Do you remember your last purchase you made on the web (or used the web to make the purchase)?
I do. It was an upgrade to Merge’s phone system, TalkSwitch.
The structure of the purchase was web site -> phone call -> purchase. There was no real way to do what I wanted to do on the web site. That usually would aggravate me, but in this case I was okay. Why? I felt like I needed to talk to somebody.
But what the web site did was get me all the way from where I was to where I needed to speak to somebody. It got me to the next step in the process. The way it did that is it provided me a plethora of information about all of their products, features, pricing and a nifty product comparison chart. I basically had a couple of very specific questions that I knew the web site wouldn’t answer. So I picked up the phone and called.
They answered. I asked my question. They answered the question. I ordered. And during the order process, they added some more valuable information to the process. I was impressed.
The Bottom Line: Web sites don’t live in an isolated bubble. They are an integral part of your company’s marketing tools. Make sure the web site fits into everything else that you do.
P.S. Not only was the TalkSwitch buying experience great, but so is their product. They have IP Phones and their main product is a very affordable “big company” phone system for small companies. I highly recommend you visit TalkSwitch’s web site. Who knows, you may end up buying one!
July 1st, 2008 at 5:12 pm
My now-former “we” call (formerly) our web site the “store front.” Of course, that forces us to think of the web site as simply a step in the process. Some products don’t sell completely online, so you have to be mindful not only of your web site, but also how people are interacting once on the phone or in person.
And, the hard part is for the sales staff to pick out who’s been to the web site first, and who hasn’t. Some conversations are obvious, because they start with, “I saw this on your web site.” Others are not so much, especially if there’s competition. Ultimately, your web site could also be a tool for that person-to-person sales process. “Go to our web site and look at this with me…” can be a great way to convey visual stuff over the phone.
My bottom line: Make sure your people are in tune with what’s going on with the web site, and make sure they’re trained well enough to spot and cater to all types of shoppers.
Love this post, because it’s so true… your web site isn’t an island at all.