The NewVista News

Every site receives its own share of complaints and criticisms no matter how big or small. Most unsolicited criticism and general opinions can be taken with a grain of salt. Design is subjective in that everyone has different taste and ideas on how to present web graphics, information, format and layout.

You should not implement every idea or suggestion that comes down the pike, but still, you need to be open to ideas that might improve your user’s experience if you want your site to be ‘user friendly’ and more successful. Instead of becoming defensive or offended by criticism, take a step back and seriously consider it from the user’s standpoint.

Instead of taking offense, “thank” anyone who takes the time to complain about something on your site. It’s called providing good customer service and it has the potential to make or break a site.

According to DailyChanges.com, as many as 140,000 “.com” domains go down the drain each and every day. I believe that poor customer service plays a major role in their demise. Don’t be one of them. Everyone who visits your site is a potential customer.

Investigate each complaint to determine if it is something you can fix quickly. If it is, then fix it and inform the person who sent the complaint that it has been fixed. Don’t just say you’ll make improvements; actually DO something about it - Don’t argue or over-explain your reasoning if you can’t fix it immediately. Ignoring a complaint because you don’t know what to do is the worst thing you can do.

The internet is not all about who has the latest technology, or who has the best web site, or how to get rich quick, it’s all about people - and that means being of service to people. If you have a web site, you’re providing a service to people. Your customer is every visitor to your site and without them, your site has no purpose. How should you handle a legitimate complaint or inquiry about your web site?

Do: