subject: Five Easy Ways To Reduce Refunds [print this page] An experienced business owner will always be on the lookout for the number of refunds accumulated from overall sales. Refunds might be the "short end of the story", but if you overlook them - they will cost you, big time...
Reducing refunds is just as profitable as finding new customers.
(Makes sense - doesn't it?)
Reducing refunds also means that a business owner is keen to upgrade his customer service. Efforts to solidify customer service starts with reduced refunds and increased customer satisfaction.
So what does it take to reduce refunds and quickly see some profitable changes in your business? Surprisingly it doesnt take a complete revamp of your product/business to reduce the rate of refunds. Basic principles of customer service have always stressed the importance of quality over quantity for any business wanting to have a successful venture. So if your business is suffering from a high dose of refunds, it wouldnt hurt to consider the following five easy steps that will prove to be your match-winners:
1. Persistent follow up with your client/customer. You must let them know that theyre important (Customer is the King!) and that you are going to take care of their needs. As part of your customer service, after sales service will not only increase your sales but also the loyalty of the customer. And this means less refunds, because they'll feel taken care of - and "part" of what's going on. Nothing's worse than being left out...
2. A good business knows the limitations of its core services. Over-marketing your promises might back fire on you. It is better to promise less and deliver more. Don't promise "the stars" unless your business is truly built to deliver it - and then some. Build your marketing/promotional campaign specifically so that there are some unadvertised surprises along the way once someone becomes a customer.
3. Use post-sale bonuses that come in to effect AFTER your return policy period to incentivise retention. Be creative and think of things that you can do after certian time periods. Place the best bonuses after the refund policy time-period expires to retain your customers that might place a refund just to simply get their money back. (Especially if they've already extracted all of the benefit from your product that they intended originally).
4. Lifetime Bonuses. Build your product/service in such a way that there will be lifetime benefits (such as access to some kind of useful database info related to your niche) if they continue to be your customer.
5. Reinforce the Greatness of the offer immediately after the order takes place. Customers will often feel immediate remorse/regret after purchasing a product. Therefore, you need to be sensitive to this and remind them how it will greatly benefit them for making the right choice. As part of good salesmanship, re-asserting the product quality and benefits will reduce the chances of a customer having second thoughts about the purchase of product. The customer must get a feeling of complete satisfaction after the purchase. This will drastically reduce your refund rate.
Build Your Business Using These Fundamentals of Success...
These are some of the fundamentals of a good business managing its customers for a reduced rate of refunds on the sales. Attaining a 0% refund-rate may be impossible if you're doing large volumes of sales, but you can definitely come close to it by interacting more with your customers.
Stick to these five steps for a great future of your business with fewer refund hassles. As part of your business attitude, always look for creative ways to treat your customers with a sense of integrity and pride. Refunds are serious business and you must avoid them if you're serious about protecting your profits. Every successful business has realized that they're not really selling a product. They're selling something that their customers want. All they have to do is deliver it effectively.
Make it hard to give up your product by making it incredible - and you'll make it easy to avoid refunds altogether.
