Being able to contact a person or company is essential to any business. It is the at the forefront of customer service. One particular deficiency that I notice on many web sites is they don't always make the contact info easy to find or upfront. If you are doing business online, you need to make sure people can easily contact you.
Most users will send an email before they call via telephone. Email is a quickest and easiest way to make contact, it's painless. For some people email isn't enough. You should always offer a telephone number where people can contact you or your business. If someone is desperate for information or has a pressing issue it will come as a telephone call. People call when there is a customer service or technical issue.
A great place to feature your contact information is on the home page, above the fold. One standard location is in the mast head or header bar. The contact info should be noticeable, yet discrete. You can also feature a contact us page link in the navigation or footer of each page. Doing so builds redundancy into the system and ensures people won't miss the information. Make sure it is easy for the user to contact you. It should be noted, based on the size of your company and privacy issues, you might not always want users to contact you directly. In this case it is the company's discretion on what information to make public.
One particular hurdle that I find many users reacting to negatively is online contact forms. Instead of allowing the user to contact a company directly they need to fill out a form. I understand that the forms help companies deal with a multitude of inquiries. But, in many cases having an email or telephone number available can resolve an issue much faster.
Communication is an essential part of any business. You need to ensure people can quickly and easily get in contact with you. Good contact information is essential to the user when making online purchases or the consideration of services. This also helps to build trust and credibility for your company.
Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:
- Choosing the Right Online Market
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- Watch Your Pay Per Click Advertising
- Building Trust and Credibility with Follow Up
- Web Centric Marketing and Marketing Leverage
- Get Your Marketing Message Across
- Do You Test Your Web Site Often Enough?
- The Event Promotion System
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