In our new digital age where products, services, blogs and forums are available to us at any time on any topic or business, one of the most important links that seems to be missing in this new age is the old fashioned tried, tested and trusted relationship.
People sell to people, people buy from people and most importantly people want to communicate with people. There is nothing more frustrating than bad service, automated responses and what seems to be never-ending looping jingles whilst placed on hold. Bad customer experiences can lead to the demise of a business and leave a bad taste for present and future customers. Service delivery is the most important part of business. However, having said that, it does come with a price. Good service does not come standard with most businesses and as a client you pay for the time and service you are expecting.
You may find a great deal and a cheaper product but what does that guarantee? Does your few hundred-rand guarantee quality? And if you realise the quality is below par after falling for sales shortcuts does this guarantee your money back or a solution to the problem you are facing? Does it cost the company you are purchasing from more to fix the problem or is it cheaper to give you below average service and lose you as a client and gain another from the same sales tactic? Usually the latter is more convenient when selling mass rather than specialised products. The same applies in the digital space, a highly competitive market with prices varying from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands. The questions you need to be asking is with a few thousand rand do I ensure that my website will be user friendly, functional and built with best practices that will increase my online presence and put my business at the top of the game? More importantly the question to ask is, if I am not happy with something on my site or feel I have received a basic website without the functionality I have requested, will someone be available to fix it as per the standards I was expecting without extra costs from the original price agreed upon?
The common misconception in the digital space is that websites are developed by clicking a few buttons and adding a few pictures, however this couldn’t be further from the truth. As with surgeons, they are specialised, the same applies for website developers, there is a certain skill set and criteria one must meet to develop quality sites in accordance to best practices which benefit a client’s online business, with quality comes good customer service and relationships.
When it comes to websites and custom developed sites and it sounds like a great cheap deal, re think your options, ask all the necessary questions, inspect their portfolio and past projects. Don’t just jump in on a deal that sounds too good to be true, it may end up costing you more in the long run.