Your website is where most of your customers find out about your business. You are pleased to have a great website that attracts people to your business, but is this website helping you in your day to day work? Did you know that a good website can save you numerous hours of unnecessary work?
Time is running out! Follow these 5 tips below to help save time for both you and your customers.
1. Make your website straightforward
When it comes to designing your website, the old adage KISS is a good advice: “Keep It Simple, Sweetie”.
If you think your customers call you because they want to talk to you, think again! Customers want to find the important information as quickly as possible without the hassle of calling or sending an email. If it is difficult to find the key information on your website, then often people will get frustrated and call you and waste some of your precious time.
Think about what information is important for someone to buy your service or product, and organize it in an easy structure, such as a simple main menu. Make sure the vital information is available from the main page and that it is not necessary to scroll down to access it. Also, do not overload the page with unrelated information.
Ensure that your key content is easy to find and understand. The most important information is normally about your services, features, pictures, prices and location. This should be the first thing your visitors see.
2. Use automatic emails to keep your clients informed
Picture this scenario: You take your car to the garage because it is making a funny noise. The mechanic tells you it probably is a ball-bearing and will cost around 50$. When they call you back few days later and give you the invoice, the bill is 1000$! The mechanic argues that he had to change the whole direction in order to fix your car. We all have experienced a similar situation. It’s a hard hit for you, and you are frustrated because you feel like you were taken advantage of. The reason for that is that you couldn’t control the process.
You surely don’t want your customers to feel that way. Let them know what is happening with your business in order to provide them the best experience from the first contact to the last.
A good way to keep your customers informed is to use automatic email notifications for most of your interactions. Sending the right information at the right time will reduce the number of calls and emails. The best part is that your customers will be more satisfied with your service.
Your customers will be happy to receive emails that inform them of the following:
– “You subscribed successfully to our newsletter.”
– “You successfully purchased one of your products/services.”
– “We received your email and we will answer as soon as possible.”
– “This is what you need to know before you visit us.”
These brief but effective notifications will give your customers piece of mind and let them know that they are important to you. Be mindful, however, of how many of these emails you send to your customers. Keeping them informed is important, but too many emails could be considered SPAM.
3. Get an online booking system
Consider how much time you spend on the phone selling your service/products to potential customers. When someone contacts to purchase your service or product, then it is likely you will spend between 5 and 15 minutes with each customer on the phone or sending emails. Sometimes it may take longer with several calls or emails before the sale is completed.
A booking system is a great time saver and it avoids manual errors that could create problems and take up even more of your time. Moreover, a good booking system, in most cases, has an automated email feature and will resolve part issue as described in tip #2 above. A booking system will help you take back some of your time and focus on other aspects of your business.
4. Use the Email as the main point of contact for your business
The great thing about the email is that you decide when you answer it. Have your contact email listed more prominently on your website than you phone number. This will reduce the number of calls you receive, and will allow you to be able to organize your tasks more efficiently with fewer interruptions. Be sure to organize your email management, so you aren’t checking your emails all the time. Set aside specific times throughout your day dedicated to responding to emails. This will be a great time saver.
Another great thing about email is that you can keep track of your communications with your customers. If your customers make reservations a few weeks or months in advance, then keeping email communications will be a great reminder for you. An email leaves a footprint whereas calls do not. Use those footprints to save time now and in the future.
5. Anticipate common questions from customers
It is better to be proactive than reactive. That’s easy to say, but how can you be proactive with your customers using your website? First, you need to identify the most frequently asked questions from customers. Once you’ve identified these questions, review your website to see if the information is there. If not, add the content. A great way to achieve this is to create a page on your site for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or a user guide. By listening to your customers, you will save time and improve the content of your website. This will ensure that potential customers find all the information they need from your site easily.
If you would like to know what to do to increase your conversion rate on your website, see this article by WebReserv.
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