Introduction
Technology developments have frequently been treated positively because of the assumption that they can improve lives; however, poor integration into one’s goals can lead to disastrous outcomes. The same is also true for business environments. Firms need to launch technology products only if the technology has direct benefits and if they have the right capacity to offer support for that product. In this case, the company had introduced a search engine optimization product.
Impact of technology on consumers
Consumers often have their own expectations from service providers. Consequently, they need to know the kind of brands that are available out there and technology is an incredible way of doing so. For instance, through various internet marketing strategies such as web ads, email notifications and the like, consumers may be informed about a range of suppliers out there and this helps them make decisions on the commodities that they truly need. In other words, technology facilities choice; no market can ever be complete without this element. Even very high quality goods may never translate into high returns if their consumers are not aware of them. Consumers would waste a lot of time if they had to try out different products and then decide on the one that suits them. Technology allows companies to teach consumers about new ways of using their products or about new innovations created.
Technology also creates a platform for surpassing physical barriers. Indeed technological products have facilitated service provisions to consumers beyond one’s borders. They have also been used in order to improve product quality thus making them globally competitive (Schaeffer, 2005).
Customers may also be assisted in the process of getting their messages across. Technology allows continuous interactions between consumers and businesses through various feedback strategies. Sometimes, some companies may use wirelesses devices while others may employ a series of research based technologies to hear what customers have to say. Businesses can therefore base product or service improvements on real time tangible evidence from consumers. In the end, consumers can enjoy better quality while businesses can grow from higher returns or greater competitiveness (Geisel, 2005).
How the company introduced the new technology to customers
The company under consideration was in need of getting its product out there. Potential and existing consumers needed to know that the company has offerings that could benefit them so in order to do this; it decided to employ search engine optimization (SEO) technologies. The first thing that the company did was to tell its clients that it would be altering the company website in order to make it usable. Concurrently, the company began searching for the best SEO companies out there and eventually settled on one.
The next step entailed changing the usability of the website. The company started looking for simple ways of dealing with these matters. For instance, it would look at what competitors are doing out there and would then establish ways of incorporating this into the company website. Furthermore, the company would look at industry trends and think of how this can optimize their respective website. Perhaps the most important aspect of this change was through market research. All the information necessitated an alteration of various aspects of the website.
The company then worked on its general outlook. Consumers needed to be attracted to the website first before they could start looking for what they wanted. Thereafter, an entire design was done to the website so that only the most comprehensible and relevant presentation to the customer was chosen. Care was given to originality because even though industry trends have to be integrated, the website did not want to look like it was replicating formats from other arrangements.
The latter refers to the outer appearance of the website, now the customer had to be introduced to content alterations. Any search optimization process often involved an analysis of the keywords and incorporation of those keywords into business material as naturally and as effortlessly as possible. This would allow consumers to access the website through several keywords found in the work. It should be noted that poorly optimized websites may be rewritten by technicians who simply fix keywords without thinking about how this flows throughout the entire body of work. In fact the most important aspect of a website to a client is the importance of its content. The company took their time in order to alter this (Buzzle.com, 2010).
In order to optimize a web page, one must eliminate any unnecessary pieces of information as these slow down navigation of the site. Since information is coded first before it can be present in web format then the solution to slow navigation is to remove excess code. The company dealt with this aspect as part of the technology change. Here, the firm identified java scripts, tables and other elements that were making page navigations for clients slow or downloads even slower. The firm realized that although immense bites of code were eradicated from their page, this translated into rather small changes in page use speeds. However, it kept in mind that these small time differences in web use could be the deciding point between them and their competitors (DeGeyter, 2010).
Lastly, the company introduced a number of bonus features for the client. It added a site map to facilitate website navigation. It created automotive 404 redirects to save consumers time and also made sure that consumers were not annoyed at not finding what they were looking for by giving them alternatives. It should be noted that 404 errors occur when a client types a URL that does not exist. This is possible because the user may have typed in a wrong address or the URL may have been changed. Normally, one can redirect the user to the correct page using a 404 redirect code. For example if a user typed www.paramountsoftware.php/indx instead of www.paramountsoftware.php/index , the 404 redirect can take him to the latter web instead of the former. It can also offer a list of other alternative URLs or may even take one to the homepage of the URL being sought (Kahn, 2010).
