Sound Strategy
Ten Elements
of an Ideal Agency Web Site
Of course, it's a bit misleading to talk about an ideal agency Web site.
What's ideal or appropriate is implied by an agency's business strategy, culture,
comfort with the Internet, existing technology and many other factors —
and that varies agency to agency. On the other hand, it does make sense to
describe, at least in general terms, categories every agency should take into
account, one way or another, as part of the perpetual process of Web site
evolution.
- Customer self-service: Studies show unequivocally that consumers
want Web site self-service as an option to agency-assisted or call-center
assisted service. Self-service can take a number of forms but is likely
to include inquiry (general insurance or policy specific) and action initiation
(requesting an endorsement). The more customers use the Web site for routine
service, the more the agency can use staff for cross selling and deeper,
consultative service.
- Marketing: An agency Web site is a great place for an agency to
tell its story — explicitly (through information and narrative) and
implicitly (through appearance and personality). Web sites can illustrate
an agency's professional expertise, service credibility, product breadth
(full service), and commitment (to a local or special community), beside
which brochures, ads, yellow pages, and other conventional marketing means
pale in comparison.
- Sales: Direct Internet sales aren't in the picture for most agencies,
but agency sites can facilitate cross selling in life, for instance, and
perhaps more interestingly for special, perhaps local (or market) related
coverage (like flood or earthquake or D&O). For instance, CSRs can direct
customers to take a look at the agency Web site to better understand earthquake
risks, the inadequacy of conventional property coverage, and then offer
quoting/buying.
- Education: Though it could be considered part of the service, marketing,
and sales categories, educational content can be particularly useful to
shoppers and customers, and something studies show consumers especially
look for. Web site visitors respond to and return for what amounts to public
service content.
- Connections: Web sites are useful in part to the extent that they
link the agency Web site to a relevant wider world. That world may be insurance,
community, or specialty specific, but in all cases, placing the site (and
agency) in context makes it more important and useful.
- Usability: It's not a matter of taste; it's a matter of human biology.
While we don't know yet exactly what's best, enough usability studies have
been done and reported on to suggest clear rules of thumb and best practices
for Web applications, which we've described in various ways in these pages
over and over. Web site usability is a real thing - just as magazine, book,
and other visual media usability is real.
- Locatability: Your Web site must be found to be used. That means
continuously reinforcing its presence with your customers, having a meaningful
and memorable domain name, being known to search engines, and having useful
content. None of this happens automatically. It has to be part of your day-to-day
agency life.
- Feedback: One way or another you need to know how visitors are
using your site, what works and what doesn't, and what else they're looking
for. Web site statistics are one source of information, but they have to
be retrieved and used to be pay off. Online and mailed surveys can supply
guidance, as can anecdotal reports from CSRs and producers. Someone must
track the site and be responsible for initiating revisions.
- Change: Too many agency sites are static — unchanged sometimes
for years! That doesn't work for the visitor, and that kind of inattention
doesn't work for the agency either. An ignored site soon becomes perceptibly
stale and visitors aren't likely to return to it.
- Integration: Agency Web sites ought to be viewed as and act as
extensions to the physical office and staff. The agency Web site should
be thoroughly consistent with agency business strategy and day-to-day behavior,
not an irrelevant special project.
© Copyright 2002 by Sound Internet Strategy. All rights
reserved
