Imagine this scenario: You have run an advertisement and it has generated a spike in inbound phone calls to your customer service team. You are happy…that is until you realize when potential customers call in, the employees answering the phones know next to nothing about your business, seem confused, and at times they are rude to the people on the other end!

This sounds terrible. As a business owner it is certainly something you would avoid at all costs… and if you suspected it was happening at your business you would put an immediate end to it. In fact, if you heard one of your customer service people being rude even once, you would take swift action.

Businesses today are going to great lengths to differentiate themselves based on their “exceptional” and “extraordinary” service. Yet, as you are reading this, hundreds or thousands of people could be visiting your website and receiving terrible customer service. Why do I say that?

Because, if your website is like the many I have reviewed, it may have one or all five of these common problems:

  1. Broken links – if you have links to other pages on your site and they don’t work… well that is embarrassing. Ever had a customer service rep on the phone say they were going to transfer you… and alas, you were disconnected? It does not impress. That’s like a broken link on your site.
  2. Not mobile friendly – if your site is not mobile friendly, you aren’t being very friendly. That’s the bottom line. This is kind of like your customer calling you on the phone and you telling them you can’t help them by phone, they will need to ask their question by hand written letter via USPS. Get with the times! Make sure your home care website is using Responsive web design (RWD) – an approach to web design aimed at providing an optimal viewing and interaction experience.
  3. Not enough information – you live in your world and you know everything about your business. But people visiting your site may know little or nothing about what you offer… you simply came up in a search. Are you telling visitors what you do by way of easy to understand text and attractive images? What services you provide? Why they should choose you over another home care agency? How they can request a visit? Make sure your website receives the same level of care and attention as do other parts of your customer interactions.
  4. Inconsistent look and feel – does your website coloring, font, imagery etc match your physical location and your other marketing materials? Does it match your other print and digital advertising? If your site is inconsistent your visitor may think they are in the wrong place. Make sure your website not only stays consistent with your brand, but that the operation and use of the site is similar to the norms for the home care industry.
  5. It’s dated – we’ve all seen the websites that were built in 1999…and haven’t changed since. When I visit one of those sites my first reaction is “Well if this company doesn’t care about their appearance, or staying current with the times, what else don’t they care about?” My guess is that your agency’s look, signage, services etc have changed in the last 10 years. Why hasn’t your website? Time for a home care website makeover!

Why do companies make these mistakes with their websites? The main reason is that websites become neglected. Unlike that customer service failure I mentioned earlier, your website operates in silence. You can’t hear it performing, you can’t even see it performing… it is just there. Don’t let it make a bad impression.

If you are interested in ways to improve your home care website, reach out to Home Care Marketing Pros, we’re here to help!