In deciding the next topic for our Blog, I was trying to think about the most essential tips and helps for online stores, and how to apply that knowledge, catering it to a Quilter's Website.  

I found an article online for essential things every e-commerce site should have that I found extremely useful.  Click here to read the full article.

 The ten tips the article states are: 

1. Clear Logo
2. Deals, Freebies and Free Shipping
3. Latest News and Most Popular Products
4. Brand Products 
5. Shopping Cart, Login Box and Search Box
6. Payment Systems Icons
7. Social Media Links
8. Phone Numbers and Online Chats
9. Store Finder
10. Trustmarks

Category: Business Tips | Leave A Comment |

[ Happy April 1st Everyone! For those of you that didn't notice, this was meant as a funny April Fools joke. Enjoy! ]

We've made a radical, but very important decision as a company.

As many of you know, we've been serving the quilting industry for many years. We've consulted with hundreds, maybe even over a thousand businesses regarding making excellent websites for the quilting industry.  Clients and their customers love our websites because they find it user friendly, easy to manage, and highly customizable.

Today marks a new day in the history of our company. We are no longer going to focus on the quilters.  We'll now focus on "kilters", also known as our Scottish friends.

You see, we did one of those DNA testing kits as an office. Everyone participated. We were shocked to find that we all share something in common -- we're all Scottish!

After much deep thought and consideration, we're changing our name from Websites For Quilters to Websites for Kilters.  We're sporting a new logo.  We're printing new business cards.  We're practicing up on our Scottish accents.  Even some of the men are wearing kilts to work.

By getting in touch with our Scottish side, and helping our Scottish brothers and sisters enjoy the best websites possible, we look forward to a long and glorious future. We. Are. Websites For Kilters!!

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Read 1 Comment(s) |

We would like to thank our guest presenter, Bob Purcell with Superior Threads for presenting at this month's webinar. We appreciate his expertise and presentation for our audience. Please click below to view the video of the webinar.

View The Webinar

Category: Webinars | Leave A Comment |

Anyone who has ever owned a business has, at some point, learned the importance of good customer service.  In fact, for many customers good customer service is looked upon as an expectation or requirement.  They (and I might say, we) expect to have their questions answered quickly and effectively.  We expect to have someone answer our phone calls on the first ring.  We expect excellence in language and the mode of conversation.  We expect a cheerful, helpful attitude and a smile on the face of those who are helping us. I am very grateful for this, as I also feel that it should be an expectation of all in the workforce to have helpful, friendly customer service representatives.  

So, how can we differentiate ourselves from all of the other companies that offer good service?  In past blogs we have focused on the importance of Customer Service and have provided clues and tips for improving in this area.  One area we have yet to discuss is customer service emails.  

Customer Service Emails

Most of us know how to perform good customer service over the phone or even face-to-face. Not many, however, have learned how to convey excellent customer service through email.  Since so much correspondence in Online Stores is through email, it is important to know how to show careful, cheerful, and prompt customer service via email.

Some Tips

• Use a clear Subject Line that briefly describes the conversation and purpose of the email (avoid capitalizing all letters and minimize the use of exclamation points).
• Thank the customer and provide a brief overview of the subject in the first paragraph.  Get to the point as soon as possible.  Be clear, relevant and concise throughout the email.
• Make sure the tone of the email is polite, personal and professional.  Be courteous and thankful and always end the email on a positive note.  
• Identify and acknowledge the issue or question, restate the problem or question,identify a solution and insure them of when they can expect it to be resolved, or answer the question concisely and completely. To further personalize the email, anticipate needs and concerns before they are asked.  If applicable, provide additional support and contact information.
• Before you send out an Email, ensure that you have used correct grammar and punctuation.  

Below is an example of a well-written email:  (Please click on the Image to Enlarge)

To see some additional examples, click on the links below:

Amazon Example

Apple iTunes Example

I hope you will find these tips and examples helpful and will have many pleasant customer service experiences as you implement these tips in your daily interactions with customers.  

Wishing you a pleasant and successful week, 

Katie Cluff      

Websites for Quilters

Category: Business Tips | Leave A Comment |

Do you have a smaller e-commerce store? Are you often intimidated by how you can beat large e-commerce businesses?

I read an excellent article today on Practical E-Commerce that I thought was relevant to most of our clients.  I want to share it with you. Click here to read the full article.

The ten tips offered in the article are:

1. Know Your Customers
2. Choose Niche Products over Mass Market
3. Create Awesome Content
4. Get The Word Out
5. Create A Loyalty Program
6. Execute On Fulfillment
7. Design A Better Website
8. Make Yourself Available
9. Move Faster, Be More Nimble
10. Mind Your Margins

The parts of the article that impressed me is that smaller companies can be more nimble and "closer to the ground" so-to-speak than larger companies.  You can use that to your advantage. I was impressed with the story about how the store owners would list products on their site weeks before their competition by being quick.  I've also seen how a smaller store owner can beat the competition by putting some personality and detail into the product descriptions.  And this might sound self serving for me to say this, but choosing a good web development company is also key to make a beautiful, fast, and reliable website that understands your customer's needs is very important.

Category: Business Tips | Leave A Comment |