Online Frustrations

I’m in Texas today and tomorrow for meetings. As I was searching for dinner tonight, I couldn’t help but compare my (poor) experience with what people go through online. Yes, this is a typical geek thing to do, but what can I say – the Internet is always on my mind!

I’ll start with my horrible flight from Ft. Worth to Waco …
Imagine a small dual-prop plane, apparently lacking air conditioning, throwing us back and forth and up and down for the entire flight (a mere 30 minutes or so). Now, I like a good roller coaster, but with little air to breathe in a cramped cabin with at least two people barfing in those little white bags, this was a ride I couldn’t wait to get off.

After waiting an additional 10 minutes at the “gate”, we were finally let off the nightmare …I mean airplane, to be welcomed with 100+ degree heat radiating off the tarmac. I quickly left the puke- soaked area, got my rental car and headed to my hotel.

I was hungry. A simple Google search on my iPhone gave me directions to a pizza buffet restaurant–so a way I went. I got on I-35, took the appropriate exit about 3 miles north, followed another road South for some time (thinking it odd that I was backtracking). Three to four instructed turns later I see the pizza sign I was looking for… and my hotel sign about 3 buildings down.

Rather than delve into road-rage style anger for the many extra miles put on my rental due to some stupid map glitch, I decided to laugh it off and enjoy some pizza. Upon ordering I was told they do not accept American Express (my business travel card). Now, I could have just paid on a personal card, but that just mucks things up. So I cancelled my order and decided to go next door to another restaurant that looked appetizing.

After a short 2-block drive, I found that my next choice also did not take my preferred method of payment. Nor did the third option. Okay, now I was just getting angry. How hard is it to get some dinner around here?

To make this story a little shorter, I ended up eating a greasy meal at Whataburger. It wasn’t at all what I wanted, but it was easily accessible (next to my hotel), and they accepted AMEX. Ah, hunger handled.

As I sat eating my fries, I chuckled at the ridiculousness that I was comparing my experience to a typical consumer’s online adventures – yet it’s true …

People go online expecting to find things fast. When a search engine delivers poor results, or ones that do not satisfy the searcher, consumers get frustrated. If they come to your site and you don’t answer their questions, easily direct them to the nearest store, or make them feel wanted – they move on to the next site, and the next, and the next.

When finally they land on a site that takes care of most of their needs, they’re quick to buy.

Possibly because they found everything they wanted – but often because they’re so frustrated by the lack of good, consumer-friendly websites, that they’re willing to take the first one that comes close.

Moral to the story? Focus on usability. Make sure your site comes up well in the search results, and do everything possible to proactively answer customer questions, build their trust in your brand, and make it easy for them to buy from you.

Moral to my Texas trip story? Get a rental car from Ft. Worth and drive to Waco. At least I won’t have to smell someone’s regurgitated lunch on the way.