Are Your Web Site Error Messages Turning Away Your Customers?
I was registering online for an event this week using a credit card and experienced a usability hiccup on the organization’s web site that I found noteworthy. As I was completing the final steps of the registration online, I clicked submit and instead of being greeted by a confirmation screen, I received an intimidating red error message that said “Your credit card has been declined.” Ouch! No one likes to hear that. However, I knew the card was fine so I tried to think of other reasons for the error. Then I realized that the billing address I had entered was not the one that was associated with the card. I edited my registration and lo and behold, the registration was completed successfully.
While I was able to figure out what the problem was, others might not be so fortunate. How many other customers decided to give up after the first “Declined” message and abandon the registration process? This anecdote illustrates the importance of descriptive error messages. In this particular case, a better error message might be something like:
“There was a problem with your credit card. It was declined by the processor which could be due to a number of things. Some possible causes include insufficient funds, or perhaps the billing address you entered is not the address associated with this credit card. You may want to double-check the billing address you entered. If you continue to have trouble, please call us at 800.555.1212.”
This error message is much more useful that the first one because it gives the customer some useful troubleshooting information as well as a phone number to call as a last resort for further help. It also does not accuse the customer of having a bad credit card, but rather presents some possible scenarios and does not make assumptions, thus keeping the transaction neutral. The scenario above is one example, but user-friendly error messages are important any time your site asks for user data. This same principal can be applied to social networking sites, online forums, or even simple contact forms.
Is your web site inadvertently turning away good customers by displaying cold, unfriendly error messages? Take a look and see if some improvements can be made. A few small changes can turn lost sales into loyal customers.
Tags
blog comments powered by Disqus
Register for our Next Webinar
Strategic Content Marketing
Free On-demand Webinar
Tags
"SpinWeb support ninjas strike again! Ridiculously amazing customer and technical support. Seriously. Thanks!"- Amanda Cook, CHPA (view original tweet)
"Thank you so much for our new website! Your team has been incredible and very impressive to work with. You answer questions quickly and your team of experts solves problems or issues in a way that I have never experienced before. I have been part of another company that launched a new website, and it was such a headache, but this process has been seamless with you!"- Rachel Kimmell, WestPoint Financial Group
"SpinWeb makes my job SO EASY! Love them!"- Teresa Russel, Church Brothers Collision Repair
""There is no company out there like SpinWeb. I'm loving the blueprint process with them and so excited about the new site. Great people.""- Sara Romanowski, Muncie Public Library (view original tweet)
"SpinWeb is the essence of talent and professionalism."- Megan Hoover, Hillcroft Services
"SpinWeb simply makes managing your own website easy. Not only is the management software user-friendly, but it provides real time access to data which is vital to our sports business. We’ve been able to increase our sales, further strengthen the image of our brand, and grow other online resources through the website created by SpinWeb. SpinWeb provides a simple and affordable option to website development and management. With user-friendly software, real time access, archive libraries, and immediate execution, SpinWeb has provided us with a key component to our sport business that generates revenue."- Justin Hart, Indiana Ice
"We had a customer come in today for an estimate. Her comment to me was… 'Wow, whoever designed your website did an outstanding job!' She then told me that was a deciding factor on where to get her car repaired."- Ted McClintic, Church Brothers Collision Repair
"Superb design plus great processes give SpinWeb the ability to deliver websites on time and on budget. These guys are great, highly recommended!"- Mark Zeitler, Accrisoft Corporation
"All of you have done a tremendous job on the design/layout of the site... I can't even imagine using any other team for this project... you guys knocked it out of the park!"- Chris Dellen, MBA, Communications Products, Inc.
"Since we have launched our newly designed website, we have been receiving more feedback from clients, potential clients and community members. Thanks again Spinweb for all of your great ideas, hard work and wonderful partnership!"- Brittani Richards, Horizon Convention Center
"I'm glad I had the foresight to choose SpinWeb. I say that because I'm older and consider myself a dinosaur with this new technology. With the help of SpinWeb, I now have a better way to market myself. I'm more effective at attracting new patients and I'm able to educate people via our website."- Stephen J. Gant, DDS, Yorktown Family Dentistry
"Since we have launched our newly designed website, we have been receiving more feedback from clients, potential clients and community members. Thanks again Spinweb for all of your great ideas, hard work and wonderful partnership!"- Courtney Anderson, Fishers Pediatric Dentistry
"Nap Gladu contacted SpinWeb seeking help in updating our existing website. Our website was very stale and did not reflect the image that we wanted for our company. We met with SpinWeb, laid out a plan and SpinWeb took it from there. We now have a website that is the most impressive in our industry with the image that our company wants. We have the ability to update our site on demand and have the tools to track the visitors to our site. The team at SpinWeb was great to work with...very professional!"- Holly Mundy, Nap Gladu
"I cannot thank you enough for the quick turn around time in getting back to me when I have a question or concern. That service is invaluable to me - along with so many other services you provide."- Amy Kitchen, Johnson County Public Library
"On behalf of the AMTA-WI Chapter Board of Directors I would like to thank you for a most informative and entertaining presentation. I learned much more than I expected and your presentation far exceeded my expectations. It is my hope we can have you back another time once we get things rolling."- Kay Peterson, AMTA-WI Chapter
"I have worked on several web and digital projects in my career, and this one was one of the best."- Jeffrey W. Owen, Full-Fill Industries
"FYI, Chris Antoine from SpinWeb is pretty awesome."- Allissa Haines, AMTA-Massachusetts Chapter (view original tweet)
"We finally found someone who took our business as seriously as we do. Thank you, SpinWeb!"- June Kramer, Midwest Metal Fabrication and Custom Rolling
"Since redesigning our web presence with SpinWeb, we have noticed an increase in our online contributions."- Jean Crosby, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County
"Thank you for the great experience with the Silver Companies website development. Your team was efficient, helpful, and a pleasure to work with. I will definitely pass your company on to prospective businesses in need of website development/work."- Justin Steill, Silver Companies
"The SpinWeb Team has performed at an exceptional level and I continue to boast of our success is due to the creativity of SpinWeb."- Fred Nichols, Astbury Environmental Engineering