Leanne Nelson+ by | Nov 18, 2014 | Customer Experience
Business owners & managers are busy. We’re also good at what we do! We have our ways of doing things that get the job done, and if it’s not broken we don’t have a lot of time to fix it. The problem is, what works for us isn’t always working for our customers. We become so familiar with what we do, we can make assumptions to fill the gaps, or not recognise where day-to-day processes are making life a little more difficult for customers. The good news is, becoming a customer experience focused business doesn’t have to be difficult. With a few guidelines, you can easily step into your customers’ shoes and make them smile (we all love it when our customers smile, right?) What’s not working We fill gaps, we make assumptions, we know how things work. But our customers don’t. Therein lies the problem. Let me give you a simple, all to common example. Great Business Group Pty Ltd (trading as Brilliant Coaching) provides a coaching session to Meredith. Meredith is very satisfied with Brilliant Coaching’s service & pays them a large fee by credit card. The payment goes into the Great Business Group Pty Ltd account and everyone is happy. Then Meredith receives her credit card statement. There’s a charge by a company she has never heard of before and she becomes concerned. She is really busy and doesn’t have a chance to call the bank right away. She begins to worry that she might have to go through the rigmarole of cancelling her credit card. Some time later, Meredith wonders why the Brilliant Coaching charge...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Oct 9, 2014 | Business
Early this morning I was driving to pick my son up from swimming training. Today, instead of going where I had intended, I was on autopilot and ended up half way into Geelong. I can’t even remember driving past the turn off to the pool. Road safety issues aside, I think (hope!) this is something most of us have done at some point. Business on autopilot How often do you do things in your business on autopilot, or simply because that’s what you’ve always done? How often do you stop to consider if that action is getting you where you really want to go? Before you start off on any routine task, set a process in motion or use a system, stop and ask yourself these questions. 1. Is this getting me closer to my goals? I was able to get to the pool this morning after a detour, but it would have been much more effective and efficient to go the right way from the start. Without a quick review, it’s quite possible that autopilot might lead us to the wrong destination all together. 2. Is this necessary for the running of my business? Some things seem largely unnecessary in the scheme of things, but they might, for example, be legislative requirements or necessary maintenance. Systematise these tasks and create procedures for them. It’s then quite possible they could be delegated (see number 4). 3. Is this the best way of doing things? Especially for those items in number 2, regularly check the most efficient and effective way of carrying out tasks or processes. Technology and methodologies change all the...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Sep 2, 2014 | Websites
Website user experience. It impacts how many people sign up for your e-newsletter. It impacts your bounce rate. It impacts whether anyone sees that awesome offer you’ve spent a gazillion hours working on. So what, exactly, is it? What is user experience? Website user experience: A person’s behaviours, attitudes, and emotions about using a (website). User experience includes the practical, experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership. Wikipedia In short, poor website usability equals poor experience, which equals poor results. How can you ensure your website performs well in the user experience stakes? Keep an eye out for these 10 common mistakes. 1. Calls to action are lost A website has a goal, a reason for existing. It might be to entice visitors to call you, capture email addresses via a sign up form or to directly sell products. Whatever the action you want someone to take, it should be easily identified and accessible to visitors. Not buried amongst Adsense ads. Not in teeny text at the bottom of the page. And certainly not non-existent! 2. Navigation makes no sense Using a website without clear navigation is like trying to get to get to Manangatang without a map. You might succeed, but chances are it’ll take you a whole lot longer than it should and you’ll be cranky when you get there. You might even give up and go to Bendigo instead. You have the map for that trip. Making your website visitors work to find something is a sure fire way to turn them away. In short, poor website usability equals poor experience, which equals poor results. Click...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Aug 1, 2014 | Content marketing, Tools, Tips & Resources
Not long after I hit publish on the outsourcing issue of Tacit Business Boost earlier today, this little gem popped up in my Facebook feed. It’s from a professional consulting firm who have apparently decided to outsource their social media posting. We all occasionally make the odd typo, or leave a word in that we meant to delete. But you have to ask, does that post leave you feeling inspired to book their services? Now, I understand that social media is time consuming and that there are lots of options out there to have it managed for you. In fact, I wholeheartedly encourage you to outsource part of your social media activities (listening, drafting posts, scheduling approved posts, preparing graphics, etc). However, this post highlights the perils of handing over any aspect of your business without the appropriate checks in place to ensure that the finished product is one that correctly represents your business. Outsourcing wisely is a necessity to run a successful business. Outsourcing imprudently can have...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Jul 29, 2014 | Gallery, Websites
The committee from St Anthony’s Debutante Balls, a major fundraiser for a local primary school, were looking to increase the awareness of their events in the local community. We worked with the committee to create a simple website that provides basic information and showcases the professionalism of their balls. Congratulations to the St Anthony’s Lara Debutante Balls committee on the launch of your new...
