1. Weigh your options. Many small business owners panic at sound of word "refund". Don't! Think seriously about what you'll be losing. You could take a small loss of $29.95 now (or whatever cost of product is) in exchange for future sales; or you can retain your $29.95 and lose hundreds or thousands of dollars later in future business. If their complaints are handled to their satisfaction, majority of consumers say they will buy from your company again.

2. Get personal. The number one complaint most consumers have is that businesses don't appear to care whether they buy from them or not. Get to know your customers. Send a thank you note or small gift when a purchase is made. Fire off a short "just checking in" email when customer's purchases seem to slow down just to ensure all is OK. This extra effort will be noticed - and appreciated.

3. Follow through. If and when a problem with a customer does arise, be sure to follow through. Don't simply tell customer that you'll ship a replacement product immediately. Call or email them a day or two later to be sure new product arrived and is working as needed. This is a true way to WOW your customers and lock in future purchases.

4. Have a plan. Don't fall victim to "policy", but do have a flexible plan of action for when customers aren't 100% satisfied. Knowing what you plan to do will alleviate some of shock and stress associated with handling unsatisfied customers. It will also allow you to present yourself in a helpful and friendly way when working to fix problem.

A 1996 study performed by U.S. White House Office of Consumer Affairs proved that, if you treat your customers with genuine caring and fairness, they will indeed reward you with their repeat business for years to come. That's something you just can't get from ads or autoresponders!

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com

3. Does technology require that my site visitor do anything? Will your visitors have to download any special software or plug-ins to see your site with this new technology? If so, skip it! It isn’t worth chance of visitors clicking away.

4. Is technology stable? Is chat program you’ve installed reliable? Does that new java script work way it should? Does that streaming video feed skip and crash? If your new technology doesn’t perform up to speed 99% of time, it isn’t worth causing aggravation to your visitors.

Before making any technological enhancements to your site, think about your visitors. Yes, new technology may be cool, but if it doesn’t offer some true value to your customers, you would most likely be better off and more professional looking without it.

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com