With the widely varying range of customer skills and abilities, experience and education, it sometimes seems like you have to be half-psychologist to do this job, sort of like an online bartender. Customer service online is not an easy job, and there are not enough of us to go around, so sometimes it may seem like we're rushing you or even a little rude, but the fact of the matter is that there is often a queue of 25 other people waiting for two of us to solve their problems. About which I'd like to say a few things, since our side of the customer service equation is not often heard. For example, your local corner store need only estimate or make educated guesses about what their customers really want. Because the convenience factor brings in the business by itself - they are there, which in itself wins half the battle.
Every contact is a sales opportunity.
We know that a few regular customers can generate more revenue for us than hundreds of temporary or passing customers, so our regulars really do deserve special care and handling. No wonder customers get so upset. Believe me, we understand, and it is hard for even the best of us to please everyone all the time. Second, many new companies online are a bit of a mess, frankly. Marketing doesn't know how many sales resulted from a promotional campaign, and tech-support isn't aware that a good customer missed a firmware upgrade.