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Dazzle your e-customers
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October 20, 2000: 1:17 p.m. ET
Service guru says online merchants must improve the shopping experience
By Staff Writer Steve Bills
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - If you want to succeed as an electronic merchant, quit thinking of your Internet presence as an online storefront and start thinking of it as a "hyperlog," a customer service expert suggests.
And what is a hyperlog? you may ask. It is a word invented by Ron Zemke and co-author Tom Connellan in their new book, "e-Service: 24 ways to keep your customers -- when the competition is just a click away" (Amacom, $25).
 A hyperlog, Zemke explains, is your catalog adapted for the Internet. This does not mean static Web pages with dull lists of inventory. On the contrary, it is an approach to make your products more compelling while improving customer service and even improving your profit -- "a kind of catalog that goes above and beyond what a (print) catalog can do," Zemke said.
As an example, he pointed to the "personal model" offered by Land's End, the leisurewear merchant, which allows you to enter your measurements one time -- along with your lifestyle preferences, even your personal coloring -- to get customized clothing recommendations.
As another example, he cited REI.com, the Web site of the business cooperative Recreational Equipment Inc., which not only groups products according to their use -- the backpack you use to go canoeing might not be the best one for a rock-climbing expedition -- but also provides online bulletin boards for the sports and activities that it outfits, so shoppers can chat among themselves about the best gear to buy.
Begin with a commitment to service
But e-tailing success doesn't begin there. A successful e-commerce site begins with the founders' commitment to customer service, emphasized Zemke, president of Performance Research Associates of Minneapolis and co-author of the "Knock Your Socks Off Service" series of books.
"Customers want you to be easy to do business with. They don't want entertainment," he said. That means you should shelve the fancy animations and complex graphics in favor of simple page designs that load fast.
He also favors big type -- easy to read -- and big graphics -- so customers can see more details. But he also recommends small files so pages load fast. All right, which is it?
"The customer had better be able to get on your site very quickly," Zemke said. A Web surfer is likely to decide within the first 30 seconds whether to do business with you, so you want to be easy to do business with. Studies with focus groups after Christmas 1999 showed "if there wasn't text to read in eight seconds, they went somewhere else.
"It may not be realistic, but they're customers," he added. "Customers have never been touted for being rational."
Make the text load first
Design your pages so the text comes up first, Zemke suggested. That way, the shoppers will have something to read while the graphics load. Many customer-friendly sites also put thumbnail images next to the promotional text, yielding a faster download while allowing the surfer to click the picture for a bigger image.
Other tips for becoming an easy-to-do-business-with site:
- Don't ask for too much information too soon. Privacy is a top concern of online shoppers, so don't ask for the information till you need it.
- Post important policies prominently -- your privacy policy, your shipping policy, product-return policy, and so on. Also post contact information on every page, an 800 number or e-mail address, so your customers can get answers to their questions.
- Staff up your call center. Many merchants have the misguided idea that if they have an e-commerce Web site, fewer customers will call on the phone. Just the opposite is true. Especially heading into the holiday season, you should plan to staff your phone lines 24/7. And make your operators understand the Web site, not only the telephone and catalog.
- Plan now how to recover from a service disaster. Customers know that problems occur, but they really get mad if you don't have a system in place to set things right. On the other hand, if you can dazzle them with a solution to their problem, they may be more loyal to you than if the mistake never occurred. The key, however, is the system. So plan now what you will do when things go wrong.
The most successful online merchants take advantage of the technology to enhance their service to customers, Zemke said, citing Omaha Steaks, which typically sends out order confirmations to buyers within 25 minutes.
Most important, especially for existing retailers moving onto the Web, is that customers will know who you are. "They don't see the Internet as a replacement medium but as another channel for commerce. They will compare what you do over the phone, through the catalog and on the Internet," Zemke said. "You'd better be good in all channels." 
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