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4 Must Have Elements To Keep Your E-Business in Business!
there's not a soul in sight. There's no one around to answer
your questions, or assist you with your purchase. Suddenly
you are filled with thoughts of dissatisfaction, confusion,
and anger. Why would you buy from a store that made you feel
like that, and why would you ever return? YOU WON'T! And
if your web site isn't set up to offer terrific customer
service, YOUR VISITORS WON'T either. If you've got the
products or services to sell, but don't offer the customer
service to go along with it, you can say goodbye to your
Internet business dreams, and hello to bankruptcy! Lucky
for you, I've outlined the 4 major elements that you MUST
HAVE on your web site if you want to STAY IN BUSINESS, and
be PROFITABLE doing it!
#1: Be Prompt in Responding to Your Email Requests!
We are now living in an age of convenience. And on the
Internet especially, your site visitors expect instant
service. Email is the prime communication tool used in
e-business --- USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! An instant email
response may not be possible, but a reply to your customer
within 48 hours is a must! If I email a company and request
info about their products, and I don't get a reply back within
at least 48 hours, I'm moving on to someone who wants my business
and is eager to answer my questions. You want to let your visitors
know that they are important to you, and your prompt email reply
will show them that they are. They'll return the favor by making
you money! Making this simple modification to your email
communication will most certainly turn your common visitor
into a paying customer - making MORE PROFITS FOR YOU!
#2: Offer a Phone Number To Your Visitors!
It may not be enough just to offer your email address. Some people
are still weary about e-businesses, and not being able to talk to
a real person will certainly turn visitors away from your site.
They will move on and find someone else who does offer a real
person to contact. Offering a business phone number will also
help to build confidence in your visitors. You'll be letting
them know that you are a stable, well-established company that
has actual people behind the scenes. You'll also want to ensure
that you display your phone number in a prominent location on your
site. If it's located in a hard to find place, your visitors may
get frustrated trying to find it, or may not be able to find it at
all. That's not going to help your business or your visitors.
If you have the means, providing a 1-800 number would be ideal.
If your visitors know they don't have to pay for the call, any
concerns about cost have now been eliminated. When your business
in on the Internet, you have to remember that your potential
customers are WORLWIDE. Make it as easy as possible for your
visitors to contact you, and the more business you'll generate.
#3: Offer an area for Visitor Feedback & Interaction With You!
Just like the Home Depot has customer comment cards, you should
include an area for visitor feedback! The kind of information
you can gather from your site visitors is vital to your success.
They have looked over your site, looked over your products, read
about your services, and now they can tell you what they think.
They will be able to give you specific insight as to the effectiveness
of your web site, the selection of your products, whether the
information you presented was enough, too much, etc. All of this
and so much more can make or break your future business.
Customize your comment area to ask about specific information.
Specify a certain section to ask for comments about your web
site set-up, or your customer service. Was it easy to find things,
easy to read, confusing navigation, etc. With this simple addition
to your web site, you will be able to IMPROVE YOUR SITES
PROFITABILITY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY!
#4: Display Your Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)!
An FAQ's page is very often used to offer instant assistance to those
visitors who have specific questions. If you've been in business for
a while, you will already know what the majority of people ask about.
Compile this information and let it be available to your visitors.
These can be displayed on a separate page, or you can integrate them
into an existing page with similar content. Displaying your FAQ's
will save you BIG MONEY - by saving your valuable time! By not having
to answer an email or phone call asking a common question, you have
just saved 0.25 man-hours. Imagine how many of those hours could
be saved every day, and how much money you DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY out for
those hours. Best of all, your visitors will be experiencing superior,
IMMEDIATE CUSTOMER SERVICE, while you are saving tones of time
and loads of money!
Use these 4 essential elements in your web site and your online
business will most certainly live to see another day. Remember
that your exceptional customer service is what will set you apart
from the "other guys", and that can mean profit or plummet!
Where will your site be tomorrow?
About the Author
Christine Weymouth is a member of the Worldprofit Design Team.
Let our expert design marketers work for you!
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