It’s no longer just about WHY a customer buys your product or service. Today it’s also about HOW. The ease in which customers are able to do business with you.
Making It Easy To Buy From You
As consumers, we’ve become spoiled and lazy. We’re used to marketing-savvy companies making things easier for us. Buying a song, game or film on iTunes is as simple as clicking a button. Amazon recommends products that it thinks may interest you, based upon your purchase and viewing history. Companies that understand the importance of “user experience” make it easy for us to buy from them.
However, as a result these companies are setting the standard for how every business, large or small, interacts with its own customers.
Look at your organization from the outside in. Answer the following questions truthfully:
- How easy is it to find the telephone number of your company from your website?
- How long does it take for an email enquiry to be answered?
- How many times does a caller have to be transferred within your organization to get to the person who can answer their question?
- What happens after the sale? Does anyone contact the customer to check if everything’s OK?
Buyers’ expectations from companies has increased exponentially over the past few years. We have become less forgiving – and more demanding – because the internet has shown us that there are companies out there that are prepared to go the extra mile to make life easier for us.
If you don’t make your customers’ purchasing experience an easy and pleasant one, don’t be surprised if they go and find a company that does.