Sponsored Links

Featured Links

Other Topics
Sponsored Links







Quote of the Day

"Every great film should seem new every time you see it."

Roger Ebert







 




 
Featured Business Articles

Business card printing: At your service!
Trading of business cards in the business industry is a common and normal practice usually among business owners and corporate executives. This process is one of the marketing tools that show the front line image of every business entities. The cards are ...

Buying Jewelry For Your Business Part 6 Buying Pearl Jewelry
Whether you presently own a retail or web based business and are looking for an additional profit center or you are thinking of starting a business, jewelry is a "no-brainer" choice for a proven product category. The buying public, (particularly women) ...

The Advantages of Owning an Online Home Business
The Advantages of Owning an Online Home BusinessBy Clint NullMillions of people are doing searches on their local search engines everyday trying to find businesses that will allow them to work from home. After all, the Internet is a HUGE marketplace and ...




4 Must Have Elements To Keep Your E-Business in Business!
 
Imagine walking into your neighborhood Home Depot store and
there's not a soul in sight. There's no one around to answer
your questions, or assist you with your purchase. Suddenly
you are filled with thoughts of dissatisfaction, confusion,
and anger. Why would you buy from a store that made you feel
like that, and why would you ever return? YOU WON'T! And
if your web site isn't set up to offer terrific customer
service, YOUR VISITORS WON'T either. If you've got the
products or services to sell, but don't offer the customer
service to go along with it, you can say goodbye to your
Internet business dreams, and hello to bankruptcy! Lucky
for you, I've outlined the 4 major elements that you MUST
HAVE on your web site if you want to STAY IN BUSINESS, and
be PROFITABLE doing it!

#1: Be Prompt in Responding to Your Email Requests!

We are now living in an age of convenience. And on the
Internet especially, your site visitors expect instant
service. Email is the prime communication tool used in
e-business --- USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! An instant email
response may not be possible, but a reply to your customer
within 48 hours is a must! If I email a company and request
info about their products, and I don't get a reply back within
at least 48 hours, I'm moving on to someone who wants my business
and is eager to answer my questions. You want to let your visitors
know that they are important to you, and your prompt email reply
will show them that they are. They'll return the favor by making
you money! Making this simple modification to your email
communication will most certainly turn your common visitor
into a paying customer - making MORE PROFITS FOR YOU!

#2: Offer a Phone Number To Your Visitors!

It may not be enough just to offer your email address. Some people
are still weary about e-businesses, and not being able to talk to
a real person will certainly turn visitors away from your site.
They will move on and find someone else who does offer a real
person to contact. Offering a business phone number will also
help to build confidence in your visitors. You'll be letting
them know that you are a stable, well-established company that
has actual people behind the scenes. You'll also want to ensure
that you display your phone number in a prominent location on your
site. If it's located in a hard to find place, your visitors may
get frustrated trying to find it, or may not be able to find it at
all. That's not going to help your business or your visitors.
If you have the means, providing a 1-800 number would be ideal.
If your visitors know they don't have to pay for the call, any
concerns about cost have now been eliminated. When your business
in on the Internet, you have to remember that your potential
customers are WORLWIDE. Make it as easy as possible for your
visitors to contact you, and the more business you'll generate.

#3: Offer an area for Visitor Feedback & Interaction With You!

Just like the Home Depot has customer comment cards, you should
include an area for visitor feedback! The kind of information
you can gather from your site visitors is vital to your success.
They have looked over your site, looked over your products, read
about your services, and now they can tell you what they think.
They will be able to give you specific insight as to the effectiveness
of your web site, the selection of your products, whether the
information you presented was enough, too much, etc. All of this
and so much more can make or break your future business.
Customize your comment area to ask about specific information.
Specify a certain section to ask for comments about your web
site set-up, or your customer service. Was it easy to find things,
easy to read, confusing navigation, etc. With this simple addition
to your web site, you will be able to IMPROVE YOUR SITES
PROFITABILITY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY!

#4: Display Your Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)!

An FAQ's page is very often used to offer instant assistance to those
visitors who have specific questions. If you've been in business for
a while, you will already know what the majority of people ask about.
Compile this information and let it be available to your visitors.
These can be displayed on a separate page, or you can integrate them
into an existing page with similar content. Displaying your FAQ's
will save you BIG MONEY - by saving your valuable time! By not having
to answer an email or phone call asking a common question, you have
just saved 0.25 man-hours. Imagine how many of those hours could
be saved every day, and how much money you DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY out for
those hours. Best of all, your visitors will be experiencing superior,
IMMEDIATE CUSTOMER SERVICE, while you are saving tones of time
and loads of money!

Use these 4 essential elements in your web site and your online
business will most certainly live to see another day. Remember
that your exceptional customer service is what will set you apart
from the "other guys", and that can mean profit or plummet!
Where will your site be tomorrow?



About the Author
Christine Weymouth is a member of the Worldprofit Design Team.
Let our expert design marketers work for you!
Contact mailto:customerservice@worldprofit.com
Want to get more expert design tips free?
Take our free online course at:
http://www.worldprofit.com/autoresponse


Google


Business News


Seattle Times

Microsoft names Muglia president of server business
Reuters - 5 hours ago
O) said on Monday it has promoted longtime executive Bob Muglia to president of the company's server and tools business. Muglia's new title makes him one of ...
Microsoft promotes Bob Muglia to president of Server and Tools ... Seattle Times
Microsoft's Muglia Makes Comeback Wall Street Journal
Bob Muglia: Microsoft's Newest President Microsoft Watch
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Computerworld
all 23 news articles

Kansas unveils redesigned Web sites for businesses
Bizjournals.com, NC - 10 hours ago
KSBDC’s improved Web site offers online virtual business training — in English or Spanish — for topics that include starting a business, managing finances ...
Kansas Small Business Development Center Launches New and Improved ... Reuters
Kansas Launches New and Improved Online Kansas Business Center at ... Reuters
all 27 news articles

Lubrizol acquires Dow polyurethane business
BusinessWeek - 13 hours ago
Lubrizol Corp., a specialty chemical manufacturer, said Monday it has acquired a Dow Chemical Co. polyurethane business. The deal, which closed Dec. ...
Lubrizol Acquires Dow Thermoplastic Polyurethane Business Reuters
Dow sells thermoplastic polyurethane business to Lubrizol SmartBrief
Lubrizol buys thermoplastic polyurethane business of Dow Chemical Crain's Cleveland Business
Financial News USA (press release) - IndustryWeek
all 24 news articles

Washington Post

Making the Leap In Business News
Washington Post, United States - 16 hours ago
By Howard Kurtz NEW YORK -- When Liz Claman made the jump from local television to business news a decade ago, she had never heard of Warren Buffett. ...
Friendly Reporter With Small Vocabulary Finds Home At Fox Biz Gawker
all 5 news articles

With Billions at Stake, Business Lobbyists Vie for a Piece
Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago
The measure, said chief lobbyist Dan Berger, is "a way to provide small businesses access to much-needed credit without costing the taxpayer a dime. ...