Sazbean

Software Development Management

Main navigation

You are here: Home / Archives for customer-centric

customer-centric

/

Creating Leads with Customer-Centric Design

butterflyjustchaosNow that we’ve had an overview of what customer-centric design is, let’s discuss how it can be used to create leads.

Providing Valuable Information

Having a reason for customers to visit your site is the first step in creating leads. The most important aspect of customer-centric design is providing your customers with exactly what they are looking for.  Think about everything they might come to your website to look for and make sure the information is easy to find.  It should also be easy for customers to contact you with questions or concerns.

A Place to Connect

By providing a place for your customers to connect with each other and with you, you can help your customers get the information and support they need.  More importantly, you’ll be able to get information about who needs help and where they are in the buying process.

Enticement

Do your customers have a reason to give you their contact information?  Is there some useful information or service you can provide for free in exchange for contact information?  Enticement to create leads can be very effective for you and provide a useful service for your customers.  Remember to keep information gathering to a minimum. (name and email work best).

How do you use customer-centric design to create leads?

(photo by Just chaos @ Flickr CC)

Technorati Tags: , , , , , ,

/

Customer-Centric Design – Your Customers Care, so Should You

customerralphbijkerWe’ve mentioned customer-centric design in several of our recent branding and customer service posts.  Using customer-centric design on your site is extremely important to your customers.  Why?  Because they only care about what is important to them – getting whatever information, services, or products they came to your site for.  If they can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll simply go elsewhere.

So what is customer-centric design anyway?

Customer-centric design is design centered around what the customer wants (as opposed to what the company wants).  To do this, you have to always keep in mind why the customer came to your site and make it as easy as possible for them to accomplish their goals.

Ok play nice with customers, but what about my goals?

Your goals are probably concerned with increasing sales and leads (if not, they really should be).  Here’s the best part.  Customer-centric design actually makes it easier to accomplish your goals.  Customers who can find what they’re looking for are much more likely to make a purchase or return later for more information and services.  Most importantly, they’re likely to recommend you to their friends and colleagues, which is one of the most powerful ways to increase sales.

I getcha, now what?

Take a look at your site from your customer’s point of view.  What are the most important functions (for them, not you)?  Are they easy to find from anywhere on the site?  When a customer is in the middle of a process (finding support information, making a purchase, etc.), are there places for improvement by making things more clear and removing unnecssary steps or clicks?  Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.

Solicit feedback

Sometimes only your customers really know what they want.  So ask them.  It’s an easy and cheap way to get good feedback and by listening to your customers, you can increase customer satisfaction and brand awareness.

How have you used customer-centric design to help your customers?

(photo by ralphbijker @ Flickr CC)

Technorati Tags: , , , , , ,

/

Good Customer Service Saves The Day

seattlemunicipalcustomerserviceYou’ve heard it said before:  good customer service will lead to repeat business. How many of you take that truly to heart and apply it across your entire business?

Cue story…

I work from my home office, but I like to get out to meet people and sit in a new environment from time to time.  Last week I decided to try a new local cafe that had free wireless and good reviews.  When I got there, they had a great menu and comfy couches (bonus!).  I bought a tasty salad and sat down on the couch to work.  Once I connected to the free wireless, I was shown a few ads and asked if I wanted to download software to secure my connection (no thanks, I’m good).  When I’m working, I usually have several different websites open and go to many more to get things done.  On every single new page, the “free” wireless was showing me a new ad and asking if I wanted their secure software.  Every single page! After every 10th page, they’d redirect me to a list of sponsored links and require me to click on one in order to continue.  Are you kidding me?  This is not “free” wireless.  I would be willing to pay a little bit extra for my salad (like 25 cents) to have a smooth web browsing experience so I could actually work.  I was so annoyed by the wireless that I left soon after I finished my salad.

So what are the initial lessons?

  1. Are you really saving money on that “deal” from the wireless provider?  If they annoy your customers who either don’t stay very long or, more importantly, don’t come back, what is the true cost?
  2. Sometimes it’s better to pay for quality and take it as an expense of doing business.  Do you need to provide free wireless?  Maybe or maybe not.  But the Panera down the street does, and they don’t put their customers through ad hell.  How are you going to compete?
  3. Other than your main services and products, what additional services and products do you need to also provide to increase the value and revenue of your main offerings?  In this case, I think good free wireless is a mandatory additional service.

More story…

I was so annoyed by the whole situation that before I packed up, I (painfully, through more ad hell) sent an email to the cafe telling them about the situation and how horrible it was.  I was actually looking forward to having a local place I could go to work, but I certainly couldn’t work under their wireless situation.  I didn’t mention it to the cafe, but I was also looking for a local place to meeting with clients and small groups, so by not providing good wireless, they were actually losing all of that potential business as well.

Happy ending?

The owner of the cafe quickly wrote back thanking me for letting her know about the situation with the wireless.  She said she was going to look for another provider and asked me to check back in a couple of weeks.

Good Customer Service Saves the Day

Wow.  The owner of the cafe really listened to my concerns and was willing to address them in a way that would benefit not only me, but her entire business. I was extremely happy that she responded in such a positive way.  And I’m willing to wait the two weeks and check back on her progress.  Obviously, she needs to follow-through to win back my business, but she took a very negative situation and has turned it all the way back to hopeful positive.

Lessons Learned

Good customer service is more than just responding properly to support issues.  As a business owner, you need to listen to what your customers are saying and respond in a way that satisfies them.  Sometimes you won’t be able to provide exactly what your customers want, but by listening and responding to them, you have still maintained a relationship they are willing to continue.

What are your customer support success stories?

(photo by seattle municipal archives @ Flickr CC)

Technorati Tags: , , , ,