Customer Service Tips for Online Avon Business

One of the easiest & most efficient ways to grow your business, in person & online, is by providing great customer service. People are not going to do business with someone who is always cranky or miserable. “You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won’t be profitable for long.” (Ward, 2017) Here are some tips & ideas I’ve learned along the way that help me with my online business.

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What is Customer Service?

According to the Business Dictionary (2018), customer service is “all interactions between a customer and a product provider at the time of sale, and thereafter. Customer service adds value to a product and builds enduring relationship.” You want your customers to walk away from their purchase satisfied. Remember, when customers are happy, they will share with those they know and when customers are upset, they will share with anyone who will listen. Here are 6 characteristics of great customer service according to Errol Allen from Business 2 Community (2013):

1. Reliability
2. Competence
3. Responsiveness
4. Courtesy
5. Credibility
6. Consistency

If you focus on these 6 characteristics with your customer service, even for your online business, you will notice not only your customers continually shopping with you, but also gaining new repeat customers.

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Customer Service Tips

I personally have a very friendly personality & have always had a demeanor that has people feel comfortable in talking to me. When I was working as a cashier in high school, customer service representative in college & even a front desk receptionist at an OB/GYN office these personality traits came in handy. When I became an Avon representative, I honestly thought the whole customer service aspect of my business was one area I didn’t really have to worry about. I quickly realized though that when you are creating a business a lot more is on the line then when you are working for someone else.

Show Off Your Personality

As an Avon representative, you are your business. People will more likely shop from you, because they like you. When you have customers you work with in person, it is much easier to show off your amazing personality & what you are all about then it is online. I have learned that it is just as important to show off your amazing personality & what you are all about online as it is in person. One way that I have been able to let customers learn more about me is through my blog, Journey of an Avon Mom. I have a special series, Being an Avon Mom, where I write a journal like blog each week. There I talk about being a work at home mom of 6 kids. Since I have started this series a couple months ago, my online business in sales & leadership has grown and I think huge part of it is because they are able to feel connection with me.

Be Available

It is very important to provide a way for your customers to be able to speak with you. One of the many benefits of selling Avon online is that in a lot of ways your work load is less, for example, with direct delivery orders, Avon will ship the items to your customers for you. Being available for customers to contact in case they have a question or an issue is very important.

TIP: Did you know that you can activate Live Chat on your online store? This allows customers to message you right from your online store. You can set up a schedule through youravon.com on when your Live Chat will be active. 

I am not saying that you need to be available 24/7. I personally set my “office hours” as Monday- Friday 8 am to 4 pm. This is the time I will answer my phone, emails & messages on the spot or within a few minutes. I encourage my online customers to email me as the best way to contact me because this is a method of contact I can manage to do even during my non office hours. If for some reason I may not be able to get back to a customer right away, I will send them a quick reply to let them know that I did receive their message and will get back to them within a given time frame. I have found that customers really appreciate this simple gesture, especially when they try and contact me during non office hours because it acknowledges them & gives them a timeline of when they questions or issues can be addressed.

Provide Information

With online shopping, it can be difficult to choose the right product for yourself. Your online customers are going to have the same issue. Providing information to customers is very important because it will help them not only learn what a given product can and can not do, but it will also help them determine if it is a product that is right for them. There are several ways you can provide information (product information & being an Avon representative):

• Blog
• Facebook Business Page
• Facebook Group Page
• Pinterest
• YouTube
• Consultation Services
• Emails

These are just some ways that I use in some form or another on informing customers about Avon products & the Avon opportunity. It’s all about using these ideas & making it your own. In doing so your audience will connect with you, which in turn will keep your customers happy & your business growing.

Keep Customers Up to Date

As an Avon representative, you can set up through youravon.com a way to update customers of online sales & new products through the Email Center. This is a great tool to use because Avon will automatically send updates to your customers. What I have personally realized though that having your own personal email that you send customers make a big difference. The emails Avon send come in through the “Promotion” tab in their email and if your customers are like myself, they will tend to either ignore them or just delete them unless a subject line catches their eye (which is not often).

Tip: Each time you get a customer’s contact information add it to your address book on youravon.com. This will ensure those customers receive the automatic emails from Avon and they will automatically be linked to your online store when they go to shop online. 

Each campaign I send 2 emails to my customers who have registered their email address either on my online store or personally with me. At the beginning of each campaign I send what is called a “Campaign Update” which is formatted as:

• Greeting
• Campaign dates with brochure & sales flyer images
• Brochure cover sale/ new product
• List of new products in that given campaign with a link to that campaign’s Avon What’s New from my website Journey of an Avon Mom.
• List of 1-2 sales or special offers from each of the categories (makeup, skincare, bath and body, etc).
• List of promotional offers, coupon codes & free shipping offers for that campaign from myself and/or Avon.
• Updates from my Avon business and from Avon
• List of where my customers can follow me on social media

As you can see this is a way where I am able to share with my customers a variety of ways to help them save on their order as well as keep my customers informed.

A few days before the campaign is scheduled to end, I will send a short order reminder to let my customers know that they have just a few days left to take advantage of that campaign’s sales prices online. I also provide them instructions on how to back order in case they do not get a chance to place an order for that campaign. I have found that customers really appreciate this because sometimes they may not get my order reminder email in time or forgot to place an order.

