Save Time Answering eBay Buyer Emails with Hosted Support - eBay Certified Provider Spotlight

eBay sellers may find they are spending a large amount of their time answering buyer questions instead of focusing more on listing and strategy. To help sellers reduce the size of their inbox and save time answering redundant questions, Hosted Support (an eBay Certified Solutions Provider) has created a solution that can help, ezSupport for eBay.

ezSupport for eBay is a customer relationship and email management solution automatically responding to buyer emails through a knowledge base the seller has created. Also, sellers can use Hosted Support’s Searchable (Advanced) FAQs in their eBay listings allowing buyers to find their answer and never needing to email the seller.

For example, if a buyer emails or types into the Advanced FAQs, “What happens if the battery doesn't fit my cell phone?”, ezSupport for eBay will instantly email or display that specific seller's answer, such as, “Cell phone batteries may be returned within 14 days of receipt.”

ezSupport not only saves eBay sellers time but also increases the chances the buyer will bid or purchase an item by giving an immediate answer or response. If a buyer has to wait to hear back from an eBay seller, the chances of them bidding or purchasing greatly decreases.

eBay sellers report up to 80% of buyer questions can be handled by automated emails and FAQs.

Consider the customer and email management solution known as ezSupport by Hosted Support for sellers needing to reduce customer contacts and save money and time on customer support.

Key features of ezSupport for eBay:

• Answer 80% of customer email – automatically
• Create an extensive knowledge base
• Auto respond to buyer email from “Ask Seller a Question” link on eBay
• Customizable and Searchable FAQs knowledge base gives buyers immediate answers
• Add, Edit and Delete FAQs at anytime
• Natural Language Search
• Retrieve and archive all eBay messages indefinitely
• Maintain buyer contact records
• POP email importing
• Support multiple logins
• Share knowledge base across multiple ezSupport accounts – Great for eBay sellers with multiple eBay IDs
• Improves feedback and DSR scores
• Responds to buyers who hide their email address
• Adds 24x7 customer support to eBay listings
• Easy 15 minute setup
• Supports Windows and Macintosh
• FREE 30-day trial

ezSupport for eBay with Advanced FAQs can be used FREE for the first 30 days. After the FREE 30-day trial it is priced at $19.95 per month, available on a month-to-month subscription basis.

eBay Sellers that are subscribed to Selling Manager (free) or Selling Manager Pro, can add ezSupport for eBay to their My eBay account with the new Selling Manager Applications. Same functionality and benefits, right in your eBay account.

HostedSupport is a leading provider of affordable customer support automation for web businesses and eBay sellers. Its easy-to-use system can be set up in 15 minutes and eliminates many of the customer support “pains” involved in answering and tracking customer questions, managing the returns process, and resolving customer tickets/cases. Businesses using HostedSupport's products increase their revenues an average of 25% and reduce their manual email workload by 80% or more.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Solutions Help eBay Sellers Increase Sales

Customer Relationship Management

To really gain an advantage and increase customer satisfaction (DSRs and Feedback) eBay sellers should consider investing in a Customer Relationship Management solution or CRM.

A CRM solution will allow sellers to keep records of their buyers in order to better understand the buyers search and purchasing behavior. A better understanding of buyer behavior gives sellers the opportunity to create and implement effective targeted marketing strategies and increase sales with repeat purchases.

A CRM solution will also help reduce the amount of emails and questions eBay sellers receive or automate the email replies.

Benefits of CRM:

• Maintain buyer/customer contact records
• Identify customer segments (location, purchase history, returns, customer support issues
• Improve customer retention
• Know your top buyers for each product and group
• Improve customer service
• Create marketing campaigns
• Send coupons and incentives to specific buyer segments
• Track and report on effectiveness of marketing campaigns
• Analyze and create reports on customer trends in correlation with marketing and product

eBay does not provide a CRM solution for eBay sellers. eBay sellers interested in increasing their buyer satisfaction, retention and sales should consider a CRM solution from an eBay Certified Provider.

Hosted Support
Seller Machine
ShipWorks
MyStoreCredit

eBay Workshop Sept 1st - "Save Time Answering Buyer Questions with Fast and Easy Advanced FAQs and Automated Email Responses”

Workshop: New Selling Manager Applications – Save Time Answering Buyer Questions with Fast and Easy Advanced FAQs and Automated Email Responses

Host: Hosted Support
Date: September 1st
Time: 11AM - Noon PST
Location: eBay Workshop Board

Description: Don’t lose a sale due to slow responses to buyer questions. ezSupport for eBay, by Hosted Support, lets sellers create a knowledge base to be used either as a FAQ (buyers can search for and find their own answers) or if they email sellers directly, ezSupport for eBay will automatically respond to the buyer email based on information the seller has already supplied.

