No matter how much money and technology some Web businesses throw at automating customer contact, they're doomed to failure. You can only successfully automate something you UNDERSTAND. Unfortunately, many of our dotcom whizz-kids have never had to make a living from real customers in the real world, so they just don't 'get it'. What online businesses DO need to do, is to understand what the customers' needs are in the sales process, and fulfil them.What is really needed, is a caring, thoughtful fulfilling of customers' needs and expectations at every step in their experience with a Web business site. The better all the small steps are performed, the less need there will be for real-time human intervention (and the higher will be the conversion rate). This means;
-a professional, friendly tone to the complete website-information about who you are- the company, the founder, the staff. Let your customer know that there are real people there-sensible ads that don't mislead and set up unreal expectations-relevant descriptions from customer searches of Directories and Search Engines-quick-loading web pages-easy-to-understand page layout, with clear information-easy-to-understand navigation-a Privacy Policy to allay fears on privacy-a Returns Policy and strong Guarantee to allay fears of making the wrong choice-a clear description of your products or services, and clear pricing options-secure credit card and information handling to further allay fears on privacy-a friendly, easy-to-use shopping cart-a sincere Thank You, and information about what will happen next
If all of these things are done, there will be little need for one-on-one selling on MOST sites. You will already have done the job. Through understanding your customer and providing excellent service, NOT by spending more on technology! Of course, offering some 'one-to-one' contact is a real plus for any business, and necessary for those that are more "high-touch". There are now a number of programs, some even free, that allow a customer to contact a live operator at your site. Check out LiveHelper.com and HumanClick.com Making it easy for your customer to contact your business site by phone, fax and email should be fundamental. I read once that the definition of fanaticism was "Redoubling your efforts when you've forgotten your original aim". Solving a lack of customer rapport by throwing more technology at the problem, comes perilously close to the definition.
-a professional, friendly tone to the complete website-information about who you are- the company, the founder, the staff. Let your customer know that there are real people there-sensible ads that don't mislead and set up unreal expectations-relevant descriptions from customer searches of Directories and Search Engines-quick-loading web pages-easy-to-understand page layout, with clear information-easy-to-understand navigation-a Privacy Policy to allay fears on privacy-a Returns Policy and strong Guarantee to allay fears of making the wrong choice-a clear description of your products or services, and clear pricing options-secure credit card and information handling to further allay fears on privacy-a friendly, easy-to-use shopping cart-a sincere Thank You, and information about what will happen next
If all of these things are done, there will be little need for one-on-one selling on MOST sites. You will already have done the job. Through understanding your customer and providing excellent service, NOT by spending more on technology! Of course, offering some 'one-to-one' contact is a real plus for any business, and necessary for those that are more "high-touch". There are now a number of programs, some even free, that allow a customer to contact a live operator at your site. Check out LiveHelper.com and HumanClick.com Making it easy for your customer to contact your business site by phone, fax and email should be fundamental. I read once that the definition of fanaticism was "Redoubling your efforts when you've forgotten your original aim". Solving a lack of customer rapport by throwing more technology at the problem, comes perilously close to the definition.
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