How the new technology added value to the customer
The use of search optimization did a lot of things for the business but most importantly, it was also crucial to the consumer. First of all, consumers could better understand the information that had been placed on the company website. This meant that most of them could effectively look for information and did not get frustrated at very complicated content. Search engines normally place ease of usability at top of their list in well optimized websites so this was an objective that trickled to the consumer easily.
SEO processes are also designed to make navigation very easy and convenient. The consumer directly benefited from this because he/ she could easily move from page to page in the company website without any hustle. This meant that they wasted less time and could focus their energies on what really mattered to them. It also implies that customers could be happy visiting this site because they did not require too much technical knowhow to navigate it. Convenience is always a plus for anyone looking to bring in business to a specific company. This means that purchases were easily done, feedback could be given directly and all other material in between could be offered as well (Buzzle.com, 2010).
Lastly, value was added in this process owing to the fact that consumers could speak out. The website introduced a feedback system that allowed individuals to give their comments and opinions about service delivery. Most of them wanted to know that what they thought counted. This was further illustrated when some of their suggestions were incorporated into service offerings.
Detailed support plan for customer with questions on the technology
There are a number of queries that customers may have when a website is undergoing search engine optimization. For example, some of them may wonder whether the company has been changed especially if the web layout seems very different. Others may not know how to find specific information while others could also have challenges using new operations (Geisel, 2005).
The business created a number of platforms for dealing with queries. First, there was a live chat feature that was clearly displayed at the corner of the homepage and even had an image of a customer care correspondent (with ear phones) so as to increase its visibility. A box was provided underneath the image of the correspondent and a link for sending the question was provided. Secondly, the firm also provided support through direct phone calls. It was able to do this by providing a toll free number at the bottom of the webpage. Once again, this part was very visible and stood out to customers. Those whose internet speeds could not allow them to chat could always have the option of calling. Lastly, the company had a frequently asked question section (FAQ) on using the website. Here, it listed all the possible questions that consumers may have about a new or old feature on the website. This will be displayed on a separate page but a very clear link on it will be available on the homepage. Customers were also supported through site navigations and other features on the enhancements that would make them more pleased with the changes.
How new partnerships with technology companies enhance the customer experience
Several companies have now embraced the possibilities that may arise out of technology in business. When companies liaise with search engine optimization companies, they definitely enhance consumer experience through a number of ways. This is beneficial to traditional organizations with internet websites and most importantly online firms that conduct all their business through this avenue. Firms such as these have numerous opportunities to make customers more satisfied with their offerings and this would create a better business environment for the consumer.
There are several ways on how to achieve this. As stated earlier, SEO always facilitates web designs. Consequently, businesses must work hand in hand with web designers as technology partners that would provide better web layouts and structures for the consumer. In other words, a well designed website is usable and convenient to the consumer. This is a new type of partnership because it focuses on online business and methods of improving accessibility to one’s content (Buzzle.com, 2010).
The type of technology introduced into the company also provided an important avenue for improving the overall content that customers will be able to access. In these circumstances, users are likely to find important and relevant material to their searches if websites have been optimized. To achieve this benefit, firms must work together with SEO writers who have the ability to merge keywords with general information. The latter form of collaboration can yield great benefits to the said clients.
Conclusion
SEOs have generally been thought to be technological tools that help businesses rather than clients. However, as seen earlier, this is never possible without involving the needs of the customer. At the end of day, partnerships between SEO providers and businesses will make websites convenient and usable thus providing consumers with qualities they are looking for and this adds value to them.
References
Geisel, R. (2005). The marriage of knowledge to business processes. Business insurance, 3(18), 2.
Schaeffer, R. (2003). Globalization and technology. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 83(4), 30.
Buzzle.com. (2010). Benefits of SEO. Web.
Kahn, M. (2010). Error 404 Auto redirect. Web.
DeGeyter, S. (2010). How to fix the bloated code that is jacking up your SEO. Web.