Affiliates spend a lot of time and money creating a special environment and information for their site visitors. But sometimes things go wrong. A visitor was dissatisfied with a product you sold, or it was damaged in shipping. Someone isnt receiving your mail newsletter. A visitor had a terrible experience with one of your merchant partners. They took your advice and it didnt work for them.

The way you react to problems and complaints will make a big difference in your visitors loyalty to your site. What can you do? Act swiftly. Be sure you have someone monitoring the customer service and info email boxes several times a day even if youre just beginning and only serving a small number of visitors. Larger companies should continually monitor for problems, and the largest should consider instant messaging for complaints. In almost all cases apologize immediately and take immediate steps to correct the matter. It takes so long to acquire a loyal visitor, and so little time for him to move on if he feels slighted. There are too many perceived alternatives. So replace, repair, rebound or refund fast! Send a follow-up email to see if the situation was resolved to the individuals satisfaction. Depending upon the nature of your site, you may also include a freebie or a discount on a future product.

Superior handling of problem can even work to your advantage. Your site visitor may feel hes learned more about you, and likes what he sees. Youre one step further in solidifying your relationship.