Automating Portions
of Your Home Based Internet Business
Owning your
own Internet business is a dream come true for many. Unfortunately, most
people don't realize the cost of running such a business in terms of time.
Between setting up and maintaining your web site, marketing the site, creating
products, and customer service, you end up working more than a full time
job. Although there are certain tasks that you must handle yourself, there
are usually even more tasks that can be automated with autoresponders or
even outsourced.
Minimizing Customer Support Requests
One of the most
time consuming aspects of running a business is customer support - especially
if you're selling software. Many times, you will find yourself answering
the same questions over and over again, which is something that can be partially
automated.
A great way to cut down on a lot of your support requests is to set up an
online help desk with a knowledge base on your site. A help desk will enable
your customers to visit your site and go through a series of questions and
answers that will try to solve their problem without the need for human
intervention. However, if they can't find a solution, they can then submit
a support ticket for assistance. You can find a nice online help desk software
at Kayako. If you get a lot of support requests, this will definitely be
a great option for you.
Another way you can cut down on your support requests is to set up a 'Frequently
Asked Questions' page and place it on your web site. If you'd like to use
this option, create a new web page and type out any questions you receive
or any questions you think your customers may ask and then answer them. Your
FAQ might look something like this:
Question: Is your software compatible with the Windows Vista operating
system?
Answer: Yes, our software is compatible with Vista.
In addition, you could also create 'answer' templates for questions you receive
on a regular basis. To do this, open your text editor and type your email
message that will be used to answer questions. Save your new template within
an easily accessible folder. If you do this for each potential question,
you can easily copy the answer from your template and paste it into your
email reply each time you receive a standard question. Some email programs
will enable you to create what is referred to as stationary. You can use
this feature to create your templates.
You will be amazed by the amount of time you'll save each day by automating
a portion of your customer support requests. However, there are many other
things that you can do to automate some daily tasks.
As an Internet business owner, you have most likely have heard about
autoresponders. Autoresponders can also be used to automate portions of your
business, as they can send out an automatic response to every email message
received.
Automating with Autoresponders
You can set up
an autoresponder on your own server, but most find that it is much easier
to sign up for an autoresponder service, such as Aweber, or Get Response.
Either way, there are numerous tasks that can be taken care of with an
autoresponder.
If you write articles, autoresponders provide a great way to deliver them
to your visitors email address. You can place special links on your site
for your visitors to request your articles.
Autoresponders can also enable you to provide your visitors with your advertising
rates, such as web site or ezine advertising. By enabling your visitors to
request this information via your autoresponder, you won't have to manually
send it to them.
You can also use your autoresponder to automate your digital product delivery.
Instead of redirecting your customers to a 'thank you' or 'download' page,
redirect them to a page where they can enter their name and email address
into your autoresponder form. Upon submitting their information, your
autoresponder will automatically send them their download instructions.
If you'd rather not use an autoresponder service, here are two software programs
that you can install on your own web server:
AutoResponse Plus
- A complete list management system that will enable you to manage an unlimited
number of lists, send plain text or html messages, send out customized messages,
and include a link for your customers to automatically remove themselves
from your list.
1-2-All Broadcast
- This script will enable you to fully manage your email lists, send plain
and HTML messages, personalize messages, and enables your customers to remove
themselves from your list automatically.
There are an unlimited number of uses for autoresponders, such as promoting
business opportunities, delivering free email courses, and much more. Use
them to your fullest advantage.
Automating portions of your Internet business can save you a wealth of time
and enable you to focus on more important things - like spending time with
your family or making more sales.
Copyright © Shelley
Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the owner of
www.Web-Source.net. Join Shelley
and many others who work from home. Find out how you can launch 6 automated
income streams in just 24 hours. Visit:
www.BoardYourShip.com/workfromhome/
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,
in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author
bylines are included.
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