What Type of Guarantee to Offer
The type of guarantee that you offer your potential customers depends largely on the type of business that you do. Retail and ecommerce businesses often offer satisfaction guarantees, or guarantees against damage or breakage. That means that you will give your customer their money back, in whole or part, if the item is damaged in shipping or becomes damaged with regular, specified, usage.
Satisfaction guarantees are often offered as 100% satisfaction guarantees. These mean that you will refund the customer's money if they are not satisfied with the product or service for any reason. These are often given only for a limited time. For example, an ecommerce customer must claim dissatisfaction with the shirt they bought within five days of delivery.
Making it Official or Getting it in Writing
It is easier to offer a written guarantee if you run a brick and mortar business, rather than an ecommerce or internet business. If you do meet potential customers face to face, be sure to tell them about your guarantee verbally, but also hand them a paper or small brochure that outlines it as well. And do not confuse issues with a lot of small print at the bottom of the sheet. Small print is often viewed as a way to trick people.
If you do all of your work on the internet, you can offer a written guarantee that can be mailed to your customer if they wish. You can also include one with any order that you ship out. However, a virtually written guarantee is just as binding. If you write your guarantee clearly and completely on your website, you are bound by it.
The Number One Rule of Guarantees
If you intend to do business and offer guaranteed, there is one important rule that is tantamount over all others: honor your guarantees. You should only make guarantees that you will always keep. If you offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back, you must refund your customer's money if they are not completely satisfied. If you guarantee an item to work for a certain length of time after purchase, it had better work for that length of time, or you will have to replace it.
Offering a guarantee to both potential and established customers is a great way to increase ecommerce or retail sales. No matter what type of guarantee you offer: money back, price matching, or satisfaction guarantee, it will go a long way in impressing your customers with your service and professionalism.
Published by Melanie L. Marten
Melanie Marten is self-taught and self-employed. Besides freelance writing, she dabbles in website design and owns dozens of websites and blogs. Work is squeezed in between parenting two boys, homeschoolin... View profile
Customer Service is DeadQuality customer service is very rare these days. It seems obvious that the reasons for this are in the areas of education, tolerance and management. - Small Business Training: Customer ServiceTrain your employees on how to offer exceptional customer service. With training almost any employee can become a customer service expert.
- The Solution for Bad Customer Service: Cell PhonesAs in the case with Michael Richards, bad customer service can be addressed. All you need is a cell phone with a camera and access to the internet!
- Customer Service in Today's SocietyWe have all come across a dreadful customer service agent that did not solve our issues.
- Rude Customer Service Symptom of Breakdown of SocietyWhat is going on with customer service in this country? When I was growing up there was a saying in business circles: "The customer is always right."
- Holiday Sales Ideas for Ecommerce Websites
- In Business Everything is About Communications
- Webmasters: Speed Up Slow-loading Sites
- Make More Money by Entering the Restaurant Industry
- What Happened to Customer Service and Service With a Smile?
- Customer Service - High Demand, Short Supply
- How to Provide the Best Customer Service
- Retail and ecommerce businesses often offer satisfaction guarantees.
- It is easier to offer a written guarantee if you run a brick and mortar business.
- You should only make guarantees that you will always keep.

2 Comments
Post a CommentExcellent article with some solid information.
Very good advice! Thanks!