Make Things Easy For Your Customers

Writen by Ron Kaufman

I have three complaints and three suggestions.

One: I am sick and tired of struggling with badly designed order forms that ask me to write my credit card number in tiny little boxes.

Two: I'm tired of getting forms from companies asking me to provide information the company already has.

Three: I'm fed up with firms that say, 'For more information visit our website', without giving me the specific URL that takes me directly to the page I need.

It's time for every company and every worker to wake up and realize that making things easy for your customers is a winning strategy in business (and in life).

Here are some tactics that will help:

One: Review every point of contact your customer encounters. Ask yourself, 'How can we make this easier, more pleasurable or more convenient?' When you find something that can be improved, do it.

Two: Any time you want your customer to apply, renew, order or confirm anything, do everything you can to pre-fill the appropriate information. If you already know their address, put it on the form. If you already have their serial number, print it on the card. If you already have their account information, put it in the appropriate boxes, fields or spaces.

Three: When you refer customers to your website, send them to the exact page whenever you can. Taking a moment to provide the correct URL shows respect for their time and increases the likelihood they will actually click through and find what they seek.

Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed educator and motivator for partnerships and quality customer service. He is author of the bestselling "UP Your Service!" and founder of "UP Your Service College". Visit http://www.UpYourService.com for more such Customer Service articles, subscribe to his Newsletter, or to buy his bestselling Books, Videos, Audio CDs on Customer Service from his secure Online Store. You can also watch Ron live or listen to him at http://www.RonKaufman.com.