Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Reduce Consumer Electronics Return Rates

The importance of Tech Support: Questions and concepts to consider while responding to support calls

Consumer electronics have the highest return rate of any product according to the Consumer Electronics Association and cited in a Liquidity Services Inc. article: Consumer Electronics: Top Retail Returns From the Holiday Season. Each and every week, 11 to 20 percent of purchases are returned back to retailers. Additionally, consumer electronics consistently rank year after year as the most wanted gift during the gift-giving season.

Although these figures aren’t particularly astonishing to anyone that follows Black Friday or Cyber Monday trends – or to each of you – our dealers. What may be surprising is that you have the power to reduce the return rate of your products simply by offering stellar technical support. While you know your products inside and out, it can be easy to forget that highly technical, highly specialized products require a significant amount of support.

And when “ease of use” is oversold, it can be a challenge to keep customers satisfied. So, what can you do to ensure your products aren’t part of that 11 to 20 percent returned on any given week –and especially come the end of December?

Below are a few questions and concepts to consider as you strive to keep the sale and help customers work their new products.

1. Are you calling because you need product training, or is there a specific problem you’re experiencing?
Defining this will speed up the call time because it sets a direct focus for the nature of the call (either Product Training or Product Support).
  • Training usually means the customer has elected not to read the manual or that conceptually they are novice users and are in need of a broader understanding. 
  • Support usually means they tried something and it failed and they need confirmation that it’s either a working or non-working device. 


2. Before we begin, would you tell me what you intended to use the product for when you purchased it? Here's an example of a follow-up question for a hidden camera customer: Am I right, you’re looking to set up motion-activated recording with a time and date stamp?


This type of question is called a “leading question." Here's an example in an unrelated field: A nursing assistant wants to get to the bottom of a patient's problem so she/he asks specific health related questions in order to receive specific answers, such as, “You’re a smoker, correct?" The patient's response – by design – will be the desired answer. By designing the way questions are worded we impact the answers we receive, allowing improved controlled over the flow of the conversation.


3. We know you purchased the product for a specific purpose, and our aim is to ensure you’re able to operate the product with full knowledge of how it functions. Do you have a few minutes that you can spare so that we may help you ensure you product is working? 

This is an example of Customer Service 101 with a dash of salesmanship, sprinkled in.

Three Main benefits of this approach are:
  • Customer purpose for purchasing is reinforced. Reinforcement typically strengthens the original decision to purchase. 
  • Displays a willingness to help the customer meet their needs conveniently. 
  • Establishes an agreeable environment. By getting your customer to agree to additional support you have now begun to build “yes” momentum. Yes momentum is a key element of the relationship between company and customer. Companies rely on customer’s willingness to say "yes" to their offers. 


4. Did you know, by design, the product is capable of _______________? 
  • Often, the customer will have completely different expectations in mind than the way the product was marketed. They derive these expectations from outside influences and experiences. 
  • For example – Customer calls to complain about the accuracy of their tracking device. Through a series of questions you find out the customer believes you can place the device anywhere in the vehicle with no impact on accuracy. 
  • The call then is more about reestablishing the expectation than about supporting a non-functioning product. 

5. We know you bought the product without intending to return the device, what knowledge can we share with you today that will help make it easier for you to use? 
  • The customer will reply by giving you a target, if you hit the bull’s-eye, you’ll have a satisfied customer who has no intention of requesting a refund. 

6. If we can help you take advantage of your warranty and ensure that a working unit gets in your hands, would that be something you’d find helpful?
  • “Warranty over Refund” should be slogan and a belief that you insist your customer service representatives live by. 
  • Similar to question 3, this question is aimed at getting an agreeable response from customers while reinforcing the benefits and purpose of product warranties. Any time you can get a customer to expect the warranty option over a refund is a victory to your bottom line. 

7. Suggested words and phrases to avoid: 
  • Defective 
  • Broken 
  • Money back 
  • Refund 
  • Do you want a refund? 
  • Did you want credit for the product? 
  • What will make you happy? 

Monday, November 3, 2014

Let's WIN this! Vote to feature Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio on DIY Network's I WANT THAT THE MOST

We’re thrilled to announce that viewers of DIY Network's I WANT THAT selected the Zone Shield Night Vision Clock Radio Wireless as one of their top 30 favorite products of the season!

Now we have the chance to be featured again on Nov. 28 in a special episode titled I Want That “The Most.” Only the top 15 products will appear in the episode and YOU can help ensure we are included!

Share this unique link to the Clock Radio on all of your social media channels along with the hashtags: #DIYNetwork and #SleuthGear throughout the voting period.

Encourage your fans, friends, and family to Pin, Tweet, and Post the Pinterest link from Nov. 3 - 10. Only the products with the most social media chatter will be featured on the show.