Communication is essential when running a small business. Your clients or customers need to reach you for a multitude of things and sorry but you need more than a contact form. It is great that you installed the plugin or the form came standard with your third-party shopping cart but those things break. Code gets messed up without you doing a thing. So now you have not only missed countless emails but created issues for people who use your services or shop your store.
Proper Placement Of Contact Information
Is the contact page the only place on your website that provides information on how to reach you? If yes, then it’s time for you to update your site with your contact information in multiple areas. Two other key placements for your company contact information would be the header of the website and the footer. Those two places are constant no matter what page the client or customers are on. If you are building a custom site on WordPress it would just take a plugin. A plethora of third-party shopping carts have this option for footer but to add it in the header it would have to go into the backend and have code injected to make it happen.
Phone Number Option
We have gotten away from handwritten letters and talking on the phone. We direct people to automated answering systems or drop down menus with canned responses. Having a phone number is a great way for people to reach you during designated business hours. Do not go spending money on a 1-800 number when you can get a free Google Voice number for your business. Very simple and great way for people to build trust with you.
Multiple Email Addresses
When I first launched my resale boutique there was one email place, mgmt@mycompanyname.com. All emails pertaining to my business came there. Lets just say it became a nightmare to handle. You should set up multiple email address that serve a purpose for each one. Host Gator and Go Daddy let you buy extra email addresses. You usually get one free. Email address options:
- Customer Service
- Payments
- Orders
- Your Name
- Press
Refrain from using email addresses with admin, hello or info as the lead part of emails. These emails are easier to compromise causing issues for your small business. By having multiple email addresses, individuals can send emails to the right place easing confusion or much more that may happen. Having a phone number and several email addresses placed correctly on your site can help you make sure your business runs smoothly. Which one of these tips can you implement today with your business?
