Funnily enough, some of the real biggies with the megabucks are so focused on their brand names and their brand perception (…from 1783) that they refuse to consider online selling, which is obviously ‘consumerism at its worst and definitely not for OUR brand – we’d rather have people drive 70 miles to *experience* our luxurious velvet carpeted, diamond studded penthouse shop’ – you get my point.
So, how do you gently yet firmly grab them by the scruff of the neck and lead them into the reality of 2007?
Simple… Tell them what their customers really think. Tell them how their customers perceive their brand. Tell them EXACTLY what their customers want to achieve on their site, and what irritated them the most about their site experience.
Or not so simple…The major challenge is that the internet is a noisy research medium, and so understanding what real customers’ attitudes, likes and dislikes, motivations, and perceptions are based on real experience is not easy to determine. One point well worth raising with a big red flag is that customer satisfaction is a process, not an event. It also involves every facet of your or your client’s web page, as well as their site in its entirety.
In order to capture real opinions of real customers online, one could employ a number of methodologies including panels, surveys, and questionnaires, to name a few. The potential issues with these methodologies include sampling issues and bias at a bare minimum..
The preferred way to avoid these problematic challenges is to invite solicitations before the experience occurs. Roughly 5% of visitor will agree to participate, and as they are approached pre-experience, their responses are unlikely to be biased (given a margin or error). The data gathered post-experience is therefore highly likely to be reproducible, accurately reflecting the opinions and experiences of a relevant sample allowing for statistically significant data interpretation.
A few points:
1. Visitor goodwill is precious and limited, and as such, the optimal number of screen interactions of any kind during the data gathering (scrolling, clicking, etc) is 39. After 40 the drop-put rate increases exponentially.
2. Always provide a progress measure to indicate to participants how far they have come, and how far they have left to go. This can be a slide measure, a graphic ‘thermometer’, the question number / total.
3. Encourage and thank participants as appropriate.
4. Do ensure for automatic progression through the questions.
5. Do not include drop-down boxes.
6. Include Quantitative Questions; e.g. relevance of content – rated 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent).
7. Include Qualitative Questions, e.g. What did you like most about the content? (pictures, relevance, completeness, presentation, clarity), and What did you dislike most about the content? (pictures, relevance, completeness, presentation, clarity).
Then allow for word recognition and expand questions further: e.g. What most appealed to you about the completeness of the content? (“we answered all your questions, the mix of imagery and text was good, it was reassuring, it generated trust”).
Data Hubs
It is important to gather data about all areas of customer experience, including;
1. Navigation (e.g. ease of use, speed etc),
2. Content (e.g. relevancy, pictures, etc),
3. Interactivity (e.g. actual interactivity level),
4. Motivation (e.g. trust factor, convenience, etc), and
5. Adoption (e.g. perceptions about brand image)
Combining and interpreting the data is best achieved by the development of a satisfaction matrix. The matrix will highlight areas of your site which require attention in terms of quantitative data (very low scores plotted to high) against qualitative data (specific reasoning.)
The final question to ask is about intention; e.g. Did you intend to make a purchase today? And then utilizing the data already submitted, request that they select which of the qualitative factors most influenced their decision to do so or not to do so. If the answer is negative, ask a question regarding what could the site have provided that would most have influenced their decision the other way. It is also possible to assign ROI to the ‘Intent’ question by applying the sample data to your monthly visitor average and assigning per dollar values.
All in all, providing the real voice of the real customer to the client outlining areas of satisfaction and areas of dissatisfaction is an another way to show them gently but undeniably what their customers really think about their online presence. After all, it’s not what the brand itself thinks about itself, it’s how customers experience the brand that matters.
