Online businesses are on the rise more so than ever before. However, the one defect of doing business online is the danger of becoming impersonal; just a machine with the text equivalent of ‘Computer says no’ rather than a face-to-face relationship between business and customer.
That is why online businesses need to incorporate customer experience into their online business. Here are some ways you can keep customers at the forefront of your online business.
FAQ page
This is one of the first go-to pages for a customer with a question or issue. Although there are many common questions that most businesses receive from their customers, it’s important to bear in mind that your clientele could be looking for an answer to a rather specific query that is likely not to make an appearance in your FAQ.
When introducing an FAQ page to your website, it is advised to step into your customers’ shoes and keep in mind the variety of different problems your customers could be facing:
- Problems with logging in or accessing their online account
- Canceling, returning, or exchanging items
- Queries on how long delivery of their product will take
- Questions on suppliers and sources of products
The good idea is to organize the FAQs into sections such as Accounts, Purchases, etc., to give your customers an easier experience of navigating the page and quickly finding the answers to their questions.
Easy and obvious contact information
It may seem like an obvious aspect of your business’s website, but this is important. Being online and not a physical store, every online business still needs a point of contact for customers to get in touch. The more, the better, so if possible, display a Contact Page that is clearly visible on the homepage and menu bar, and include:
- An email address
- A telephone number
- Postal address/return address
Being an online business, most of your customers will likely get in touch electronically as it’s convenient. However, some of your customers might not be as tech-savvy as others and prefer to contact your business via phone or even post directly. So it’s good to cater to everyone’s preferences by having a variety of ways to contact you.
Having a visible address and contact information also lends credibility to your business. Just because a business has a website doesn’t mean it exists; having an email address, a physical address, and a telephone number implies your business is real.
Feedback
According to the founder of ThinkJar, Esteban Kolsky, research has found that only 1 out of 26 dissatisfied customers will complain – meaning the other 25 will stop frequenting your business. The lesson to be learned is that having no negative feedback doesn’t necessarily mean your customers are satisfied.
This makes it crucial that your business regularly asks for customer feedback, follows appropriate recommendations, and addresses customer issues.
Feedback is invaluable because your customers are literally telling you exactly what they want, what they like, what they don’t like about your business or service. Listening to and acting on this customer feedback not only shows you are listening to your customers and that you value them, but it also means you care about your brand’s image and are prepared to take the necessary steps to improve it.
Search Engines
Use the force of Google, Luke. According to Statista, roughly 1.17 billion people use Google Search, compared to a mere 74 million using Yandex. That in itself is reason enough to get in on search engine advertising. In addition, it’s a well-known fact that search engine users are significantly less likely to look at anything past the first page of a search engine result.
Pay per Click advertising (PPC) is one of the most effective ways to get in on search engine results for your business. It gives you a leg up to the front page for when customers search your keywords, and you pay for however many times customers click on the advert link.
Live chat
According to a survey of US online customers carried out by Bold Software, buyers who used live chat were up to 40% more likely to make purchases.
Live chat is a way of taking the face-to-face customer service of physical stores to the online store. It’s always helpful to hear from an employee of a business who knows what they are talking about – even better if you can actually see their face!
Live chat ticks the boxes on:
- Personalizing customer experience
- Giving good customer service
- Developing good relationships with customers
- Building business reputation
Mobile access
These days, more and more customers are using mobile to shop online (so-called m-commerce). According to Collinson Latitude, the m-commerce market is expected to triple in size within the next four years, surpassing desktop-based eCommerce as a method of shopping.
It cannot be stressed enough. Online businesses, by nature, are there to be efficient quick and allow their customers to make transactions whilst traveling. So it’s essential to make sure customers can easily access your website on their smartphones.
- Font and Button size:
Font size should ideally be 14px. This allows customers to use their phones to read the information more easily without constantly zooming in. Always go for large clear buttons. Particularly on mobile phones with smaller screens than laptops or computers, a clear direction such as ‘Pay Here’ on a large button is much easier to use than lots of confusing links.
- Apps:
Consider creating an app for your online business to create an easy way for mobile phone users to shop. They are ideal for mobile phones and are another way of building helpful data on customer shopping habits and profiles.
Conclusion
Just because your customers are looking at the screen, it doesn’t mean you can’t deliver great customer service. Advancements in technology mean online communication is getting easier and easier. So take advantage and make sure to keep in mind the people who keep your business going.
This post was written by Mark Johnson, a freelance marketing specialist based in the UK.
