One of the most frustrating situations I’ve faced when trying to get information from local business owners is googling them and finding nothing. Even worse finding a phone number that doesn’t work. The other thing is finding one big flyer with “everything under the sun” that they do, and no way to contact them.
This is one experience I have ever so often, and it’s a frustrating situation to be in.
You are ready to buy something, money in hand but you can’t get in touch with the business establishment because they are unreachable. That’s one of the reasons why companies like Amazon and other online stores profit. They make it easy for consumers to buy stuff.
I remember going to a local computer store’s website to find out if they have a printer I wanted in stock. It was difficult to find that information on their website much more, to find the printer section. Calling was even worse. All the numbers rang without an answer, or are out of service. This problem can lead to many businesses losing paying customers without even knowing it. Here are 3 mistakes I see business make online:
#1 Wrong contact information
This one is huge and also the most frustrating. Why would you put up a phone number or email address that is not working, or you no longer use? I’ve seen this with schools, government agencies, churches and business places.
It is important to put correct contact details that are up to date, and functional. Persons who contact your business are closer to buying than you think. They are either comparing prices or checking the availability of a product. This puts them at the bottom of the funnel and reduces the chance of getting prospects for your business.
#2 No contact information
The next mistake is that there is no contact information. This is downright stupid. Having your contact information on hand makes it easier for persons to reach you with questions they have about your offer. This makes it easier for potential customers to reach you. It’s almost like these businesses are allergic to making money. It’s very hard for customers to find them.
They are some business who are not listed in the yellow pages so facebook search or google is the natural places to look for them. They have a facebook page but no contact is on the page. The only option for me or persons looking for these type of services is to move on to someone else.
#3 Right contact no answer
The other mistake I see businesses make is their failure to respond when contacted. This is worse compared to not having the right information or no information at all. Calling someone multiple times only for the phone to ring without an answer. No matter the time of day, this creates frustration for the customer, and you might end up getting blacklisted even if you do good work.
The solution to these issues is to update your contact information so customers can reach you. Also, put a system in place to handle inquiries that come in. If they are frequent, put up information on your social media channels to answer those questions.