Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet: Backorders
Sometimes backorders happen when you deal with selling products over the Internet. So let’s find out the major peculiarities and possible ways of solving problem issues with backorders.
In fact, what is a backorder? Fancy the situation. You place some product on your Internet store and a customer comes there and orders the product. You get quite happy that the product has been ordered and immediately charge the money from the client’s credit card. But then you contact your product supplier and realize that the ordered product is out of stock (for various reasons). This is the situation. You have to contact the client and inform him/her that the delivery of the product has to be delayed or cancelled. How you behave in a situation like this can show your mastery in the home-base business.
The major problem is the reaction of the customer to the backorder. A great number of clients understand that delays and cancellations sometimes happen due to objective reasons. These clients are pleasant to deal with. But not all the clients are that sympathetic. Some of them can be called “problem customers.” And your skills to avoid a conflict situation with this kind of customers speaks volumes about your trading skills.
There are a basic thing about Internet customers:
Internet clients are very impatient: they want everything and immediately.
- This is the reason why you have to handle any backorder situation as soon as possible. Never wait until tomorrow. Call the customer or send an e-mail (calls are preferable).If you have a slightest suspicion that the ordered product can be out of stock, check the situation with your supplier before charging the credit card of the client. Of course, you can always refund, but it is much easier to learn the product situation beforehand.
- When you contact the client, always offer to cancel the deal. From this point there can be two possible ways of the development of the situation. The client can either cancel the deal or agree to wait until the product is in stock. So when you mention the cancellation of the deal it gives you a competitive edge in the negotiations with the client.
- Try to be nice to the client. Send emails and call. Make the customer understand that you think about him/her.
- Never lose your temper. It will lead to nothing positive. You will definitely lose one client or even more. One client can recommend your high-quality service to his friends, colleagues etc. So think, do you really want to lose your money?
- When the situation is handled and the product is shipped to the customer, don’t be lazy to write the final email. This will, once again, show that you think about your client!
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