Customer service 101 story ~~ cranky customer alert!
On the recommendation of a trusted online colleague, I went to a web site yesterday and signed up for their free membership. The site has a track record of success at what they do, and they seem to offer a good value in exchange for my contact information.
One problem - the site is dense, full of links, and while very well organized...I was left with 2 key questions:
- "How does your process work?"
- "Where do I start?"
The first question is a central failing of many software tools and web sites. I think developers get so involved with their product, they tend to forget that customers don't have the same level of awareness of their site's capabilities...or intended purpose.
You often find sites with lots of "how to's" or the mechanics of what the site does. The best comparison I can think of? Picture someone who's never seen a car. Now, hand them the owner's manual and let them figure out exactly what it does. At no point does anyone explain that the purpose of the car is to transport people, getting them from point A to point B quickly and efficiently. How useful is the owner's manual at that point?
The next question your web site visitors, or business customers, will ask is "where do I start?"
In the middle of all your links, lists, white papers, ads, titles, etc...how do I figure out the starting point? What do you want me to do first? Second? Third?
In order for me to feel comfortable with your site (or membership, or social media profile, etc) right out of the box, hold my hand. Give me that clear starting point, and a roadmap of next steps. What is the typical progression of a new customer, or new member? What are the things that need to happen in order for me to successfully use your site and keep coming back?
This is even more critical when you have multiple entry points for your main site. Facebook Fan Pages offer small businesses great portals to direct customer traffic to their main web pages...as is the case with the site I joined last night.
But - when neither the main web site or the Facebook Fan Page tells me the purpose, or where to start, then what?
Now - the customer service part....
At the bottom of every page on the site was a submission box asking me what I thought, how the site could help me and did I need any support. Cool - handy and easy to find...and I had those two burning questions I mentioned above.
So, I typed in each question separately and submitted. I was very polite and helpful - when I've taught customer service classes before, I make a point of telling students that it's often the new employee or new customer who offers a company the best insights into their processes and how they can be improved.
Today I received two nice emails in response to my questions...yet neither one really took the time to answer my concerns (more owners manual instructions). To top it off, one of them politely informed me that the appropriate way to contact them was a button in the top right corner of the screen, not the support form that I had used at the bottom of the page.
Ooops - guess my "customer ESP" just wasn't working very well last night!
Sorry to sound a bit cranky, but it makes me wonder. This site is very successful at what it does (so, perhaps I'm the only one who's confused...wouldn't be the first time!)
But - what if this site could be even more successful than it is? Wouldn't the site/business owner like that?
Wonder how many folks sign up to join the site, but never really take advantage of what is being offered...and how many dollars are being lost....
