A Multichannel Merchant Staffer Needed to fix a scratch on her car, and found the Express Paint Website via Google. After selecting all the paint, primer and tools to handle the repair, the staffer went to check out, entered all her details, and pushed “continue” to let the company charge her credit card.
Then the site seemed to freeze. It wasn’t actually frozen, however — the staffer could go back to home page and return to the checkout page with all the order data intact. But it still would not process the order.
The staffer was about to close the window and find another auto paint site when she saw the company’s 800-number at the top of the page. She called, and an Express Paint rep answered immediately. When the staffer explained what was going on, the rep suggested hitting the refresh button. It worked.
Web usability guru Amy Africa is right: You should always put your phone number on your Website. Yes, you will have to answer it and speak with customers. And this may involve fielding dumb questions from people who should know better. But, like Express Paint, you will save the sale and make the customer happy.