5 tips for improving customer online experience

All modern businesses need an online presence nowadays and customer service should be at the heart of every online interaction, just as it should be when dealing offline. Whether you are designing a new website, or creating an online sales funnel, user experience needs to be at the heart of it.

There is no point creating a really flashy looking website to sell a product, if the end user finds it impossible to navigate their way through to the sales page. Websites should help to improve customer experience, not cause them problems.

Here are five tips for improving your customer online experience:

Make sure your site works properly on mobiles

People used to browse the internet on computers but nowadays they are far more likely to be looking at your site via their mobile phone or tablet, so make sure your website is adaptable and works effectively on all devices.

You need to make sure your website works on everything from a mobile phone screen to a widescreen TV using a remote control so make sure your website adapts properly and doesn’t just shrink to fit the screen.

It’s important that all buttons and navigation can be seen on a small screen; after all, if you want people to “click here” they need to be able to do exactly that. If your site doesn’t work properly your customer will get frustrated very quickly and will leave.

Make the most of customer reviews

Shoppers are more and more distrusting of traditional marketing and advertising messages, preferring to get recommendations from other people who have used the products, which is why customer reviews are so important for improving your own customer experience.

Making it really easy for would-be customers to check out what past customers have said about you creates a spirit of openness and honesty, and adds an authenticity to your website which competitors might not have.

Set up a system for customers to leave live reviews on your page so that new and prospective customers can find out easily what other people think about your products and services.

Use live chat facilities if you have the resources to engage

One of the advantages of online shopping is you can avoid the nosy shop assistant, however, it’s great to have an option to ask questions if you need to, so offer a live chat service on your website to help customers if they need it.

It allows online customers to enjoy browsing in peace but to know there is somewhere to turn to if they need any advice or have any questions about specific areas of products or services. However, if you can't man the live chat, it's best not to have it.

You'll notice we don't always have a live chat on our site, but we do have pop ups to engage with you, our reader, to make sure you know we want to engage with you.

Offer free product shipping if at all possible

If your online business includes products, then offering free shipping is a great way to improve the customer experience which you are delivering. Free shipping can help encourage customers to go through with a sale rather than abandon a shopping cart – but make sure it is feasible for your business to cover this cost.

Track online behaviour to create relevant messaging

Use tracking software to assess user behaviour on your website and then personalise offers and marketing messages to make them even more relevant to your potential customers. This type of tracking can tailor communication to the shopper’s particular needs, helping with retention and loyalty.

These are just a few ways to improve the experience which a customer has when visiting your website but there are many more. It’s vital to constantly assess the performance of your website and the behaviour of visitors coming to it, which is relatively easy thanks to today’s analytics and tracking software.