Any business, whether a major multinational corporation or a small sole proprietorship which does all of its business online has a mission other than making a profit. This mission is of course to serve its customers – and providing good customer service is what sets most successful companies apart from those which don't manage to stay in business for long. Good customer service leads to customer loyalty; which is something no business can do without. Providing good service to your customers also gives you the best publicity of all: word of mouth recommendations – and there is no advertising available at any price which can do as much to drive sales and build your brand as this. Providing your customers or clients with the best service you can is an essential ingredient to your success as a business owner.

The most important thing is to make yourself available to your customers. If you're a one man or one woman show running a web based business, the need to be there to respond to your customers' concerns is no less real than if you were a larger company. Of course, you may not necessarily want to include your home phone number on your website, but you should at the very least include some up to date contact information which your customers can use to get in touch when they have questions or concerns. Include an email address or a contact form on your website and just as importantly, emphasize that you are there to answer their questions – this demonstrates a commitment to customer service; and even if a customer never uses this contact information, they will notice that you've made yourself available.
This should go without saying, but queries from customers and potential customers should be responded to as soon as humanly possible. There's no use in offering your customers a way to get in touch and then not responding when they have questions. Remember that without them, your business couldn't thrive – so make a point of responding promptly when your customers contact you. There's nothing that can give you a bad reputation faster than ignoring the concerns and questions of the people you do business with. Just responding in a timely manner will make a positive impression on people.

Do your best to address these concerns and be willing to work with people when they have complaints. A customer who comes to you unhappy and leaves happy is the best form of advertising there is; but upsetting a customer further guarantees some word of mouth publicity which you definitely don't want. Be tactful when dealing with complaints and above all, don't get defensive – this will cause a customer concern which could have been dealt with relative ease to escalate into a full-blown confrontation.

It's actually not all that difficult to provide your customers and clients with world-class customer service. Be there to answer their questions, work with them when they have a concern and don't be afraid to go a little out of your way to keep them happy and coming back to do business with you again and again. This will establish a reputation for your business as one which cares for its customers – all you need to do is to treat your customers the way you'd like to be treated if the roles are reversed; some things really are simple, even in business.