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 You Know Your Web Site Needs
To Improve...
Here are a couple of tips for creating a successful commercial Web site:
The Customer is King
A focus on customer service has always been and will always be good business
practice no matter what your business is, or who your customers are.
Now that we have a new way to talk to our customers, we should be taking advantage of it.
Navigation
You are going to create an electronic environment for people to explore. What
do you want them to find? Where do you want them to look first? What
do you want them to learn?
Navigation is a serious matter in this electronic environment. You don't want
to lose your audience in a maze of entertainment. You don't want them to get
turned around and give up because they can't find what they're after. Be sure to provide some sort of
an electronic map so they know where they are at all
times.
Interaction
This medium offers your prospects the ability to interact with your computers.
It is up to you to provide an interesting, engaging activity. Your Web site
should be fun, interesting or useful - or all three.
You don't send the owner's manual to everybody who calls for a brochure. You
want them to learn slowly so they understand each step. You don't want
to overwhelm them with information, instead, you want to calibrate their reaction at every turn. Now
your computer can distribute product literature for you,
in direct response to their need for information.
Be sure to engage the viewer in the activity of leaning about your products.
Make them participate instead of being a passive spectator. Demand action
from them, force them to make decisions, keep them actively involved.
Feedback
Above all, don't forget to ask questions! Who are they? What are they interested
in? What do they like about your products? Your company? Your
competition? Your Web site? Probe them and respond quickly with thanks and praise for their participation
and good ideas. This will help create the bond
that will keep them customers for life.
Customer Service First
So now you have a Web site up and running. Why? Because the group in the MIS
department showed how easy it was. Because the gang in marketing
wanted electronic brochures. Because the CEO didn't want to be the only one on the golf links without
one.
But what is your Web site doing for your customers? How is it benefiting the
people who keep you in business? Your customers should always be at the
top of your priority list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your phone rings every day with the same questions: Does it come in blue? Can
I get it shipped overnight? How long is the warranty? You probably have
standard answers written out or in a database for your customer service people to peruse while on the
phone. Put those answers on-line.
Frequently Discussed Questions
In addition to the questions your customers need answered, are the issues they'd
like to talk over with somebody. "Does it come in blue?" is a breeze to
answer- yes or no. But, "How easy is it to install?" is a lot different. This is not covered
by a set answer, but with a discussion. Yet, that discussion doesn't
always require your highly-trained (and highly-paid) staff.
Your Web site can contain a bulletin board/discussion group for your customers.
After all, they're experts. They know more about using your products
than you do. Oh sure, you know how to make them and sell them, but they know the ins and outs of using
your products on a daily basis. Let them knock a
few ideas around and give each other helpful hints.
And if you moderate this discussion with a gentle hand, you might even learn
a thing or two. These people, the ones who pay the bills, are willing to tell
you what they like, what they don't like, and what they think should be improved about your products.
Specific Account Information
Consider how much time you spend dealing with routine questions that are customer
account specific. "What's the status of my backorder?" "Can I
extend my credit line?" "How many have we purchased in the past six months?" These questions
are ripe for automation.
This will be the most secure level of your Web site. The Frequently Asked Question
should be open to all and the customer discussion area only open to
verified, validated customers. Here, we are digging deep into the corporate datacenter and need to restrict
access with more robust security. But the payoff
will be two-fold.
First, your computers can handle more of the load than your customer service
department. That's going to put you in the cost-savings game. Second,
your customers will love you. On the other hand, if you let your competition implement this type of
service before you, your customers may jump ship.
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