Agency-specific content serves to humanize the agency by connecting visitors with the organization and people behind the Web site. Often identified by an "About Us" link, agency information can be extensive and diverse, depending on what you include. Addresses and phone numbers, a location map, a general paragraph that includes historical background, agency purpose and aspirations, plus information about the agency's staff are typical inclusions.
Experience working with agencies seems to indicate that there is no common agreement about presenting information about the agency staff. Here are some alternative views worth considering.
Some ideas
Photos. Some agencies want to include photos because they help customers visualize the individual they are talking to or working with. Some agencies prefer to highlight the agency's executives as a means of conveying strength, leadership, and stability.
On the other hand, some agencies are adamant about not using staff photos for security reasons. One agency expressed concern that photos of female employees might generate unwanted attention and/or menacing phone calls. Another agency didn't want customers calling and asking for a specific individual based on the staff member's appearance.
Staff biographies. Biographical information about staff members can showcase qualifications that can inspire confidence and enhance credibility. One agency uses a novel approach: instead of including a resumé-style paragraph, an amusing tidbit is used, such as, "John is not only a commercial agent specializing in HOA insurance, he is arguably the best golfer in the agency. If you don't bring up the subject of golf in a conversation, he'll find a way to tell you about his 4 handicap."
Another agency, though, fears biographical data could increase E&O exposure. Citing recent executive-level scandals at major corporations, the operations manager says that biographical information about key executives could create unrealistic expectations in the minds of consumers who could be eager to sue the agency should "something go wrong."
Contact information. Some agencies combine (in imaginative ways) contact data with the staff member's biographical information and photo. This way, everything about that individual is presented in one tidy package.
Other agencies opt for a list of staff members with phone numbers and linking e-mail addresses. Some also include the individual's title and/or department. A "plain vanilla" approach, perhaps, but a list of staff members is simple, direct, and gets the job done.
Considerations
There is no right or wrong and good or bad when deciding what to do about presenting agency staff information. What you do is up to you and presumably you will have a reason that supports your decision. Regardless of what you do, here are some things to think about.
Special issues arise when using photos of staff members. Make sure they are all taken at the same time, under the same lighting conditions, in front of the same background, at the same camera-to-subject distance, and with the same camera settings. Avoid clothing with large, bold prints and plaids and colors that conflict with the background, especially in group photos. Following these suggestions, your photographs will all exhibit similar properties, thus making things easier and less time consuming for your site builder.
Realize, too, that using photos — whether individual or group shots — means that new ones will need to be taken when gaining new employees and/or losing staff members who are included in group photos. That translates into update work on your Web site. While the update work is fairly routine and not difficult, it could become an issue for large agencies with high employee turnover. The same thing applies, of course, to biographical information and staff lists with contact data.
Despite the additional work and the potential (and legitimate) concerns, I generally support the use of staff photos and biographical information when used purposefully and discreetly. Including these elements can add life and personality to what many feel is an impersonal medium.
© Copyright 2002 by Sound Internet Strategy. All rights reserved