships to form. Without a realtionship based on > real needs, there can be no "customer service". It’s a ONCE-LER > realtionship, where each transaction is totally separate from the > previous and from the next. Of couyrse, a person may "buy" from a place > any number of times, but there is not enough there to give the warmth of > a real relationship.
Well Mr. Onceler–I sort of disagree. It really depends on what you are using the net for. I use the net to build and maintain relationships with clients. Our site provides general information on the front-end and project management on the back end. The project management program provides client only folders within the site for online communications, net-conferencing, whiteboard stuff, etc. This is what we call customer service. However, I do agree that many one-time purchases and hitsm even those that complete on-line surveys and sign guestbooks, do not become prospects and no real relationships exists. Sheryl George-MacAlpine President MacAlpine Consulting Services Group http://www.mcsgnet.com — MCSGNET.COM The CyberSpace Place For Small Business
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > I’m Alexandra, a Postgraduate student in England and I’m doing my > > dissertation on Customer Service on the Internet. More specifically, I’m > > trying to find out the best ways to develop a long-term relationship with > > customer via Internet. > > Would it be possible to advise me some interesting places on the Net to > > search for information about this topic? > Being a little on the semantic/pedantic side, and at the risk of being a > little controversial, there is no such thing as customers on the internet. > Why? Because as Clifford Stoll puts it in his Silicon Snake Oil, the Net > is too cool for relationships to form. Without a realtionship based on > real needs, there can be no "customer service". It’s a ONCE-LER > realtionship, where each transaction is totally separate from the > previous and from the next. Of couyrse, a person may "buy" from a place > any number of times, but there is not enough there to give the warmth of > a real relationship. > Well Mr. Onceler–I sort of disagree. It really depends on what you are > using the net for.
Disagree — it’s not what YOU are using the Net for, but what THEY are using the net for. If they want to build a relationship, then you can reciprocate. If they don’t then it’s still a once-ler realationship. > I use the net to build and maintain relationships with clients. Our > site provides general information on the front-end and project > management on the back end.
In other words, you depend on them to want the relationship. > The project management program provides client only folders within the > site for online communications, net-conferencing, whiteboard stuff, etc. > This is what we call customer service.
Well, it is a service… However, it is still cool (for the proper definition of hot and cold, go back to McCluhan and his global village concept). > However, I do agree that many one-time purchases and hitsm even those > that complete on-line surveys and sign guestbooks, do not become > prospects and no real relationships exists.
Thank you for that. Mind you, I did say that I was going to be a little bit controversial Fun Fitness and Funds lead to prosperitry! The Ur-Referent Boyd (Peter B Budvietas)