Any reputable business that expects to be in business for any length of time needs to have set of policies that govern how their business is operated. One of the polices that is a must have is a shipping policy. Today, customers generally want their product quickly and they know they have choices when it comes to getting what they want when they want it. If you don’t show a shipping policy on your site, many won’t be doing business with you because they’ll have no idea of how frequently you ship, via what carrier, etc., etc. In short, they need to know when and how their order will be shipped.
Even when you are dealing in electronically delivered items, you’ve got to let your customers know how they will access the digital download. Will you email a link to them? Will you email the file to them? Will your customer have to opt in to your mailing list in order to receive the download link? The more information you provide to your visitors, the more likely it is they will become your customer.
If you are selling a product that has to be physically shipped to your customer, it’s not only a good idea to have a shipping policy, there are also a number of terms you must comply with, per the FTC’s mail order merchandise rule. While the FTC’s guidelines are only common sense to the reputable business person.
When developing a shipping policy for your online business, there are five components you must have it to not only satisfy your customers, but to stay on the good graces of the FTC.
They are:
1. Be sure to ship orders within the time frame you promise in your advertising
If you promise same day shipping if an order is placed by 3PM, be sure you do just that.
2. Ship all products within 30 days of taking an order
Unless you specify a different schedule, you must ship products for any orders taken within 30 days. These instances will likely only include situations where a product is on back order, or you are dealing with pre orders.
3. Notify customers if you are unable to ship their order
Seems like common sense, but many businesses fail to do this. If you run into a situation where a product ordered by a customer is out of stock, communicate this fact as soon as possible to your customer. Don’t make them guess as to why a product hasn’t been received. Offer to refund the order if it’s going to be a period of time before you have the item back in stock.
4. When a product is out of stock, let your customer know when it will be back in stock
Again, this should be common sense. Communicate with your customer! Let them know when the product will available again. Offer to refund their money if they don’t want to wait, or offer some sort of bonus to them for the delay.
5. Provide your customers with options
If a product is out of stock, by all means, give your customer the option of selecting a like priced product, opting for a refund, or waiting for the product to be shipped after it’s back in stock.
So much of customer service is based on common sense when you get right down to it. If you treat your customers the way you’d expect to be treated when making a purchase online, everything will operate smoothly. Communication with your customers is key and having a shipping policy in place is a key part of the overall communications with your customers.
