Supporting your web sales effort

It is sad to hear, but unfortunately many companies do not put in place the necessary support systems to get the best out of their website. They spend money on the webpage design, they may work hard at their Search Engine Optimisation to get a good position, but then they let themselves down by not following up enquries, sales or bookings effectively. These are usually not technology issues, but management issues.

In one sector we repeatedly heard that 'I emailed several companies, and only a couple of them replied. we booked with company-x because they had the best response'. Another worry of customers in the holiday market is that they make a booking for a service, but when they arrive the details have been lost, not translated properly, or interpreted wrongly.

Does your service reflect your website?

How can we help?

The key to success in web sales is to have the processes in place that meet the customer expectations. It is an easy area to audit, and by creating a simple 'SLP' or Straight Line Process Model, the areas for improvement can be quickly identified. A few simple improvements may have a greater impact on the bottom line that any amount of page redesign. As with web marketing, some simple research will help uncover the key service issues. Training staff in the importance of web sales support can help as can reassigning priorities and clarifying objectives.

In addition there are number of technology tricks that can be used to make it easier for either your customers to contact you, or for you to meet customer expectations. While contact and feedback forms are easy to implement, they can provide easy ways for customers to contact you and enquire or book your services.