rabbit hole

Design can deliver Profit

Design is more than pretty pictures

So I finally finished that degree in design and technology that I’ve been giving out about all along only to appreciate afterward how much I’ve learned. I’ve also come to realise that marketing and design are not so different and both if done well, deliver profit.

We’ve all got lost in online rabbit holes in poorly designed sites – too slow, poor navigation, not mobile responsive, clunky shopping carts – the list goes on. The terror when your card has been accepted but your trolley is still full and your account says ‘no orders’. Support is the obvious next step and now you’re lost in the abyss. So how could design make a difference?

With my Sonru hat on, I can tell you I’ve done some extensive research on tech support recently and have made the following observations:

  1. User-centred design, user experience, ease of use – all these buzzwords actually make an impact. When your site or app is intuitive then users are less likely to reach out to support. If the same metrics keep coming up, then it’s time to redesign those steps or that page or whatever the source of the red flag.
  2. Information is power. Educate your users, provide them with tips, guides, tutorials, tours. Less is never more when it comes to learning – the more users know, then they are less likely to reach out to support. 93% of candidates surveyed felt sufficiently informed about what was required before completing their video interview.
  3. Self-help really helps. If, and when, users do visit your support portal, is the site and the content designed to enable users to help themselves? Is it teeming with advice, tips and tricks and troubleshooting information? If users can resolve the issue themselves using your great content, then they are less likely to reach out to support. 97% of searches on the Sonru Zendesk support site result in a full resolution i.e. 3% of visitors feel the need to interact with the Sonru support team.
  4. When good design has exponentially reduced the number of users contacting your support team, then you can afford to wow those that do. You’re working smarter, not harder and you can afford to build a world-class 24/7 dedicated in-house support team. 50 Times Faster, 4/5 tickets resolved with 1 reply and 95% satisfaction are just a taste of some of the supernormal results from Sonru’s extraordinary tech support team. You can read all about it in their latest eBook.

Suffice to conclude that good design = less support = more satisfaction + more profit

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