Communication marketing 'should be accessible and usable'

Date: 27/01/2012

In the current economic climate companies may be keen to explore how they can make their business stand out from other organisations offering similar products.

Firms could find that investing in 0800 phone numbers helps them to attract customers, as such numbers are memorable and provide a national presence, which will appeal to some clients.

In addition, the fact they can call a firm from a landline at no personal cost is likely to help encourage them to choose one company over another.

When switching to freephone numbers, businesses can take advantage of Commsready's online call statistics tool and online call management service.

These allow firms to track the handling of customer contact and establish when their busiest periods are, as well as to re-direct calls to alternative numbers when the office is closed.

While switching to 0800 numbers can work as a powerful marketing tool, organisations should not overlook other forms of communication.

Executive chairman of System-concepts.com and former president of The Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors Tom Stewart explained how improving the usability of a website can help firms to attract and retain clients.

"There is a British standard on making websites usable and that says if you're an organisation with a website, it should be usable and accessible - as well as secure and safe, et cetera," the expert remarked.

It was suggested ensuring a company's portal is easy to access and navigate is essential when it comes to web design.

Enterprises that hope to expand their marketing and appeal through an upgrade to their online company page may want consider getting an outside opinion, as those within the business will have a basic knowledge of how to use the site.

Mr Stewart recommended carrying out customer research to gain feedback on how a site is being used and where improvements can be made when planning to an upgrade.

Firms may want to establish a monitoring system to capture users' expressions and what is displayed on the screen as they navigate their way around a portal.

"If you have web designers looking at people playing with a prototype - it's fascinating. [After testers make repeated mistakes on a site] they'll suddenly twig that maybe it's not that obvious what to do," Mr Stewart remarked.

He added: "Be clear who it's for, what you want them to be able to do and then test it - simple as that."

One area the technology specialist noted is often overlooked by firms is access for people with disabilities who need to use assisted technology.

Mr Stewart warned against using images for critical content, as these can be "a real showstopper" if individuals are using screen readers.

"People with visual impairments often use screen readers and a screen reader will show you where the alt tags on websites are," he explained.

However, he noted this form of assisted technology does not read images and so they need to be turned off by users with disabilities, which could result in important information being made inaccessible if it is portrayed through a picture.