Customers First!
By Paula Mariedaughter and Jeanne Neath
Every web site should be designed for the convenience of the customer. Obvious advice, but we hope you’re listening! Let’s take a long arm quilting service as our example. I’ve been a customer of a local long arm quilter. My needs were simple. What I wanted when I took my quilt to the quilter:
- To be assured that the quilting will be done well
- To be involved in selecting the batting, thread and the quilting pattern
- To know how much
- To know how soon
These are only the basics of what the customer wants to find on a long arm quilting web site. In addition, Internet-based long arm quilters must find ways to establish both a personal connection to their visitors and to establish their expertise with a professional looking web site.
One long arm quilting service called us asking for assistance with their web site. The site had been unusually well constructed by a relative, but lacked a welcoming feel. To make the website have more “human warmth” and to give the customer a sense of “knowing” the quilter, one of our suggestions was simply adding close-up photos of the quilter at work.
How do you avoid an amateur looking and operating web site? The basics include: show carefully chosen pictures to interest the visitor. Don’t use large size type except in major headings, and make sure the type fonts you use work well together. Keep your pages uncluttered—especially avoid a busy background that will interfere with reading the text. Know what information you want to convey to your customers and don’t ramble. Avoid annoying animated doodles. Design clear navigation—this may be the most important of our advice.
Our general suggestions about what information a long arm quilting service might choose to provide for it’s customers include:
- Many websites lose their visitors on the Home page! Use one or two quick-loading, fabulous examples of your quilting to hold the visitor’s attention. Give an overview of the information your customers are most interested in: your expertise and your excellent care of their quilt. Make sure your site navigation is easy to use.
- Use Display pages to show your patterns, threads, and batting options and discuss the advantages of each. Using a web page connected to a database would allow you to easily display hundreds of patterns and threads without having to generate dozens of display pages.
- Include a Pricing page with a clear discussion of the pricing structure for patterns, custom work, thread (prices and color chart), batting, piecing backs, and binding. Include information on shipping and insurance costs.
- Use a Gallery page to feature more examples of your work, especially including close ups. Consider adding customer testimonials.
- An About Us page allows you to expand on your brief introduction on the Home page, to mention your credentials and any awards for your quilting, and to note membership in IMQA or other professional quilting organizations. Describe your equipment here, if you desire.
- Offer a Get a Quote page with a form to allow the customer to fill in the information about the quilt they want quilted. Once received, you call or email them back with a quote and to discuss your current turn around time.
- As for any site, be sure to include a Links page and a Contact Us page.
Looking at your site from the customer’s point of view is eye opening. Pretend that you know nothing about long arm quilting, but have a quilt top you want to be quilted. Is it easy to gather the information you need? If not, perhaps it’s time for an update!
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