As a GDI affiliate, you have to opportunity to essentially run your own business. With this opportunity comes some unique responsibilities. GDI takes care of the product and keeping track of commissions, but it’s your job to provide customer service to your downline members and potential members. We understand that many people who are GDI affiliates also have another full or part time job, so offering customers service can be difficult. To help you offer the best customer service to your downline and keep team members, we’ve provided some time-saving customer service tips below. Read on for tips on how to offer great customer service to your downline in order to help them grow and be successful.

Decide What Kind Support You Will Provide

It’s very important to decide what kind of customer support you want to offer your downline as soon as contact begins. If you’d rather do business by phone, tell your prospects and downline members so they don’t waste their time sending an email that won’t get read by you. Deciding what kind of support you want to offer often depends on your availability. If you know you can’t be near the phone for calls from your downline, email might be best. If you think you are a better communicator over the phone than in text, provide your number to your downline members. Select a way of providing service and stick with it. You can, of course, offer support by email and phone if you have the availability.

Set a Schedule

Now that you have outlined how your downline can reach you, it’s important to let them know when they can reach you. GDI is a global opportunity, so some of your downline members may not be in the same time zone as you or a have very different schedules. Clarify with your downline members when the best time is for them to reach out to you–consider putting this information on your website or blog. Be sure to add what time zone you’re in, so members know what times might work best for both of you.

Offer “Office Hours”

Teachers often offer office hours–a time when students can come and meet with the teacher and ask questions without interruptions. While it may not be feasible for you to meet with your downline members, consider offering office hours. This time period of one to two hours could be a great opportunity for a conference call with your downline members where you share ideas and successes. Even consider using a tool like Skype or Google Hangouts to talk “face-to-face” with your downline members during office hours once a week. This is a great time to check in and brainstorm ideas.

Use Video and Blogs

Inevitably, your downline members may have a question and be unable to reach you. For these instances videos, informative blogs posts, and FAQs are a great option. If you get certain questions from your downline often, consider making a video or a blog posts that answers that question. As you make more of these, create an email or section of your website that shares answers to these frequently asked questions. Simply direct your downline to this page or email and see if they can help themselves. Follow up with an email or call when you can to make sure they got the answer they needed.