Paul Freeman
New member
I've decided to use vBulletin for ECRC’s new website. In the past it probably wouldn't have been practical, but with the advent of the new Content Management System, I think it is.
To initially get potential customers to the site, they'll see a message on their estimate that says: "Mention the key word of our current discount offer as advertised on the Emerald Coast Roof Cleaning, Customer Care Service Center website and we'll gladly honor the discount". If they mention the discount at all, they’ll get it. It’s just a tool to encourage them to visit the site.
My thinking is to give very customer a user ID and password on their invoice to encourage them to post a comment on the site after the job is done. Maybe even offer a small rebate on the invoice to entice them to post a comment.
I could use the CMS to prevent customers from ever seeing the forums or needing an ID/PW, but then we’d have to create an Article on the Home Page of every job we do and the customer would have to find their job in a long list of articles. For now, we’re going with the forums approach.
The risk side of using forums software is that a dissatisfied customer will write a negative comment regardless of what we do to satisfy them. The flip side of that coin is that we have an equal opportunity to reply to a negative comment as to exactly what we did or offered to do to remedy the problem.
The site is still in its infancy. I haven't added any graphics or content, yet. Right now, I’m just stubbing it out by naming the forums and considering the structural mechanics of the site. The forums will be used for customers only, so traffic volume isn’t an issue.
I estimate my total cost to get this site customized and fully functional will be 1.5 – 2k, most of that being one-time expenses. I have a full complement of server tools including cPanel, mySql, and full FTP access to the root directory of the (our) server. Pretty good deal for $120 a year plus the annual renewal cost of the SEO license.
I/We would appreciate your opinion, from a customer perspective and/or a business perspective: http://www.emeraldcoastroofcleaning.com
As I mentioned above, the site is in its infancy. It’s small and hopefully easy to get an idea of where I’m going with it.
Thanks,
Paul
To initially get potential customers to the site, they'll see a message on their estimate that says: "Mention the key word of our current discount offer as advertised on the Emerald Coast Roof Cleaning, Customer Care Service Center website and we'll gladly honor the discount". If they mention the discount at all, they’ll get it. It’s just a tool to encourage them to visit the site.
My thinking is to give very customer a user ID and password on their invoice to encourage them to post a comment on the site after the job is done. Maybe even offer a small rebate on the invoice to entice them to post a comment.
I could use the CMS to prevent customers from ever seeing the forums or needing an ID/PW, but then we’d have to create an Article on the Home Page of every job we do and the customer would have to find their job in a long list of articles. For now, we’re going with the forums approach.
The risk side of using forums software is that a dissatisfied customer will write a negative comment regardless of what we do to satisfy them. The flip side of that coin is that we have an equal opportunity to reply to a negative comment as to exactly what we did or offered to do to remedy the problem.
The site is still in its infancy. I haven't added any graphics or content, yet. Right now, I’m just stubbing it out by naming the forums and considering the structural mechanics of the site. The forums will be used for customers only, so traffic volume isn’t an issue.
I estimate my total cost to get this site customized and fully functional will be 1.5 – 2k, most of that being one-time expenses. I have a full complement of server tools including cPanel, mySql, and full FTP access to the root directory of the (our) server. Pretty good deal for $120 a year plus the annual renewal cost of the SEO license.
I/We would appreciate your opinion, from a customer perspective and/or a business perspective: http://www.emeraldcoastroofcleaning.com
As I mentioned above, the site is in its infancy. It’s small and hopefully easy to get an idea of where I’m going with it.
Thanks,
Paul