TIP: Make sure to input links to your online store whenever you speak of shopping your online store and links to any products you speak about. This will help customers be able to quickly go to whatever you are talking about without having to try & search for it. This will, also, ensure that they order from your online store & not accidentally someone else’s.

The one place where my customers can enjoy updates, sales, announcements & even tips on a daily basis is through my Facebook business page & exclusive customer group page. On my Facebook business page I share a variety of beauty tips, product information, inspirational quotes & a variety of other information each day. For special privileges, offers & more, my personal customers are able to be apart of my exclusive customer group page. At times I even offer games & activities for customers to earn FREE products or discounts on their next order. This allows me to not only keep my customers in the know but also, to go along with my next tip… show my appreciation.

Show Appreciation

Without your customers, you will not have a business and earn money. It is important to appreciate your customers & let them know you appreciate them. Each month I offer a prize for customers to have an opportunity to win through my Monthly Raffle. With every $25 customer’s order, they will automatically receive an entry. Then at the end of each month, I will draw a name & announce it on my Facebook Page. If a customer out of my area wins the prize, I will ship the item to him/her for FREE with their brochure.

Another way I show my customers appreciation is what I call “Big Spender Reward”. Basically what this is, for each customer who places a $75+ order will receive a FREE Avon product. For in person sales I will just add it to their order, however, for my online customers I will automatically ship it to them for FREE with their next brochure.

It is important to personalize your appreciation. Customers appreciate the personalized acknowledgement. Even though Avon will send a generic thank you email to each customer who places an online order, I will personally send an email to each customer who places an online order, regardless of the order total. If they are a new customer, this is also a way for me to share with him/her my Avon business so they can see the services I offer. Here is my email template:

Dear [Customer Name],

Thank you for placing your Avon order at my e-Store on [Date Order Placed] for $[Total of Order] + taxes & shipping.

If you have any questions or concerns once your order comes in please call/ text me at XX or email me at XX.

Your order info is:

ORDER #:

To track your order, click here & input your order # with your email address.

WAYS TO SAVE ON YOUR NEXT ONLINE ORDER:

As a new customer, use Promo Code: WELCOME10 on your next Avon online order & save 10% on any size order at http://www.youravon.com/XX.

For more ways to save money on your online orders, check out Avon Online Coupon Codes to learn how you can save on your online order including order discount, FREE Avon products & free shipping.

Follow me on your favorite Social Media & receive updates about new products as well as how to save money with personalized sales & promotional offers only valid with Jen Antunes.

You Can Follow Me On:

• Facebook: Avon with Jen A
• Instagram: jant813
• Pinterest: Jen Antunes- Avon Rep
• Twitter: @JenAntunes

Have a wonderful day & Thank you for choosing me as your Avon Lady,

Be Honest

This is something I have learned that makes a big difference. Customers don’t want to be bull shitted. They will have more respect for you if you are honest. For example, if a customer asks you about a product. They will take your recommendations & opinions more seriously when you are honest & upfront about the product, what it can and can not do & if you have personal experience with it or other customers have expressed their opinion about it, good or bad, let them know. Avon offers a wide variety of products & not all products will work for everyone, especially products that you apply to your skin. Use this fact to your advantage though by recommending a product you think will be a better option for your customer if the product they are asking about isn’t the best choice for him/her.

It’s also important to be honest with customers if you messed up or made a mistake. We are human too. You will make mistakes and it is all on how you handle the situation & the manner in which you correct the mistake that will make all the difference to your customer. In 2016, I was pregnant with my youngest & to say it was a difficult pregnancy is an understatement. It was hard to determine what days were going to be my good days & which were going to be bad. As a result, there were times that I was not able to get back to customers as quickly as I normally would or if I needed to ship something, sometimes it would be days later then originally planned. I was honest with them & if I saw fit, I would throw them a little something extra (a discount on their order or a free product). For the most part they were understanding & I still have the majority of the same customers now as I did then.

TIP: No matter how excellent your customer service skills & services are, you will come across customers that are never happy. We are not miracle workers & we do have to follow the law/rules. All you can do is be respectful & provide them with all the information and/or choices that are available so they can make the best choice for them. If for whatever reason they choose to stop ordering Avon, that is their choice & it is ok. YOU CAN’T WIN THEM ALL!

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In Conclusion…

Providing customer service to your online customers is just as important as it is providing it to your in person customers, especially if you are looking to grow an online business. Customers still want to have a personal connection with those they do business with, even if it is online. It is one of those, treat others as the way you want to be treated.

For more tips & ideas on customer service programs, check out my blog Customer Service Programs for Your Home Business. 

Share your tips on how you provide customer service to your online customers in the comments below…

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For More Tips & References:

The Balance Small Business’s “8 Rules for Good Customer Service” by Susan Ward December 31, 2017

Business 2 Community’s “6 Characteristics of Great Customer Service” by Errol Allen June 4, 2013

Business Dictionary 2018

Entrepreneur’s “Improve Your Online Customer Service” December 29, 2006

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