You may recognize it: you want to order something from a webshop yourself, but you can't reach them at all. Or even better: the phone number is hidden or, in some cases, not found at all on the site. Many web shops are secretly not waiting to speak to customers at all. Super frustrating for consumers. But what impact does this actually have on the customer experience on the web shop?
Since last May, new regulations have come into force to protect consumers. These rules relate to the obligation to provide information and the accessibility of web shops. Previously, web shops were only required to include a telephone number and/or email address if it was available at all. I hear you thinking; in 2023, aren't such resources available to everyone? Yes, but even several online stores in the Twinkle100 do not yet have accessibility for (potential) customers in order and have therefore not embraced the new rules.
The main reasons that some online stores hide their phone numbers and are therefore less accessible is the fact that they are trying to reduce the pressure on customer service. If they already have a customer support team. After all, the tight labor market in recent years does not make it easy to find suitable customer service employees. Solutions such as chatbots can offer a solution here, but such a solution also involves implementation work and costs. In addition, the question is whether such a tool is the most ideal solution.
Although it doesn't hurt to sometimes bend the rules to your will, in this case, it's better to stick to the rules. Not necessarily to be the nicest boy in the class or to avoid a possible fine from the ACM. Yes, because this has a direct impact on the customer experience. Otherwise, it can even cost you customers.
Ideally, of course, you'd prefer website visitors to order from you without too much telephone/email or app contact. However, some products and services simply need a little more explanation, so customers get in touch. From both an SEO and CRO perspective, it is therefore wise to have your content in good order. Not only does this prevent unnecessary pressure on customer service, you can also make this content work for you when it comes to organic findability. Don't write your content for the sake of writing, but also answer all possible questions and rank organically new keyword clusters. What should the customer take into account and what considerations are involved? In short: remove possible customer questions.
Does anyone contact customer service anyway? Don't see this as a workload, but as an opportunity. After all, based on Cialdini's various conviction principles, you can say that good customer service contributes to the customer experience and builds customer loyalty. For example, a well-informed customer service team is able to provide the customer with good information, giving the customer the feeling that they are being helped by an expert organization. On the other hand, a customer who has spoken to well experiences a pleasant experience. This also arouses sympathy, which has a positive influence on a consumer's purchase intent.
Then we haven't even talked about the cross- and upsell opportunities that brings good accessibility, but also the prevention of unnecessary returns by misinformed or incompletely informed customers, and so on!
Good content is therefore immediately the next challenge. Where do you find the time to get started with this if you don't (immediately) have a dedicated content team at your disposal? At Yellowgrape, we recently launched the AI Conversion Assistant. Don't be difficult if it's easy. In this tool, you will find all kinds of features that fully utilize the potential of AI. So let the AI Conversion Assistant work for you!
As you can read, there are plenty of reasons for good accessibility and full content.
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