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How to Create Meaningful Online Experiences
If you think your companys online customer experience is not up to the mark, youre not alone. A Forrester Consulting study of 405 US and EU sales, marketing and customer service professionals from firms selling various financial, mobile phone and technology products, found that less than 25% thought that the online experience their company provided to customers was easy, effective or enjoyable. The study was commissioned by Adobe Systems in May 2010 to evaluate consumers and business buyers opinions of online customer experiences. Forrester conducted three online surveys: a consumer study of 2,793 US and European Union (EU) financial services, electronics or mobile phone customers; a business study of 628 US and EU business financial services, IT hardware or mobile phone buyers; and the vendor study mentioned earlier.
The study also figured out what customers would like to see from their vendors. So heres how to crack the code on online interactions that provide true competitive differentiators.
Personalised service at all phases: In a survey, clients of financial services, electronics/IT hardware and mobile phone service providers asked for personalised service at all phases of the customer life-cycle. Self-serve technology is great, but sometimes prospective and existing customers might want to talk to a real person. This is especially true for B2B interactions. In the survey, customers indicated that they would like an empathetic, personal touch when doing research, making a purchase and accessing customer service.
Easy-to-find, transparent product information: Buyers are looking for easy-to-find information that will enable them to make purchase decisions. The information should be complete and clear, so there are no doubts about exactly what is being sold.
Speedy customer service online: As more and more services move online, customers expect response times to keep up. However, those surveyed said, in most cases, speed was impacted.
Forrester Consulting recommends that companies build web tools that make it easy for customers to access information. The study says: Providing ways for customers to search, access and use the information they need is paramount to creating good online interactions. To get this right, evaluate the types of information that your client seeks by analysing the searches conducted on your site. Once you have done this, interview your customers through focus groups, in-depth interviews and surveys to get an understanding of the issues your clients have accessing this content. With this understanding, you are able to select tools to add to your website to help customers access and use information.
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