Now you can add ezSupport for eBay quickly and easily to your eBay account with the release of new selling applications for Selling Manager Applications.

Hosted Support is an eBay Certified Solution Provider and one of a handful third party providers included in the new Selling Manager Applications feature.After the material is presented we'll open the board for discussion and questions.

Visit http://certifiedprovider.ebay.com/ to learn more about eBay Certified Providers and the services and solutions they offer to help eBay sellers.

New Selling Manager Applications for eBay Sellers from Certified Providers

If you currently use Selling Manager or Selling Manager Pro to manage your inventory on eBay, you may find adding an additional application from our eBay Certified Providers is just what you need for robust inventory management, sales tracking, communication management and more.

Benefits:

• Market Research & Reporting
• Customer Service
• Shipping & Payments
• Listing
• Inventory Management
• Marketing & Merchandising
• Product Sourcing
• Accounting
• and more...

All sellers can take advantage of these new tools – all you need is a subscription to Selling Manager (Free) or Selling Manager Pro. From within Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro, any new applications you subscribe to will appear under the Applications tab.

Every application is available with a free trial (usually between one week and 30 days) – so you can try it out before you subscribe. Most Selling Manager Applications charge a subscription fee. Just log into Selling Manager and check out the application catalog tab. Or, subscribe to Selling Manager today.

Certified Providers:

Hosted Support
MyStoreRewards
Terapeak
ShipRush
Worldwide Brands

Create FAQs and Reduce Buyer Email with Hosted Support's ezSupport

Listen on eBay Radio as Hosted Support discusses how their ezSupport for eBay is an Advanced FAQ system reducing buyer emails. Let your buyers answer their own questions!

ezSupport for eBay offers:

• Customizable creation of your own FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Create an extensive knowledge base
• Searchable FAQs
• Easy to create!
• And more...

eBay Certified Provider Fair Increases Awareness of Tools and Services for eBay Sellers

eBay held its fifth Certified Provider Fair at the eBay Customer Support center in Salt Lake City, UT, on Thursday, February 26th. The purpose of this event is to expose Customer Support employees at eBay to the software and services available to the eBay Community from external eBay partners qualified to be an eBay Certified Provider.

Over 300 eBay employees attended and viewed product demos, discussed each solution and relayed ideas and feedback on what their eBay sellers needs are. Customer Support teams in attendance included our Top Seller Account Managers, Seller Strategies, Motors, PowerSeller Stores support, Listing Tools and our Top Customer Care teams. These teams are on the phone every day helping eBay sellers. Saving time and increasing profits is the goal of every seller, and helping to pair the right solution with the right seller to accomplish that goal is vital.

eBay Customer Support teams were impressed at the range of software and services available to help eBay sellers become more efficient and effective from our Certified Providers. Certified Providers provide:

• business and strategy consulting
• shipping
• customer relationship management
• accounting and business management
• market research
• listing solutions
• and more!

Feedback from the eBay teams has been extremely positive. “Without the Certified Provider Fair I would not have the awareness and knowledge of their solutions. I am able to recommend Certified Providers to my Store sellers and see the improvements in their sales,” said Randi Williams, PowerSeller Stores Support.

Brain Servatius, Motors P&A Top Seller Account Manager discussed what he saw as a “two-way benefit” of the Certified Provider Fair. “I not only learn how their solution will best fit my sellers’ needs, but we also share ideas on how they can innovate, add new features to their product for our sellers.”

eBay Certified Providers enjoy the opportunity to meet with the key influencers, our Customer Support teams. “It was great to see eBay representatives excited to see what we do and understand how we help eBay sellers,” said Todd Sherman, from Mercent.

Jerad Schempp, Hosted Support said, “It was a fantastic event! The opportunity to fully show how our application enables eBay sellers to reduce communication time and costs to the eBay employees speaking directly to those sellers in need is invaluable.”

Nine Certified Providers were on site to showcase their solutions and services, including:

• As Was
• Auctiva
• Hosted Support
• Mercent
• SageFire
• Seller Machine
• ShipRush
• Terapeak
• Vendio

To learn more about the tools and services from eBay Certified Providers, check out the Certified Provider website.

