It will really help your sales if you use these online ordering system tips. Have you ever searched the web for a particular product, found one at a price you were happy with, but ultimately decided not to buy?
Most of us have, and it’s often because we don’t trust the business or because we have questions and can’t get fast, easy answers.
Effortless Ordering
Don’t let this happen to your potential customers! Make it effortless for them to complete their purchase using your online ordering system in this simple way: make yourself accessible by including your phone and/or fax number on the top of your order page.
This way, if your customers have any questions about ordering, the presence of your phone number gives them confidence and lets them know that they can reach you if they need to.
This will boost the number of orders you get for two reasons:
Trust. We’ve all heard that there’s safety in numbers; in this case, there’s safety with numbers. More people will order online if they see a phone number, which implies that there are real people behind the website. If your customers need to reach someone, they know they can. A phone number creates a feeling of safety and security for your customers when using your online ordering system.
Some people will order over the phone but not over the internet. Many people are nervous about entering their credit card numbers online. One of my clients increased his orders by ten percent when he started taking phone orders.
Not available to take calls? No problem. You can hire an 800 number service to answer the phone for you and take the order. Or you can let voice mail take the call, and then call the customer back later.
Don’t let the lack of a phone number cause you to lose sales with our online ordering system.
Taking a phone order
Let’s say a customer does call you to order your product. What do you do?
Enter it yourself on the internet! This seems obvious, but many people overlook it. They find themselves with orders scratched on pieces of paper, creating unnecessary paper work and unwanted disorganization.
So, when a customer calls to order, just open a browser window, go to your website and follow along to the order page. Once you’re there, you can fill out your customer’s name, address, payment info, etc. right into the online order form, just as if the customer had done it himself/herself.
This way, you will have the client data in your online ordering system database
and the customer can start receiving your autoresponder emails automatically. This is a great strategy to keep your target customers coming back.
Remember: it’s important to maintain all of your customer data in one centralized database, so that you can track your sales efficiently. No more scraps of paper!
The Numbers Game
Make the buying process smooth and easy for your customers.
Answer their questions and increase their confidence in you by playing the numbers game – in this case, include your phone and fax numbers in your online ordering system