I'm not suggesting everybody run out and buy hard candy. But I do want you to consider that the overall sales process does not end when you’ve got the order. Fulfillment is an essential part of the sale. After all, that's the first time, in most online transactions, your customer can hold and examine the product she ordered. It’s the first “real” contact between you. In a store, you get to handle the product, check out the packaging, read the label, give it a test spin, talk to the salespeople - all this before you decide whether or not you want to buy. In the online world, this critical, interactive step comes only at the end. Whether you do the shipping yourself or contract with a third-party fulfillment house, you want to make sure when that box arrives on your customer's doorstep, it is more than just a box; it’s a message that conveys everything you want to convey about your business's class act. And not just the box, but everything about the fulfillment process speaks volumes to your customer, so make sure you’re saying what she wants to hear.

Begin your communication at the beginning. When the parcel leaves you, notify your customer her order is on its way. Send her an e-mail confirming shipment, and, if at all possible, include a mechanism for her to track the package. Folks like to know where their stuff is. In a store, they're usually going to carry the item they've selected to the register and out to their car. No such sense of certainty when dealing through the ether of cyberspace, so give them the next best thing: timely and complete information by email.

Appearances count, so cultivate a professional appearance! Package your stuff in a box that looks like it was meant for the purpose. It's nice if the box bears your company's name or uses some nifty tape, but at least make sure it doesn't look like it formerly contained your old shoes at the community rummage sale! Your customer is going to get a clear impression of you when she sees that box.

The most important thing you put inside that box, besides the product, is your Return Policy. Your customer doesn't have the luxury of slipping the item back on the shelf and picking out another if she's not satisfied. So you make it clear you are more than happy to be accommodating. At the very least, include a list of your return, exchange and refund policies. If you require the customer to get an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization number) to send the thing back, then tell her exactly how to do that. You include a toll-free customer service phone number, along with the hours during which she can reach a pleasant and competent human. And you print it all nicely in an attractive font on quality paper, right?

Should you include a Return Label? That depends, but make it as easy as possible for your customer to do what she needs to do. Hopefully, the product is perfection itself, but if it isn't, your customer shouldn't bear the cost of exchange. She wouldn't pay for the exchange in a store, and it would cost her nothing to return an item to the shelves. Yes, it would have cost her some time in the real world, but the reality is customers who have to pay for returns usually don't remain customers for long and typically side step the issue next time around by simply not purchasing from you again. Is that a cost to you? Certainly, and you have to build it into your margins. Is that a big problem? Only if you regularly ship poor quality products or make a lot of shipping errors. And neither of those is something your customer should pay for.

What other enclosures go in the box? Certainly you want to include a detailed invoice of what has been sent and the clear status of any back-orders. And don't overlook the opportunity to offer other sales incentives: your catalog, special sale items, personalized information, a statement of the history and philosophy of your company. This is definitely an opportunity for you to strut your stuff, cross-sell, up-sell and let your customer know the incredible value of continuing to do business with you. And if you really want to put them in the frame of mind to consider buying from you again, don’t forget a sincere thank you note, personalized if possible. Put it on top of everything else so it’s the first thing they see.

And maybe you do add a creative little human touch, like my piece of candy that is still sitting by my computer. I'll never eat it, but I'm going to remember the company that, on top of doing everything else right, popped it in the box with my order. Think about it this way: you want more than a customer who is merely satisfied. You want a customer who is delighted. Customers are delighted when the package promised in a week arrives in four days. They are delighted when you only charge them for surface but ship by air. They are delighted when you give them one extra for free, or a free sample of another related product - which they may well buy in the future. They are delighted when they feel you have given them the red carpet treatment. But remember, they expect on-time and accurate delivery, and rightly so. They are only delighted when they get everything they expected and more.

A delighted customer is the one most likely to become a repeat customer. She is also the one most likely to give glowing reviews to her friends, so you can tap into the power of viral marketing and add more customers with no added marketing cost - which means not just more sales but also more profits. It starts and ends with realizing every single aspect of fulfillment is really communication between your customer and you, the otherwise invisible and largely anonymous supplier. Fulfill fulfillment fully and you create a win-win for your company and your customers alike!

E-tailing is a different world. Your customer service, the degree to which you keep your customer delighted, starts the instant he or she lands on your website. In e-business, customer service isn't where you go when you have a problem, and it certainly isn't what happens after the sale is completed - it's everything that goes into creating a superior online shopping experience from start to finish.

Think about it. You don't have any online sales people moving about, interacting with your clients and representing your products, your sales philosophy, your guarantees, or anything else that is distinctive about your business. You rely exclusively on your website to do this (even an acknowledged brand in the bricks-and-mortar world can fail if you don't rethink your online approach to customer service). A prospect arrives at your home page (or somewhere within your online store) and is immediately in need of customer service.

During shopping, customers use service to find or inquire about products. Do you have this item? Is this sold separately? How much comes in one of those bottles? Is this product compatible with that product? A host of questions is behind even a single purchase. So how are you going to help them get the answers they need so they want to make the purchase from you and not one of your competitors?

During the buying process, customers need service to explain billing issues, receipts, payment options, the checkout procedure. This is a critical point for most shoppers, and you don't want them abandoning their shopping carts in confusion, frustration, or because they don't trust you.

Once the order is placed, customers need to be able to check the status of an order being processed. They want their purchase acknowledged, and they like follow-through. They may even want to track its shipping status. Give them everything they need so they have the cyberspace equivalent of carrying that item home.

When the item is received, customers may have questions about how it works. Something may be missing. They may decide the product isn't suitable. They need service to handle exchanges or returns. Do you give prompt, knowledgeable and complete responses to questions? Do you answer questions, or do you point them somewhere else, making them do more work and causing them to get more frustrated? Do you quickly, efficiently and cheerfully honor your guarantees? Assist with billing errors?

The keys to great customer service are in things I’ve mentioned before:

Customer service on the web is a comprehensive package, an on-going dialogue with your shopper. Don't miss out by thinking it's a little office hidden at the back that the customer calls when there's a problem after the sale. By then, it’s much too late.