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Have you taste-tested your Web site lately?
Food companies do blind tests of their products to see
how they measure up to the expectations of their customers.
Do customers like the taste? Do they like the way it
is packaged? Does the product speak well of the company?
Will they recommend it to their friends and associates?
The feedback can be an invaluable help with product development
and marketing, and, in turn, with capturing market share
and contributing to company profits.
Your Web site is as crucial as any marketing vehicle.
It's the gateway for your customers to get to know you.
Does it measure up to their expectations? If your customers
were to do a blind test walking through your Web site
without your name on it, what would they think about
your business and your products? What does each new prospective
customer think? Paying close attention to crucial designs
in your company's cyber gateway can pay off in much stronger
relationships with all your customers.
Let's take a journey through your site and evaluate
whether it addresses your customers' most important objectives
and concerns. Does your Web site answer your customers'
calls for confidence, trust, and attention to their needs?
"Help me develop confidence in doing
business with you." Does your Web site say clearly what your company
and your brand name stand for? Does it communicate your
key areas of expertise? Does it address your customers'
problems and present how you can provide the perfect
solution? Does it create trust in your customers' minds
that you will deliver what you promise?
"Make it easy for me to get in touch with you." Finding
out how to contact key departments in your company should
be as easy as scrolling to the bottom of the page. Does
your site prominently invite customers to contact you
by providing your toll-free phone number, your e-mail
address, and your mailing address on all key content
pages in the site? Does it offer your customers the ability
to ask questions or make a comment right at the site?
"Don't make me feel technically inept when I visit
you online." Does your Web site require your customers
to patiently sit through your flashy animated presentation?
Does it require your customers to have the latest browsers
and plug-ins to see what you offer, or even to pass through
your homepage? If they don't have the technology they
need to properly view your site, will they feel their
business is unimportant to you? If your site lets customers
search a database, customize your offerings, purchase
products, or use interactive applications, will your
customers find it easy to complete their tasks without
needing to have an advanced degree in computer science?
Will they readily find help?
"Make my visit to your site worthwhile." Customers
visit your site for a purpose - to learn about your company,
find out about specific offerings, look up information
to help them use your products, buy your products online,
or ask a question. Does your site make it easy for customers
to achieve their objectives while forming a favorable
impression about you? Can they readily find the information
they need without searching extensively for it? Can they
complete their purchase pleasantly while feeling confident
about their decision?
"Make doing business with you a pleasant occasion." Customers
want a fair deal in terms they can understand and accept.
Does your Web site make it easy for customers to find
out the costs of their purchase, your terms, guarantee,
and customer service expectations? Does it communicate
to your customers that you stand behind your offerings
and you will help them use your products and fix any
problems should they arise?
"Promise you will respond promptly." Customers
expect to hear from you in response to their inquiries
in a timely manner. Does your Web site communicate when
your customers can expect a response from you, and that
you do indeed respond as promised?
"Show an interest in me and make me feel special." Customers
love to know that you have taken a special interest in
their unique needs. Does your Web site address your customers'
interests, goals, and concerns based on research you
have done? Does it ask them what's important to them,
and how you can adjust your offerings to meet their particular
needs?
"Keep me posted about new offers I care about." Customers
want to know about your new products and offers that
meet their needs. Does your Web site provide an easy
way to keep them posted when new products, new applications,
discounts, and specials of interest to them become available?
The basic premises of doing business online or off are
fundamentally similar. Customers want to deal with a
business they know and trust. They want a good and fair
deal, and they want to feel confident the company will
stand behind the products they offer. They seek products
that can solve their problems, and they expect responsive
customer service. A smart, effective Web strategy answers
your customers' needs.
Unfortunately, if misconceived, your Web site can inadvertently
become a source of frustration, and send a poor or even
condescending message to your valued customers. Every
time a customer comes to your Web site and becomes frustrated
because they cannot find what they are looking for quickly,
or feels intimated or confused by the technologies or
design, your business suffers.
Fortunately, implemented wisely, Web technology coupled
with excellent information design, well-conceived navigation,
and relevant content to meet your customers' needs will
get your message across with great impact. Your company
Web site will go a long way toward building your brand
and the reputation your business has earned. It will
build your customers' confidence and make it easy for
them to do business with you. Your Web site will become
your most hard-working, cost-effective business development
and customer service vehicle.
Copyright Eva Chiu and InfoAdvantage.
E-Business
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