Every interaction with your customer leaves an impression. Whether you answer your phone with an ‘Alright mate’ or ‘A.B.C Car Repairs, Danny speaking, how can I help?’ your customer has subconsciously made assumptions about you and your business. This impression can mean the difference between a sale and a disparaging web review.
There are a few simple things you can do to increase your interaction rate and then have those interactions lead to sales. Being professional in ALL your business activities is key. A good business name that translates in the online world; courteous responses to all customer conversations whether that be via email or on the telephone; and the use of business email accounts with a domain that is consistent with your business name.
Get serious
If your business is serious about looking professional and maximising profits, then the simple steps involved in creating business email accounts are key to achieving that goal. Conversely, a generic @gmail.com suggests that your business is unprofessional and amateur. In a recent survey by one of the largest domain name providers, a quarter of all respondents indicated that they would be concerned about providing personal information such as credit card details, addresses or date of birth to a business with a generic email address and, consequently, would look to purchase elsewhere. That could be huge for your business; you’ve managed to drive traffic to your site and then failed to close the deal.
So simple
Many smaller businesses fail to create business email accounts because they assume that it’s complicated and expensive. The reality is that it’s neither, and the opportunity to create business email accounts is open to even the least technically literate amongst us. An established domain provider will have a point and click process for setting up email through your purchased business domain. Once it’s enabled, your emails may be sent to a free hosted email provider, unless you’ve opted for a paid business service. What’s great about this is that these are emails apps with which you’ll be familiar for your generic personal email, such as gmail or Outlook and you can link your personal and business email on the same platform.
Still skeptical?
If you’re not convinced yet, think about it. How many times have you seen a white van pull in front of you with the livery stickers peeling off and a hotmail.com email address? Does it inspire confidence? Do you log the company in your brain to use for your extension? Or are you muttering something unsavoury under your breath and then promptly forgetting about them?
Our guess is that you’re thinking the latter. Is that how you want people to see your business? Competition is fierce and brand loyalty is a thing of the past. Today’s customers purchase from people they trust and businesses they trust. If you’re not maximising your visibility and sales with coherent branding (and that means website, business email, logo and anything else that makes you stand out from the crowd) you’re going to be left behind.
For more information, check out our Setting up your business email address: what you need to know blog.
Switch to business email today and watch conversions and profitability improve.