Improving Buyer Satisfaction (10/14)

Workshop: Profiting from Customer Complaints
Host: Hosted Support
Date: Tuesday, October 14th
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time

Description: In this workshop, Jerad Schempp, COO of Certified Solution Provider Hosted Support will discuss how you can turn those pesky complaints you get from your customers into real profits.

CP Workshop: Get Happy Customers (8/12)

Workshop: The Golden Rule of Customer Support
Host: hostedsupport
Date: Tuesday 08/12
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time

Description: In this workshop, Jerad Schempp, COO of Certified Solution Provider Hosted Support will discuss his Golden Rule of customer support and review some essential elements of providing outstanding customer support to help ensure happier customers and increased sales.

CP Workshop: Communicate to Win Buyers 7/15

Topic: Member Workshop: How to Win Over Buyers and Boost Sales: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Host: hostedsupport
Date: Tuesday 07/15
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time
Location: Workshop Board

Description: In this workshop, Jerad Schempp, COO of Certified Solution Provider Hosted Support will discuss how you can win over buyers, improve your customer relationships, and boost sales, via the lost art of communication.

CP Workshop: Repeat Customers 6/24

Topic: Make Repeat Customers out of One-Time Buyers

Host: Hosted Support
Date: Tuesday 06/24
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time
Location: Workshop Board

Description: In this workshop, Jerad Schempp, COO of Certified Solution Provider Hosted Support will provide pointers for how you can keep buyers "on the hook" to generate repeat purchases.

CP Workshop: Create Buyer Loyalty 5/13

Turning Unhappy Customers into Loyal Buyers
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 13th from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time.

Host: HostedSupport

In this workshop, Jerad Schempp, Chief Operating Officer of Certified Solution Provider HostedSupport will explain an approach for turning unhappy customers into loyal, long-term buyers!

eBay and Hosted Support Announce new Advanced FAQs

eBay, in partnership with Certified Provider Hosted Support, launched a new robust solution for high-volume sellers to automatically answer buyer questions. The new Advanced FAQs feature from eBay will help your buyers find the answers to their questions more quickly – and reduce the amount of time sellers need to spend answering email. The new version of ezSupport from Hosted Support now integrates with Advanced FAQs with a browseable and searchable "Frequently Asked Questions", or FAQs, into sellers listings.

When buyers click on the "Ask Seller a Question" link, they'll be able to review and search the seller's FAQ to find the answer to their question. It can also be set up to send sellers an email.

Hosted Support offers a free 30-day trial of the new ezSupport for eBay. After the trial, the product is $19.95 per month per support representative.

Advanced FAQs
Hosted Support

Reduce Email Workshop 1/8 (Hosted Support)

Member Workshop: Reduce Buyer Email and Manage Returns with ezSupport for eBay
Host: Hosted Support
Date: Tuesday 01/08
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time

Description: In this workshop, Jerad Schempp, COO of Certified Solution Provider HostedSupport will discuss how Sellers can reduce buyer email by using the NEW Advanced FAQ seller tool in ezSupport for eBay. In addition, he will describe how ezSupport can automate the returns process for sellers by capturing all necessary return information and issuing RMA numbers.

12/11 CP Workshop: Reduce Buyer Email (Hosted Support)

Reduce Buyer Email with New Advanced FAQ Seller Tool
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, December 11th from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time.

In this workshop, Steve Yeich, CEO of Certified Solution Provider Hosted Support, will discuss how Sellers can dramatically reduce their buyer email by using the new Advanced FAQ seller tool. Based on a survey of eBay sellers, HostedSupport learned that their average eBay seller reduces their manual email workload by over 80% by using HostedSupport's ezSupport for eBay product and its Advanced FAQ feature by allowing you to add a searchable knowledgebase of your most frequently asked questions to all your auction listings, so buyers can find answers on their own differentiate your customer service.

11/13 CP Workshop: Automate Customer Service (Hosted Support)

Avoid Holiday Headaches with Customer Support Tools
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, November 13th from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific time.

Steve Yeich, CEO of Certified Solution Provider Hosted Support, will discuss how sellers can avoid many of the headaches that arise during the peak holiday sales season by using customer support tools. Learn how to automate tasks such as answering email and buyer questions. Customer support tools can also help you avoid post-holiday headaches related to handling returns.