Martial Arts Uniforms and Accessories Blog

There are very few businesses in which the element of customer service does not play a major role, and the martial arts supply business is no exception. There are many aspects to good customer service and answering or returning phone calls and e-mails is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We all know that it is impossible to answer every call at the moment the phone rings, however, it is not only possible to return all calls and e-mails, it is an absolute must when it comes to providing great customer service. I cannot tell you how many customers I have spoken to who have told me horror stories about trying to get a return call or return e-mail from other online martial arts supply stores.

Once you have responded to the initial customer inquiry, it is very important to provide follow-up, when appropriate. If you tell a customer that you will get back to them with sizing info on karate gis, you must always keep your word and get back to them, the sooner, the better. If an error is committed, it is not enough to tell the customer that you will send them the correct judo or jiu-jitsu uniform in the color that they actually ordered, you must make sure that the uniform actually ships!

The occasional mistake is unavoidable. No company is exempt from that reality. It is how you resolve those mistakes that is absolutely key to successful customer service and ultimately, customer satisfaction. In fact, interestingly enough, I believe that sometimes you are more likely to make a lifelong customer out of someone who experiences excellent error resolution when your company makes a mistake, rather than out of someone who has a totally smooth experience buying from you. That might seem strange, but the thing is, showing a customer that you take responsibility for your mistakes, and that you resolve them quickly and with as little inconvenience to the customer as possible, really demonstrates that you care about your customers and are willing to go that extra distance to keep their business.

I cannot speak about all customers, in all markets, but I can say that martial artists as customers are truly a decent bunch. Once in a while, we will receive an angry e-mail from a customer who has experienced a mistake on their order and they aggressively demand that the error be fixed. Their tone immediately changes to one of relief and satisfaction when they receive an e-mail from us in response saying that of course we will fix the mistake ASAP, in the best way possible for them. I have realized, that generally speaking, the only reason that a customer in the martial arts arena ever comes across as confrontational is because of their past experiences dealing with other companies. They are expecting to have to fight for something for which no customer should ever have to fight - good customer service. As soon as they realize that fighting will not be necessary, their entire tone changes and the interaction becomes a pleasant one.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our wonderful customers a happy and healthy holiday season! We want you to know how much we truly appreciate your patronage and loyalty. We apologize for the shipping break taking place between now and January 1st and hope the 20% off everything sale going on during that time compensates you for the inconvenience.

I truly believe that there is something different about the kind of customers one has the good fortune of dealing with in a martial arts related business. Maybe it is because whatever the martial art we train in, we are all trying to walk the "true path" of greater self-awareness and preservation of the value of life. Though we learn how to fight, we also know that violence is always the last resort, and each of us, in our own small way, is trying to make the world a better place.

All the best for the coming year to our martial artist customers and their families. You are awesome!

This is the first post in our new blog, designed with the intention of talking to our customers directly about our martial arts products, our monthly sales and promotions and anything else that we happen to think of that might be of interest to any and all visitors to our site.

As you may already have noticed, this month we are giving away a 5.5", black aluminum, pointed key chain with every order - a $7.99 value. Since the holidays are approaching again, we figured that these key chains would make great stocking stuffers for any martial artist on your shopping list. Of course, you can also keep it for yourself if you want to!

The economy is still struggling and many people will be wondering how to save this holiday season, so giving away this martial arts gift is our small way of helping out.

Other great martial arts stocking stuffer suggestions; any of the key chains on our Accessories webpage or any of the martial arts t-shirts at the bottom of our Clearance page. These are all simple and inexpensive gift ideas for the martial artists in your life!

If you need a more substantial gift, you can always try a new gi, or maybe one of our separates, like a camouflage gi top or pair of white camouflage karate pants, cargo or regular. We have lots of colors to choose from in our karate jackets and pants. Our prices are always reasonable and our customer service always friendly if you have any questions!