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E-Commerce Needs A Business-Like Approach
The Internet offers a practical way for rural businesses to reach new customers But it takes more than a snazzy front page to attract new business.
Mitch Ruud of Microsoft Great Plains in Fargo, North Dakota says the internet is more than a pretty picture. It's a system that needs a staff, a strategy and needs to be solidly funded. Ruud says you need to think about your business holistically. From beginning to end, every phase of the interaction needs to have a system. Even shipping the order should be considered a system. Ruud says he's worked with alot of "dot coms" that built great web sites, took a great number of orders and then couldn't figure out how to ship them.
Ruud also says that every employee in your business should be involved in the internet, whether they are responsible for customer service, shipping orders or just knowing what's on your web page. It's all part of good communication, between employees, with customers and everyone else who touches your business.
It's also very important to respond to your customer's e-mails within 24 hours. Ruud says companies average a three day response time and that's poor business.
You should continually monitor your web site, and shop it as if you were the customer. Ruud says it's important to look at your business from your customers point of view.
And he suggests you set aside about ten percent of your budget for your internet expenses. These are all fundamentals of good business alot of failed "dot coms" have neglected.
As for the internet shopping experience, Ruud has a few tips:
1) Make sure your site is easy to do business with and make sure it shops well. He says too often people get confused, frustrated, don't feel secure and therefore abandon their web site.
2) Make sure your site loads fast. If your page doesn't load within seven seconds, Ruud says most people will bail out.
3) Treat your customers the same on the web as you would if they were a customer in your store. Ruud says it can be a big problem if you give someone a discount in your store and neglect to reflect that same discount on your web page.
Ruud says building a good website is all about building good volume. It's important to create an appealing environment so people will want to return. Because Ruud says if they don't like it, they won't come back. Ruud says a successful web site takes alot of time effort and thought.
Ruud also says with the help of new software programs, the growth of internet business is recovering, this time with a slower, more practical and predictable vision, so if you're thinking about putting your business on the web, don't put it off.
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