Malphurs

This is part 3 in a series that details introducing clients to ecommerce and answering their most frequently asked questions.

In part 1, we discovered what questions clients typically ask about ecommerce websites and answered their first question: What is ecommerce?

In part 2, we answered their second question: Should I build an online store?

In part 3, we will answer the client’s question Do I have the Expertise?, and review ways in which we can ease client’s concerns over the technical details of ecommerce.

Do I have the Expertise?
Clients often face the fear of whether they can pull off the task of maintaining and running an ecommerce site. How do you answer this and ease their concerns?

At Malphurs Interactive, we address this issue in two ways:

1. Show them demos of ecommerce stores
2. Promise (and provide) training and documentation

Showing Demos
By showing demos of other sites, you can engage your clients on the ins-and-outs of the processes that typically drive ecommerce stores. Assuming that these have been built well, it will quickly become apparent that ecommerce is not rocket science.

Begin by walking the client through a top level overview of how the store looks to the public. Be sure to show:

• the storefront
• category pages
• product details pages
• search functionality
• the check-out process

By covering these pages first, you provide a solid understanding of what will be produced through the store’s admin area. This is important because the client needs to understand the correlation between the admin area and the public-facing site. In other words, they will be able to better grasp “what effects what” when administrating the site.

With that ground covered, it is time to move over to the administrative side of things. First, walk them through a top level overview of the admin area and its navigation, ensuring that you provide a short description of what each section does. I advise NOT going into specific detail of functionality at this point, as we are simply trying to give the client an idea of what the admin area contains. We want to first help build the client’s mental model of the admin before providing detail that very well may overwhelm them at this point.

When this is done, briefly show them how:

• categories are set-up
• products are added
• shipping is controlled
• tax rates are applied

Again, I advise only showing one or (at the most) two examples of each… We don’t want to overwhelm the client, as this would fly in the face of our intentions of showing them a demo in the first place!

Finally, be sure to ask the client if they have any questions before moving on. But, to beat this horse dead, ensure you are being clear and concise in answering any questions. Too much detail is what we are trying to avoid.

Training & Documentation
Now that we have shown the client a sample ecommerce site without making their head spin, it is time to discuss the support options you will be providing. This helps them understand that when the project is complete, they won’t be left hanging all alone.

At Malphurs Interactive, we typically offer two support options:

1. One face-to-face training session
2. A short, customized user manual

Some clients prefer to meet in person and be guided through each piece of the store’s functionality. Others simply prefer to have a guide that they can reference instead. The decision between using one support option over the other (or even both) should be dependent on how best the client learns. Visually? Through conversation? Through getting their hands dirty?

Regardless, of their preferred method, we are attempting to convey that – just as they have seen – they can do this and they will have the support they need along the way! This goes along way to address and ease a client’s fear and also increases customer satisfaction. And, thats just good business practice!

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Come back soon for Part 4, the final article in this series. In the meantime, share your feedback in the comment area below… We would love to hear how you have managed clients through the ecommerce process.