Undated file photo of Bell Canada telephone operators, probably late 1930s or 1940s.A. Walker
The difference between winning a new customer and a lost opportunity often involves the little things such as indifferent service or inconvenient operating hours.
For companies that depend on websites to provide information about who they are and what they do, a small but crucial mistake made by too many companies is a "contact us" section that doesn't provide enough information. Frequently left out of the mix is a telephone number.
Providing one seems like a no-brainer but amid the focus on the Web, many companies forget that customers still want to talk to a real person as opposed to sending an e-mail or an online contact form into the ether.
Offering a phone number is an important step but it's just the beginning of the process. You also need to make sure that when a customer calls, someone at your end either answers the phone or callers are provided with all the information they might need, and/or options to get hold of the desired information or department.
The telephone is old school but it's still a communications tool used by most people. Digital tools such as Twitter, Facebook and e-mail are wonderful and easy to use, but talking with a customer on the telephone can be an effective and quick way to meet their needs or answer questions. At the same time, it personalizes the relationship, and it provides opportunities to build a client-supplier relationship.
The rule is simple. You'll be amazing by the number of people happy to ring you up.
Special to the Globe and Mail
Mark Evans is a principal with ME Consulting , a content and social media strategic and tactical consultancy that creates and delivers 'stories' for companies looking to capture the attention of customers, bloggers, the media, business partners, employees and investors. Mark has worked with three start-ups – Blanketware, b5Media and PlanetEye – so he understands how they operate and what they need to do to be successful. He was a technology reporter for more than a decade with The Globe and Mail, Bloomberg News and the Financial Post. Mark is also one of the co-organizers of the mesh, meshUniversity and meshmarketing conferences .