Your best employee can be the Internet

One of my set of eight wine glasses recently had a nasty fall, and of course we were having a dinner party the next evening. Wandering through the glass and china section of one store, we didn’t find a replacement. There were smaller ones, champagne flutes, water glasses; you name it, just not my size wine glass.

A very helpful young man offered to search for the right size, looking through manufacturers’ binders for the correct product catalogs. All the books were missing this particular brand’s brochure.

Then it dawned on me. “Oh,” I told him, “Let’s just go to Mikasa’s Web site and look there for this mystery glass.”

What would we do without the Internet? We were about to find out, as the store’s floor staff had computers, but no Internet access. Our helpful young man looked embarrassed as he told us, suddenly understanding that one of the most productive functions of customer service was not in his toolbox. We left without a glass, and with a diminished opinion of our shopping experience.

Then, despite my resistance to digital cameras, I made the decision to buy a digital to replace my yacht-sized SLR camera. Where to begin? At the Consumer Reports Web site, of course.

And what was my next step? To search the Internet for models I like. During my online journey, I found a great Web site that let me compare models, check features and ask questions. Only one thing was missing — the ability to hold the actual camera, look through the viewfinder and press buttons. On a purchase like this, I do my research on the Internet, and buy amid bricks and mortar.

Before I purchased my car, I likewise did all sorts of research on the Web. JD Power offers in one place information on makes, models, reliability, costs and dealers. You narrow down model choices and then get a link to dealer reports at the BBB. How easy is all that?

The Better Business Bureaus’ demand for service continues to climb at rates I never thought possible. Why? The Internet.

In the 12 months ended in March, we offered industry-specific lists of local member companies 14,024 times. More then 1,000 times a month a customer asked for a list of BBB members who are plumbers, for example, before making a buying decision.

So, you still think the Internet doesn’t play a part in your future?

The Internet is the fastest growing area for commerce, but there are still companies who insist they don’t need a Web site, won’t set up e-mail or respond to it.

The goal of customer service is to make the consumer’s buying experience so good that they return, spend more money and tell everyone they know.

The Web is a storefront portal. It is your best-informed and most productive employee and, if used wisely, a very targeted and efficient ad campaign. Just make sure you are using it everywhere and in every way because you know your successful competition is.