OK, we all know the question that has been eating at you night after night when you’re trying to fall asleep – should I have a “contact us” form on my website or simply a telephone number for people to call?
You know, these life-changing questions are sometimes tough to answer but I have some ideas that might help you through that tough decision-making process.
Ah, those annoying forms. Or those time-consuming phone calls. You have a potential client on your website and they’ve decided that they really like what they see but they still have a few questions. So, they decide to contact you for more information and possibly to place an order.
But, what would they rather do? Fill out a form with their questions or simply pick up the phone and call.
Half of you will probably say that they’d rather fill out the form and tell you their questions, allowing you to get back with them via email with the answers. The other half of you would say that your potential client would of course want to pick up the phone and call so they can talk through the questions and answers with a live person.
Well, actually you are all correct. No, I’m not trying to be politically correct here by making you all “feel good” about yourself and your answer. The real answer lies in whether the person contacting you is an extrovert or an introvert.
According to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator , 45.5% of all people are introverts, 50.5% are extroverts. And, what works well for an extrovert will really annoy an introvert and vice versa.
Extroverts think out loud while introverts contemplate what they are thinking and what they want to say before they say it.
Therefore, introverts tend to want to communicate in writing while extroverts want to communicate by talking.
Extroverts automatically assume that of course everyone would want to talk to a live person if you had the choice. They simply can’t imagine choosing the form if you didn’t have to. Who wants to have to deal with emails when talking to a live salesperson allows you to talk through all the questions you have, and all the questions that you might think of that didn’t occur to you before you began talking.
Introverts are extremely glad to have a simple form that they can fill out with their questions (emphasis on simple!) as opposed to having to deal with a salesperson on the phone who may try to push them into buying something that they are not yet prepared to buy. The Intranet is the greatest invention in the world for Introverts because it has allowed them to be shielded from those pushy, annoying salespeople who won’t let them off the phone.
So, the moral of the story is, always try to have a form and a telephone number for people to contact you if possible. I know that for various reasons it’s not always possible and that’s ok. People do adapt. Introverts can call. Extroverts will fill out forms. But if you have the ability to do both, then you are able to cater to all personality types.
Of course, the form and telephone number should be a part of a “knock-out” website with conversion optimization and compelling content, so that’s where an award-winning Interactive Agency such as Xcellimark comes into play. (Shameless promotion but it had to be in there somewhere!) We’d love to talk to you (or email you) with answers to all your questions!