June 1, 1999
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Wall Street Journal Interactive: Work Week
A HOT NEW job is chief of customer service for Internet retailers.
Two-thirds of those who put items in online "shopping carts" don't buy them, often because they can't get questions answered, according to a survey of 25 Internet sellers by Net Effect Systems Inc., a North Hollywood, Calif., company that creates online customer-service programs. Michael McNally, a San Mateo, Calif., executive at an online financial-services company, tried to buy a sweater for his sister's birthday online but got frustrated when he couldn't get questions answered; he bought a book on another Web site instead.
So many e-commerce firms troll for customer-service experts. Christian & Timbers, a Cleveland executive-search firm, says it's getting "an incredible number" of requests for them. VerticalNet Inc., which helps companies buy goods online, hired its first Internet customer-service director, at $90,000 a year plus a cut of sales. |
