My team used to do customer experience audits for the websites of technology products. In particular, we did a series of them for cloud-based products. We would take an in-depth look at the website, then meet with the product team to talk about areas for improvement.
An interesting pattern developed: Early in the meeting, one of us would ask the product team,“Can you just give us a summary of what the product does?” Without fail, the product manager would give a concise overview of the product in about 30 seconds. You could see light bulbs appearing over the heads of the audit team: Now they got it!
But hang on: These people who now understood the product had spent significant time studying the product’s website!
Here was a pretty obvious CX problem: A clear, simple explanation of the product – what it did and why it was valuable – existed in the product team’s heads, but it was nowhere to be found on the website. Instead, the site was a sort of collage of generic language, pretty but uninformative images, and links to “assets” like case studies and videos. The target audience, apparently, was people who already understood the product.
Do your communications have this problem? Here’s a way to find out: Go read the Wikipedia page for your company or your product. If there isn’t one, look at a competitor or find a page that describes the whole category. Chances are, you will find a complete absence of phrases like “best in class” and“game-changer.” What you’ll find instead is straightforward, informative content. Content, in other words, that helps the customer understand.
Sticking with the example of cloud products, compare the Wikipedia entry for “cloud storage” and the copy on a company’s product page for cloud storage:
Wikipedia:
Cloud storage is a model of computer data storage in which data, said to be on "the cloud," is stored remotely in logical pools and is accessible to users over a network, typically the Internet. The physical storage spans multiple servers (sometimes in multiple locations), and the physical environment is typically owned and managed by a cloud computing provider.
Company page:
When storage isn’t a challenge, everything is possible. Hybrid cloud storage with industry-leading flexibility, scalability and simplicity for today’s evolving workloads. Meet challenges with industry-leading cloud object storage.
The Wikipedia entry requires at least some understanding (although key terms like “logical pools” hyperlink to definitions) – but the company version is a content-free jumble of slogans. Consider the inanity of “When storage isn’t a challenge, everything is possible.” Not only is it a silly claim, it’s completely generic. Try replacing the word “storage” with any other noun: Bandwidth? Insurance? Restless leg syndrome? They all work just as well.
This is not to say that the first thing on your website home page needs to be a primer on your company product – but that kind of basic information should be easy to find.
Here are the main questions you need to answer:
o What does your company do?
o What problems do you solve?
o What differentiates you from others?
o What do your products cost?
o How do I get started?
It’s important to realize that this won’t only help newcomers: Very often, even people who know something about you or your products have never read a description that puts it in context. That kind of clarity helps everyone – and it also improves customers’ perception of your brand. If you’re the company that gives a prospect that “now I get it!” feeling, you’ve gone a long way toward gaining a loyal customer.
And if you’re not sure what a clear description would look like, read Wikipedia.
