Advice
Business
In today’s consumer-centric climate, it’s not enough to merely be online. The experience has to be intuitive and robust. Clients need to get their questions answered, get their products, and get out of there-fast and friendly. Otherwise, you will lose them. They will fall into the 50% of people who bail on a site before they make a purchase. So be strategic. Be friendly. Be easy.
Site Formatting
Give customers the important information they need. Think about what software/hardware they’re using. Make sure your messaging and tools are on point. No more. No less.
Usability
Making sure the customer journey is seamless begins with the navigation. Always look to make the experience simple by creating clear directions and easy-to-find navigational buttons. Make sure it’s simple to find your way around.
Top Performance
No one likes a laggy site. And, these days, customers aren’t sticking around for them. So, it’s important you get the tech expertise that’ll make sure your site can handle the traffic and your e-commerce needs.
What Customers Really Want
Quite clearly, business sites need that balance of striking design to get people interested and the right architecture to keep them there. Here are some pretty tried and true ways to get it done right:
Accessible Contact Information
Sometimes, people just want to get in touch. So, make sure physical addresses, emails, and phone numbers are right there. Links to social media and DMs are also key to a good experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”)
Don’t overlook FAQ sections. They can be a good entryway for new clients and alleviate potential problems. With immediate help comes immediately – gratified customers. And that’s a good thing.
Searching and Site Maps
People often have specific needs. You have to give them a straight line to those needs. Be it products, contact detail or ordering procedure and search engines and site maps that give accurate results are integral to good experiences and even profits.
Reviews
More than ever, people are sharing their experiences online. And people who are looking to buy, they’re looking, too. So, testimonials and case studies should be something you strongly consider.
Updated Information
We all like to be kept in the loop on our interests. So feature your latest news, events, press releases, and information about products-you’ll reap the rewards with more site traffic, and clients will feel good about and feel loyal to you.
User-Generated Content
Community is important. Online is no different. So when your site has forums, bulletin boards, social media and content, they’ll feel like they’re with you for the ride.
Mobility and Compatibility
It’s a mobile world out there. And you need to live in it. Make sure your site and design works for all devices.
If you want to continue engaging customers in your conversation (and you better), connect with them on social channels-ones that make sense for them and you. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn are all ones that’ll allow you to keep their experience going. Even dealing with complaints is a way to show why they should care about your brand. It’s a lot of effort, but you’ll see how it pays you back many-fold.
Choosing to allow email as a point of contact with customers is smart. But if you fail to respond promptly, it’s a miss. If you don’t answer in 24 hours, it’s hurting your cause-even with an auto-responder.
Customer Service Chat
Chatting can be a great way to heighten the customer experience. With the right representative, basic questions can be handled quickly, and often reps can work on multiple clients at a time. Which is a win for everyone.
Callback Service
On calls, clients are invited to leave a number for you to call back. Which can be uber-helpful when it’s a good or service conversation that requires a bit more detail.
Social Messaging
Social networks are where people are. So, if you can be there to connect with them on places like Facebook Messenger, you’ll see happier and more plentiful clients.
Bottom Line
Good customer service cannot be replaced. Make sure you get feedback from your clients and make sure you listen to them. Survey their behavior. Most of all, support them. Stay on top of their needs and they’ll stick by you. And invite others to follow. In today’s world with ever-changing technology just be prepared to make adjustments.