February 2000

Your Web Site Is Calling, Please Hold For Your Customer

BY STEPHEN MCCARTHY, GLOBALPHONE CORPORATION

Web sites can now become more than interactive advertisements. Web callback, or placing an icon that enables customers to �click to talk� to an agent, creates direct connections between consumers and an e-commerce company�s customer service and sales professionals, helping improve service and boost sales. Visitors simply click on strategically placed call buttons within a Web site, enter their phone number and in less than 10 seconds, they�re off the Web and on the phone speaking with your most powerful assets � your people.

Customer Service On The Web Needs Help
Too many companies make the mistake of creating a beautiful showroom and leaving it unattended. The lack of human interaction and the inability to get specific information quickly results in missed selling opportunities and abandoned shopping carts. Successful selling over the Internet will require new customer service strategies and methods. Consider the following statistics.

• 60 percent of Web site visitors who begin filling out online forms never complete them. (Forrester Research)
• The average e-mail response time is 3 to 5 days. (Jupiter Communications)
• 35 percent of Internet revenue results from people calling or faxing the retailer. (International Data)
• 63 percent of Web site visitors will not buy via the Internet until there is more human interaction. (Yankelovich Partners)

For building relationships, delivering information, creating up-selling and closing opportunities, adding Web callback buttons is a fast, effective way to improve your Web site�s productivity. Companies spend millions to generate Web site traffic and fail to adequately service customers. Web callback costs little more than a toll-free call and can result in a substantial improvement in service.

Launching Phone Calls Via Web Callback
When a customer clicks on a callback button, a small dialog window opens and the consumer is prompted to enter a phone number and click �call.� The call form then drops away and the customer continues browsing. The Web callback service provider�s phone switch then launches phone calls to both the Web site owner and the customer. Automatically connected, the sales representative can then guide the customer through the Web site while discussing the company�s products, all within 10 seconds of clicking the �call� button.

Web Callback Is Not Voice Over IP
Unlike voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Web callback technology uses the public telephone network. VoIP will likely not experience widespread use for several years. VoIP conversations are sent across the Internet in data packets to your computer and played out of your PC speakers. At present, only 20 percent of PCs have speakers and only 1 percent have microphones. Thus, only one percent of potential users can have a two-way conversation. Worse yet, there is no widely accepted software standard to process VoIP and the caller must download client software just to have a phone conversation.

Currently, consumers are online looking for good reasons to buy products and services. Web callback delivers information and opens relationships that are critical to buying decisions. In contrast with VoIP, Web callback technology uses the old-fashioned public switched telephone network (PSTN) and can connect you to 100 percent of Web surfers today.

Can�t Toll-Free Numbers Do The Same Thing?
Web callback technology holds several advantages over toll-free numbers. Web callback is like a toll-free number on steroids. Following are some comparisons of the two.

Toll-free numbers work only in the U.S. Customers outside the U.S. will hesitate before personally paying for an expensive international call. For international business, Web callback buttons become very important.

A typical toll-free number will get a caller to the main company switchboard, or worse, into an interactive voice response (IVR) system. By contrast, Web callback buttons can be established for every department or sales representative. If the customer is buying car insurance, calls can be directed to the call center agents who handle car insurance. Real estate companies can put a call button next to each house listing and send calls directly to the listing agent. Using toll-free numbers, this customized routing would be difficult and expensive.

Most important, Web callback offers customers a simple way to do more than browse a company�s electronic catalog. It offers an easy way to do business. Impulse buyers are more likely to click on a �call� button than dial a toll-free number. If you spend money advertising your site, prompt surfers to call you before they click out of your site and you lose the sale.

Service Providers
Web callback service is available from numerous companies. There is no need to invest in expensive turnkey solutions. Web callback service can be added to your Web site in just a few minutes by subscribing with a service provider. Prices may include set-up fees, monthly fees and per-call and per-minute fees. Costs vary widely, so compare them carefully.

Features And Service Make The Difference
In addition to cost, several other capabilities are important to consider when selecting a Web callback service. Some of the following features may be available.

Custom forms. Look for flexibility in the forms offered by the vendor you choose. You will want your call forms to reflect the same look and feel as your Web site.

Offices closed. Web sites are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What happens to your callers when your offices are closed? It should be possible to send calls to a different call center, play a special message or prompt the user for e-mail.

Quick signup. Look for companies that allow you to sign up via the Web. If the company�s Web developer must get back to you, or other delays arise, look elsewhere. Making changes and adding new numbers in the future will be just as slow.

Delayed call. If users log on using their only phone line, they cannot make or receive phone calls until they log off. Delay options of 5, 10 or 30 minutes allow time for preparation to receive the callback.

Call restrictions. You should have the ability to restrict calls to certain states or countries in which you want to do business.

Custom whispers. A whisper is a message delivered to your call center agent before he or she is connected to the customer. A custom whisper can inform the agent which Web site or Web page the customer is looking at.

Dos And Don�ts Of Implementing Web Callback
Once you have selected a service provider, there are some important considerations that will help you maximize the call button�s effectiveness.

Make your call buttons visible. The most common mistake is placing callback buttons in obscure locations. Place one on every product page and order form. Put it on your �contact us� page. For consistency, put it on every page and in the same location on each page.

Use animation. Use callback buttons that are animated to catch a browser�s attention and clearly display the buttons� purpose.

Answer the phone. This seems obvious, but sending calls into an interactive menu system misses the point. The magic of Web callback happens when a visitor can connect to a live agent in 10 seconds or less. Web site visitors differ from the average customer calling a toll-free number. They have already reviewed the products on your site and are ready to talk business. Don�t turn them off with an interactive voice response menu!

Keep your call forms efficient. It�s tempting to prompt your customers for a name, e-mail address, company and other information. Avoid this annoying habit. Once a customer is on the phone, information is easy to collect. Keep the call form simple.

If you implement Web callback efficiently and with your customers� needs in mind, your Web site will benefit from a major productivity boost. Web callback buttons convey the message that your company is staffed and ready to accommodate customers. It announces there are real people at your company who are available to assist online customers. If your company has made a commitment to provide excellent sales and customer service, Web callback can be a valuable key to e-commerce success. If your company spends big bucks to generate Web site visitors, don�t let them leave without taking their order, one-to-one, over the phone.

Stephen McCarthy is president of GlobalPhone Corporation. Companies spend millions to generate Web site traffic and fail to adequately service customers. Web callback costs little more than a toll-free call and can result in a substantial improvement in service.