Those of us who consult with businesses focus a great deal of time on improving customer experiences. In the Internet's early days, it was common to find poorly constructed Web sites. Frequent errors included broken images, click paths to black holes, and dysfunctional transactional engines that left customers wondering whether they had completed a purchase.

This was described as poor customer experience. Though the owners of these Web sites paid millions in construction costs, visitors found the sites lacking. Yet many consumers were evangelical in their pursuit of Internet commerce. Many continued to muddle through a landscape of poorly designed user experiences to find brands that "got it," brands that knew how to treat a customer properly.

Many enlightened brands had heavy experience in direct marketing. They knew a little about providing TLC -- tender loving care. They understood the more comfortable their customers felt in the environment, the greater the likelihood of purchase on subsequent visits. Personalization, wizard technology, value-add services, product/service suggestions, online help, and 24-hour access all contributed to reinforcing the message that the merchant wanted to make the experience enjoyable to customers.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 9:42 PM  |  Permalink