I wanted to buy something particular for the house, so I searched online to find a local supplier.
Website 1 was gorgeous. I visited their (real-life) shop. The site said it closed at 4pm and I got there at 3:45 but found the shutters down. It seems they now close at 3:30 but hadn’t yet updated their opening times online. Rather than risk another wasted trip, I phoned and left a message. No reply so I phoned again. No reply. I emailed. No reply.
I phoned again and finally spoke to the guy. “I’m so busy,” he said, and promised to ring me back that afternoon. He didn’t.
His lovely website has generated so much business he can hardly service it.
Website 2 was ugly. But he answered the phone immediately and offered to fetch what I wanted from his supplier and deliver it to me the same day.
Top tip: Your website forms part of your customer service. Don’t let your website let you down.
