I’m seeing more and more of this -especially on tech sites. On the contact us page all they offer you is a form so that they can qualify you. What I don’t see is anything about where they are located, what they’re phone number is etc. For me, I want to know where you’re from. No particular reason -I just like to know. Sometimes you’re near other companies I know.
It concerns me that you don’t want to divulge that information. God forbid I actually call before you vet me. Already I can see that dealing with these hidden companies shows that they are all about their convenience not yours.
It is a pet peeve of mine, but I think it speaks to authenticity in a brand. I would bet that one of their brand values is service. They understand the word, not the effort that goes in to making service part of their corporate culture. If I was to somehow find their phone number what do you think the chances are you’d find a live body answering it?
Great service is not convenient it’s expected. Every little thing you do to diminish service is one step walking away from you. There are manufacturing companies in my region who have replaced live contact at the front door with a telephone and a directory. How’s a new customer to feel when they are forced to sit in a cold little seat searching a tacky directory to hale their contact to recover them from the vestibule?
Both of these examples are from the front end of the business. Both initial contact points. Sometimes saving a few dollars or being closed to connecting personally are small ideas that can cost you a huge amount of money in the long run.
Or it could just be me. I’m guessing a lot of professionals resent these tactics. Are you willing to bet
your brand on it?
As a customer looking to buy a product I totally agree with you. But also the company might not have the budget or the means to hire someone to take calls after they publish their phone number. However listing down the address and more details about the company is definitely a must.
Great article Ed,
I see some shift in that attitude towards sharing and showing the faces behind the business using social media, realizing the potential in doing so.
I hope that this trend will continue in 2015 and that the old school approach will change slowly into more open communication which is a win situation for all the parties.
Ed,
Do you think some of this might be a result of more home-based businesses? If you’re a work at home consultant you may want the look of a professional website and contact capabilities but not necessarily have people showing up at your door.
I’m a home-based business John. I’ve never had a client show up at my door uninvited. I go to them. I just think it’s a mis-directed mindset.