Jananas

I recently was given a business card that had a tagline, a small graphic, and a phone number. While it was clever, it was missing some very important information (as far as I’m concerned) – an e-mail address and, given that this person had one, a website address. Really, in today’s environment how do you not provide such vital information to clients or potential workmates?

I had some information that needed to be e-mailed to the individual and had to google them to find their e-mail address. So now I’m annoyed. If you want me to contact you, I shouldn’t have to go and look up how to do so. Then their e-mail address is on their website as text, and doesn’t automatically link into my e-mail program. I’m now doubly annoyed. I make a mistake typing it, so the e-mail bounces back. The end result was that I got sidetracked by other deliverables and didn’t bother going back to look up their information a second time. How much business do you think is lost as a result of people experiencing the same thing?

To add insult to injury, the context is e-business strategy. FAIL.

The end lesson? If you want/need someone to contact you, make it easy for them. If people have to go through additional steps to get, especially what is now considered to be, basic information – many of them are going to give up rather than going the extra mile. (Although this is also why a lot of companies love IVRs and poorly designed websites…)