Email or Not?
You should always include your Email address on your Web site, right? Maybe not. Read on to find out why.
The World Wide Web is the fastest growing advertising medium in the history of the world. So much potential, yet so many mistakes are being made online.
Within the past few years virtually every company has rushed to establish an online presence. The initial steps have been taken, yet the real benefits are falling through the cracks. In today's service-oriented business atmosphere, it is more important than ever to respond to customer and prospect requests quickly. As someone who has either purchased a product online, or made an online inquiry about a future purchase every week for the past 4 years, I am truly amazed at the lack of responsiveness by most web marketers.
Let's take a step back for a moment. What is the #1 appeal of the Internet? Timing. Web surfers, by nature, want everything to happen instantly. Example: Is there more news on your local newspaper's online edition than the printed edition? If not, then why are people logging on to read their news? They could easily get in their car, drive to the local convenience store, fork over a few coins for the paper, then return to their home or office to read it. Like I said, timing is everything. People log on news sites to get their news NOW.
What is my point? Simple: The Internet is the fastest, most cost-effective way you can communicate with your customers. Why then do some companies take 3 days to over a week to respond to email inquiries? You got me. If you've ever waded through the voice mail maze of a computer manufacturer's technical support line, you'll understand this completely. The voice mail menus do everything possible to encourage you to visit their web site instead of speaking with a support representative. The problem with this model is the customer knows if they continue to hold their problem will be addressed shortly. If they visit the web site and submit an email message they have no idea when (sometimes if) somebody will assist them. The computer companies are well aware of the benefits of interacting through email, yet most of them do not offer benefits to the customer for doing so.
The example above holds true for ANY company with an online presence. Remember the old saying "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it?" Does your web site have an email for or link for customers and/or prospects to contact you? Do you get back to them quickly enough? When I set up a new site for a customer, I tell them right away: "If you can't respond to email inquiries within 24 hours (weekends included most cases) let's not even put your email address on your web site. Let's stick with your phone number." This is not always a popular stance at first, but once they get over the need to be on forefront, and realize that perception is reality, they usually agree.
It is important to understand that the "hits" your web site is getting are actual people. They are real customers and prospects. They deserve the same service and responsiveness you'd give them if they walked into your place of business or called your 800 number.