I’m Doing Business … With A Computer?

All I needed was a simple answer.

I headed out to the website, and searched for over 10 minutes through their help section. No answer.

I searched for another five minutes to find a phone number. I picked up the phone and dialed the 1-800 number.

After listening to a long message, choosing English as my choice language, and inputting my account number, I was given six choices. Guess what? None of the choices matched what I needed.

Frustrated, I chose a number to try and connect with a customer service agent. Wrong choice. I only had an opportunity to leave a message and hang up.

Over 30 minutes later, my simple question had turned into a complex problem.

It was no longer about getting an answer. Now the real question was, “Do I really want to continue doing business with this company?”

Ever have one of those experiences? It can be quite frustrating.

Now let me ask you a question. Do your customers experience that feeling when trying to do business with you?

People want to do business with people. They want to do business with people who understand their needs and desires. They want to do business with people they can develop a relationship.

A great business anticipates a customers’ needs, and has answers ready before they even need to ask.

So how does that work online? With content that carefully reaches out to people in a manner that is friendly and helpful, not cold and business-like. The days of the company brochure site with a summary of information are over. Instead, people want to see themselves in the copy, and reach out to a company only after they have a great understanding of what they can truly do for them.

By adding content regularly on a blog, you can be writing directly to one type of client. You can talk about their problems. You can talk about ways of finding solutions. You can get into the details that speak directly to the person reading.

Content shouldn’t be about sales. It shouldn’t be about promotion. Instead, it should be about describing a problem, then leading the way to the solutions. If you have what it takes, your prospect will be able to connect the dots, and discover you as their perfect solution provider.

Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts.