About a month ago, my husband and I decided to take advantage of the bargain-basement housing prices and purchase a vacation home. I know what you are thinking. WHAT??? We realized the risks, but were drawn to the investment possibilities and a beautiful place to go to relax, walk the beach and just get away from it all.
I began researching some real estate websites, and finally came across one for the Collins Realty Group in Hilton Head Island, SC. The website was very customer friendly and easy to navigate. I was able to put in my selections on the home page and narrow down my search to a very select area. Once I hit “enter,” all the available listings were displayed on one screen, listed from highest price to lowest. I didn’t even have to hit “next page” to view all the listings. Once I highlighted a listing, more details were listed in a block on the right side of the screen. I could even scroll through the photos without leaving the home page.
If I wanted to see more of a particular property, all I had to do was click on the button “view details”, and it took me to the next screen where all the details of the property were clearly displayed. It had a feature to view full-size photos of the property, and listed all the amenities of the property, location and any additional homeowner’s association fees. A mortgage calculator with the asking price and an assumed 20% down payment gave an estimated monthly payment with the option to change the calculation. Another great feature was the ability to access other properties in the same housing development without going back to the main page.
Once I was done looking at a particular property, a few hits on the “back” button and I could continue my original search on the home page. It was easy to find where I had left off, since the listing that I last selected was highlighted. No scrolling up and down to find where I had left off. Once I found a listing I liked, I could print it, save it to my private listings, or email it to myself or someone else. It was so easy and customer friendly that I went back to it time and time again.
You may not be in real estate, but with so many people doing research on the Internet before they buy, it’s time to assess your customer's experience when they are trying to buy from you. Is it easy to find what you are looking for? Are things logically displayed and contain the right information? Before a customer ever walks into a store they have most likely spent time on the Internet. A customer-friendly website will drive business to your physical location or just encourage customers to buy online. Make it easy for them and they will make it profitable for your business.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for Customerservicejobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at http://www.csjobsblog.com/ and view additional job postings on Nexxt
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